A Floral Designer Is Turning NYC Trash Cans Into Giant Vases Filled With Flowers

Mysterious flower arrangements have been appearing all over Manhattan during the last couple of months. Sidewalks, trash cans, statues and public plazas are the main targets of this guerrilla campaign. “Gifting flowers to New Yorkers is a simple idea that I have been thinking about for years,” Lewis writes on his website. “[I] hoped for smiles, the ones that happen when you witness a random act of kindness. That was my goal, my vision. Create an emotional response through flowers.”

The series is called Flower Flashes. Each installation has a different vibe. “Our Alice in Wonderland installation was romantic, feminine and whimsical,” Miller told NBC New York. “Our trash can flashes are edgier and ephemeral.” The bouquets also vary in scale. The largest ones consist of thousands of flowers like roses, dahlias, and orchids, and, if produced for a client at Miller’s firm, could cost upwards of $10,000.