Northern Virginia Florist and State Flower
Interesting facts about flower delivery and the region
Old Town Alexandria, Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia, referred to locally as “NoVA,” is situated just southwest of Washington D.C. The region shares a stretch of border with Maryland and is made up of some of the wealthiest communities in the nation. Some of Northern Virginia’s most notable cities are Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church, Reston, McLean, Crystal City (now home to Amazon HQ2), Tysons, Mt. Vernon, Leesburg, Middleburg, Upperville and The Plains. Atelier Ashley Flowers, based in Old Town, Alexandria, delivers to these locations as well as Washington, D.C. and a few cities in Maryland.
Northern Virginia is the most populous region of Virginia with an estimated 3,159,639 residents, or about 37% of Virginia’s total population. The two major airports for domestic and international travel are Ronald Reagan National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. Residents and tourists also have access to the Metro subway system and several Amtrak train stations. There are lots of opportunities for bikers with bicycle sharing and bicycle lanes and trails. One of the most notable bike trails is the Mount Vernon Trail which follows the Potomac River shoreline from Theodore Roosevelt Island (near Rosslyn, VA) to George Washington’s Estate at Mount Vernon.
Northern Virginia is home to many people who work for the United States Government, U.S. Armed Forces and the U.S. Federal Government. The Pentagon, the Central Intelligence Agency, and Arlington National Cemetery are all located within the region. Other defense companies such as Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Raytheon have office buildings and a very prominent presence in Northern Virginia.
Agriculture, tourism, healthcare, internet services, and soon to be Amazon are also important parts of the economy. Some of the largest and most notable companies based here are Booz Allen Hamilton, Capital One, Freddie Mac, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Nestle, NVR, Inc. and Mars Incorporated. There are also a great number of law firms, government offices, hotels, interior designers, event planners, hospitals, vineyards, art museums, and historic mansions making the area culturally and economically rich and diverse.
NoVA has many diverse tourist attractions and is a popular site for destination weddings. Many people come from out of state to get married, hold a conference, visit one of the many historical attractions, or enjoy the modern performing arts. Some of the most frequented sites are George Washington’s Mount Vernon, River Farm, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Carlyle House, Historic Old Town Alexandria, Great Falls National Park, The Athenaeum, the Torpedo Factory Art Gallery and the second location for The National Air and Space Museum.
As a state, Virginia ranks in the top ten for its education system. Many prominent K-12 pubic and private schools are located in Northern Virginia including St. Stephens & St. Agnes School, The Potomac School, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, The Madeira School, Browne Academy, Burgundy Farm, The Langley School, Bishop Ireton, Flint Hill, Episcopal High School, Lyles-Crouch Traditional Academy, The Basilica School of Saint Mary and Virginia Theological Seminary. Students from these schools learn at accelerated rates and often go to the 50 top colleges in the country or best colleges in the world. A large portion of these students return to the area after completing their college or advanced degrees and become young working professionals or interns.
Virginia is the most populous state without any professional football, baseball, or hockey teams. Residents tend to root for the Washington Nationals or Baltimore Orioles (baseball), Washington Capitals (hockey), Baltimore Ravens or the currently named Washington R**S***S football team. College sports are also popular with a long standing rivalry between the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech. Other popular Virginia sports include polo, fox hunting, fishing, horse racing, and equestrianism.
Many people have relocated from all over the world to Northern Virginia making it a melting pot of different cultures and religions. People who practice Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religious faiths are generally harmonious, curious, accepting and respectful of each other’s practices. Atelier Ashley Flowers does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
State Flower is the Dogwood
The Virginia state flower is actually a “tree” flower, the Cornus florida, or flowering dogwood. It is very seasonal and only blooms for a few weeks out of the year; still it is very special to Virginia and the trees are prominent throughout Alexandria, McLean, Mt. Vernon and the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia).
The Dogwood can grow to a height of about 33 feet at full maturity, with a trunk that grows in diameter of up to 1 ft and has a lifespan of 80 years. The tree thrives in hot humid summers, which could explain why it is so at home in Northern Virginia. In early spring, after the blossoms have faded, the leaves are a bright spring green, eventually turning a deeper forest green before turning a rich red-brown in the fall. The summer heat and humidity is essential for new growth to harden off in the fall. The leaves have a jagged toothy edge, and make great foliage for fresh flower arrangements. While not often used in bridal bouquets, the dogwood flower does make fantastic statement arrangements and can often be seen in hotel floral design, tall wedding centerpieces, or apartment lobby flower designs.
In late summer the Dogwood grows a cluster of two to ten separate “drupes” or fruit that ripen to a rose red color with a yellow blush. The drupes are also very festive to use in floral design and good for making a seasonal transition from summer into fall. The trick, of course, is not to cut so many that the birds can’t get them. The Dogwood fruit is an important source of food for many birds who also do their part in distributing the seeds and allowing for new saplings to grow.
As a side note, the Virginia state bird is the red, northern Cardinal. For many Virginians, the Cardinal is a very popular Christmas and holiday decoration. Some people even believe seeing a Cardinal means that one of your deceased loved ones wants you to know that they are watching over you, and you are not alone.
Ten Fun Facts That Make Northern Virginia Unique:
Old Town Alexandria is one of America’s oldest cities with many of the original structures still intact for visitors to enjoy.
Northern Virginia is the largest sub-region within the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Region.
The second location for the National Air and Space Museum houses some incredible aircraft including the Space Shuttle Discovery.
The key to the Bastille (you know the French Revolution) hangs on a wall at Mt. Vernon where George Washington placed it.
Burnside Farms hosts a Tulip Festival every year.
Wollam Gardens hosts an annual Dahlia Festival.
Earth Day was established at Airlie Resort and Virginia has been on the forefront of eco-friendly travel for decades.
Every October/November there is a Rappahannock River Oyster festival in Urbana, VA.
Virginia is known as “the birthplace of the Nation.”
Every year during Labor Day, McLean hosts a Middle Eastern Food Festival.