There might not be much blooming outside in Pittsburgh right now, but it’s a different story inside Anne Dickson’s cozy Sewickley flower shop along Beaver Street.
Step inside and you’ll be greeted with smiles, sweet scents and beautiful blooms to brighten even the dreariest midwinter day.
Dickson fell in love with flowers when she moved into a house with beautiful perennial gardens in Fox Chapel. A stay-at-home mother at the time, Dickson found herself in the garden most days, cutting flowers and making arrangements as gifts for family and friends.
People noticed her talent, and Dickson soon found herself with a growing list of clientele. What started as a small operation out of her garage grew into a full-fledged business that she affectionately named Fox and the Fleur, a nod to her home in Fox Chapel and an homage to her mother’s French heritage.
As her business expanded, Dickson established brick-and-mortar locations in Aspinwall and Sewickley and began offering a range of services beyond just floral arrangement and delivery, including holiday decorating, container gardening, floral design workshops and a robust event business.
Now 10 years later, Dickson and her team of experienced florists, container garden designers and event floral managers are brightening up indoor and outdoor spaces throughout the Pittsburgh region.
Their artful and organic arrangements caught the eye of Melissa Ewen, interior designer and owner of Melissa Ewen Design, a Sewickley-based residential interior design firm.
“I love the juxtaposition of something that feels a little bit more organic and a little bit wild, but still very artful,” Ewen said. “Anne totally captures that. She has this really beautiful way of combining different flowers and creating shapes that are compelling to look at.”
Fox and the Fleur has become Ewen’s go-to source for fresh flowers, greenery and creative floral inspiration. Dickson’s skilled team of experts have assisted Ewen with tasks ranging from last-minute floral arrangements for dinner parties to carefully designed client photo shoots with mood boards.
“It always feels like somebody went through the most beautiful garden and picked all the most beautiful things and put it together with intention,” Ewen said. “That is what I love about an interior. It should be curated, it should be cultivated, but it shouldn’t feel forced. It should feel like this happened naturally. I love that their arrangements really echo that.”
Container services
In addition to cut-flower arrangement design and delivery, Dickson’s team also offers container gardening services twice a year in the spring and the fall. They don’t provide any in-ground landscaping like perennials, but if customers have outdoor pots on front porches or patios, Fox and the Fleur will make home visits to plant seasonal flowers and greenery inside the containers.
“The container gardening is a big part of our business,” Dickson said. “We have maybe 50 clients all over the Pittsburgh region that we visit twice a year to plant their pots. We don’t maintain them. You still have to water them, but we have an incredible container gardening designer on staff who is so creative.”
Many customers in Sewickley rely on Fox and the Fleur to spruce up their homes for the holidays. Dickson’s team provides holiday decorating services ranging from wreaths, garlands and containers of greenery to full home custom design, including mantles, artificial Christmas trees and indoor lighting.
“The service is very customized,” Dickson said. “We come to your home for a visit, and we take everything into account, like the architecture, the colors, the style of the home, your budget and your decorating preferences. It’s a very extensive experience.”
According to Ewen, this degree of highly personalized service is what sets Fox and the Fleur apart.
“I am not naturally gifted with living things, but I am very specific in what I like, and Anne’s team knows that,” Ewen said. “I just really believe in relationship building with businesses like this. I’ve invested in them, and they’ve invested in me. They know your likes and your dislikes very specifically. They really take care of their clients, and they are a joy to work with.”
Workshops available
Business owners who are looking for fun and creative ways to care for their own clients may be interested in learning about the hands-on floral arrangement workshops offered at the Sewickley and Aspinwall stores. Fox and the Fleur will host corporate team-building activities and customer service appreciation events for co-workers and clients to interact and play with flowers.
“We’ve done workshops now for several years, and they’re a great opportunity for people to explore their own creativity,” Dickson said. “It’s really hands on and a lot of fun to do with friends or teammates. Sometimes people who don’t think they are creative at all will discover that they actually are.”
For those looking for fun ways to bond with friends or family this Valentine’s Day, Fox and the Fleur is offering a Valentine’s Day workshop from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Feb. 9 at the Aspinwall shop and Feb. 12 at the Sewickley location. Participants will learn about the art of designing flowers and will leave with a beautiful arrangement. The cost is $150, and all materials will be provided. Registration is open at foxandthefleurdesign.com.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Dickson suggests ordering gift arrangements in advance to ensure the best selection of flowers. Delivery and pickup orders can be placed online before Feb. 14. Customers also are welcome to visit to the shop and select from a variety of premade floral arrangements. Popular choices such as red roses may sell out, however, so customers are encouraged to shop early.
When cared for properly, floral arrangements will stay fresh for at least three to five days, sometimes up to 10 days, depending on the type of flower. According to Dickson, flowers with heartier stems — such as roses, mums and calla lilies — tend to last longer.
“You may have noticed that peonies don’t last a very long time in the vase,” Dickson said. “Hydrangeas can also be very finicky. Flowers with softer stems often wilt faster because they’re essentially biodegrading in the vase, and that creates bacteria in the water, which will shorten the lifespan.”
To extend the life of your cut flowers, Dickson recommends following these simple steps:
• Change the water regularly.
• Make sure your flowers are not near a heat source. If they are under a vent, they will wilt faster.
• If you are keeping flowers in your kitchen, make sure they are not near any fruits, because fresh fruits and vegetables emit gases.
• Flowers don’t need light once they are cut, so you don’t need to put them near a window. They wilt faster in direct sunlight. They do best in cool, dark spaces.
For more floral care tips and inspiration, visit Fox and the Fleur online at foxandthefleurdesign.com or stop by either of its retail shop locations: 412 Beaver St., Sewickley, or the flagship store at 105 Brilliant Ave., Aspinwall.