Stonington - Gaze in the window at Verdant Floral Studio and it's like you've stumbled upon an oasis in this bitterly cold and snowy winter.

The borough shop, located at 123 Water St. for 15 months, is legendary for its fabulous window displays.

Most recently, a giant clam shell was planted with colorful amaryllis, pussy willows and sheep's moss. Or last fall, when the creative team fashioned a turkey from an oversized pumpkin, shafts of wheat, Indian corn, cranberries, chestnuts, apples and magnolias.

Or as a complement to the Stonington Garden Club's summer tour of borough gardens last year, a replica of a white-gloved woman sitting on grass with a floppy hat bedecked with flowers. Her legs were made from dusty miller leaves, her skirt from burlap and white and blue hydrangeas, and her shirt from lemon leaves, hydrangeas and peach-colored roses.

Passers-by can't help but to stop and inspect the window displays and most then venture in to the sensory-appealing Verdant Studio.

Verdant traces its roots back almost 30 years to South America's Columbia, then to Manhattan, before finally setting up shop in Stonington's Velvet Mill, where it operated from 2011-2013, when it then moved to its Water Street location.

Carlos Reyes and his wife, Alison Andrews, opened the local Verdant after they were married in town and settled here. Reyes' aunt, Norma Satizabal, who learned the art of flowers from her mother and other family back in Colombia, came to town from her floral design business in New York City to help to craft the flowers for the Reyes/Andrews nuptials, and decided that she also wanted to stay.

In part, the decision to open the local Verdant was a result of the warm reception that the Reyes/Andrews' wedding flowers received here.

The owners said people raved about the natural arrangements of hydrangea, orchids, roses, lilies, delphinium and greens, and suggested it would be wonderful to have Verdant doing flowers for other local weddings.

Now Satizabal and her partner, Florentino Chavez, run the business in its Water Street location after Satizabal bought out Reyes and Andrews two years ago.

They pride themselves on meeting customer demands, listening to what a buyer wants and delivering what they ask for.

Unlike national wire service florists - they are not affiliated with any - each bouquet or arrangement they prepare is unique.

In New York City, Satizabal and Chavez worked with high-end clients like the Marriott Marquis, Plaza Hotel and Hermes and the Vera Wang Boutique. They provided flowers for TV shows like "Sex and the City" and "Gossip Girl."

Satizabal went to school for floral design in Colombia, and working with her mother and sister, began cultivating orchids and other tropical plants native to South America.

Chavez is from Mexico City, and fell into the florist business after he landed a job at a floral shop in New York City about 15 years ago.

At Verdant, they specialize in orchids, and fix them in unique arrangements including things like succulents, driftwood, shells and Manzanita branches.

"We do things that other florist shops don't do," said Chavez, adding that oftentimes customers return months later to say that their orchids are still thriving.

They also do many weddings, and work with several local hotels and businesses to regularly supply flowers.

Their focus, they said, is custom orders, whether for a business or residence. They go to people's homes to do holiday trees and arrangements, or to fix window boxes, mantle pieces, or anything else they ask for.

"We're very custom," said employee Janet Beck, a master gardener who works at Verdant. "A customer tells us what they want, and we do it. Take one look, and you know it's not Teleflora."

Satizabal and Chavez make regular trips to New York City to buy flowers there, and have others, like some of their orchids, shipped in from Hawaii, or their roses, from Ecuador.

"The people are very friendly here," said Chavez.

"And this is a beautiful, charming place," added Satizabal.

"I think a flower shop in the borough makes people smile," said Chavez.

"Tell people to come visit," he said. "They can just look, they don't have to buy anything."

Initially, after her nephew's wedding, Satizabal spent weekends in the borough, but now, they rent a place and open Verdant daily.

While they focus on weddings and custom orders, they also have cut flowers by the bunch at reasonable rates and many arrangements available for walk-in customers. The studio is inviting, and the owners and staff gracious and helpful.

a.baldelli@theday.com

Twitter: @annbaldelli

Business snapshot

What: Verdant Floral Studio

Who: Norma Satizabal and Florentino Chavez

Where: 123 Water St., Stonington

Phone: (860) 535-9845

Employees: About five including part-time help

Website: verdantfloral.com