Together, these three words—flowers, farming and floristry—pack a lot of meaning. Why? Because they represent hard work. Work that involves a great deal of blood, sweat and tears, even on extremely hot and cold days. Work that requires absolute passion. If you’re already a flower farmer, you know exactly what I mean.
Home gardeners can grow flowers in their yard, cut them and create bouquets for enjoying inside their home. It’s their hobby. But for us flower farmers, growing flowers in several gardens and a large field, harvesting the blooms and arranging them in floral pieces for sale to the public, well, it’s a vocation. It’s also more than just a source of revenue. Flower farming fills the soul, and there’s so much reward in each unfolding bloom.
As flower farmers, we can read every garden book on the shelf, attend every gardening lecture and participate in workshop after workshop, but nothing compares to experience. Learning what works and what doesn’t work is often a matter of trial and error. But that’s one of the best ways to learn. Sure, we’ll have failures, but when success comes, it’s especially sweet and something to celebrate.
One of the things I routinely do is to take notes, listing dates, varieties, vendors, soil and weather conditions and the like. I document mistakes. I sow another tray or plant another flower. And I record results, including the triumphs, no matter how small.
From start to finish, flower farming is very satisfying—from selecting a variety pictured in a catalog, to getting it planted, to harvesting the blooms, to designing arrangements, it’s all extremely gratifying. Being able to create fresh floral designs and offer them to the public makes all the long hours well worth it. This is especially true with bridal pieces. A wedding bouquet plays such an important role, and it will remain on display for years to come in all the photographs of that special day.
Being passionate about growing flowers and designing arrangements is what it takes to enchant and delight your customer base. And as a flower farmer/florist, I strive to do better and better each and every season.
If you’re on the fence about offering your farm-grown flowers for sale to the public, I encourage you to give it a try. Just remember this: Even if you don’t have a lot of inventory now, you can still do a lot with it. Start small and watch where it takes you.
Now’s the perfect time to make flowers, farming and floristry a reality for yourself. Why? Because it’s time to order fall-planted bulbs for beautiful spring-blooming flowers. Visit K. van Bourgondien today. They offer a wide selection of phenomenal products to help you get started.
Happy Gardening!
Pamela Anthony
Beehind Thyme Farm & Garden