(Robin Hollow Farm's Fresh Flowers Pictured Above)
With Independence Day and American Flowers Week this month already behind us, we wanted to extend the theme of American grown flowers throughout the month of July to continue to spread awareness and support for flower farmers and farmer florists around the country.
“Of course, like everyone in the Slow Flowers Movement, I believe that we should be celebrating American-grown flowers during all 52 weeks of the year,” she notes. “But by choosing to devote one full week to an awareness campaign, I believe we can heighten the attention on this cause – both in the media and in the public.” -Debra Prinzing, americanflowersweek.com
There are many more reasons to buy your cut flowers from the local flower farmers, those are just a few to mention! We were fortunate to have Debra Prinzing, the creator of American Flowers Week write a guest blog for us that goes into depth about buying flowers domestically, “Ignite Your Love Affair with Local Flowers.” Debra is an incredible educator and writer and is also the creator of SLOW Flowers Society.
Meet Farmer Florists around the country below!
Farmer florist and Details member Carly Reed is the owner of In Bloom Flower Farm. We reached out to her and had her share more information about her beautiful Kentucky farm:
"In Bloom Flower Farm is a family-owned and operated floral design business and cut flower shop in Central Kentucky. The majority of our flowers are grown in raised beds that surround our design studio.
Our designs are garden-inspired and use as many of our own flowers as possible. In addition to wedding design, we also offer a seasonal flower CSA and delivery service for special occasions arrangements.
Throughout the farm, you will find perennial gardens and natural woodland areas that support pollinators and wildlife. During our 3 years of ownership, we have slowly developed these areas to also offer opportunities for creating a photography venue. We hope to have the settings ready by spring of 2022."
-Carly Reed
Learn more about In Bloom Flower Farm by visiting their website and follow them on Instagram!
Kara Brewer, owner of Wild Flora Farm in North Carolina (pictured above), not only runs her own flower farm, but she has a venue on her 22-acre property as well! The Barn of Chapel Hill on Wild Flora Farm specializes in cut flowers, honey, workshops, and garden-inspired weddings and special events.
As a user of Details, we reached out to her to learn more about her beautiful flower fields:
"I run a wedding venue-The Barn of Chapel Hill-on my flower farm, and I absolutely love educating couples about the beauty and uniqueness of seasonal, local flowers. Our clients love that our floral design staff can go right into the fields and gardens the morning of an event and pick fresh blooms for their bouquets and arrangements. And if we don't grow it here on our farm, we work directly with other local flower farmers to source what we need. Local, fresh, and sustainable is what we're all about here at Wild Flora Farm!"
-Kara Brewer
Check out Wild Farm Flora on their website and Instagram!
We love Tracey's story on how she got started growing flowers! In 2011, Tracey and her then-fiance wanted to grow flowers for their July wedding. By the time their wedding came, they had realized they really enjoyed the challenge and experience of farming. In 2015, they purchased a small, 2-acre farm in Midland, Ohio, and started growing flowers full-time! She is also a florist and loves being able to have her flowers right next to her workshop.
We are lucky to have Tracey as a Details member, and reached out to ask her what she thinks the biggest benefits are to buying blooms locally:
“I’d say the benefit to purchasing local flowers is that you are always receiving the freshest seasonal product out there. I love that we can grow truly unique flowers that do not ship well. One of my favorite flowers to grow for use in our event work and to provide to other florists is our foxglove. We are also known for our ranunculus, lisianthus, dahlias, and unique fillers such as scented geraniums and silver drop eucalyptus.”
-Tracey Parriman
Check out Tracey Rae Farmer Florist on her website and Instagram!
Polly and Mike Hutchinson have been growing and delivering diverse flowers and foliage in the state of Rhode Island since 2005! They realized that creating and growing their own flowers, plants, and food would make them the happiest in life.
We are honored that they have chosen Details to be their flower software solution, so we reached out and asked Polly why she thinks sourcing local flowers is important:
"When you choose flowers from a local flower farm it is not only about purchasing the freshest product with the most amazing variety. Supporting local farmers also reduces the time and inevitable damage of shipping. You are receiving flowers that have been in the water since cut from the field, and you are building relationships with a farmer that will have your back when the global economy has another inevitable crisis. As a farmer-florist myself, I sell only first-quality blooms with perfect post-harvest treatment. My florists and I lend each other urns or structures and admire each other's work, we are a little family of floral fanatics!"
-Polly Hutchinson
Get to know Robin Hollow Farm better by visiting their website and Instagram!
Tammie Warner, Founder of Camellia Farm Flora, got started growing her own flowers after years of experience in the floral industry. She had owned her own florist shop and freelanced for some of the biggest names in the industry!
Another Details member we're so proud to have, we reached out to her to share more about her farm:
“Currently our farm grows several types of greenery and filler that are indigenous to our area in North Texas. We grow and harvest wonderfully beautiful greenery that we call Pokeweed aka Phytolacca Americana. Available May through September.
We grow and harvest Cottage Yarrow, (botanical name Achillea), available April through June and Ligustrum that blooms April and May. I have included a photo of an arrangement designed using Cottage Yarrow and Ligustrum. Grapevine and cedar trees grow in a huge abundance on the property, and we harvest these items in the fall and winter for arrangements and wreaths.
We have planted several Magnolia trees and Nandina bushes and hope to start harvesting from them soon. We also hope to plant smilax this fall.
While our studio and retail space are located in downtown Fort Worth, the farm is located in the small town of Boyd, Texas, and is home to our horses and cows.
We also occasionally offer our farm to our brides as a backdrop for their bridal portraits."
-Tammie Warner
Learn more about Camellia Farm Flora by visiting their website and Instagram!
"In 2011, a family of farmers with a creative knack decided to break the rules. The result was Harmony Harvest Farm." What we love about Harmony Harvest Farm is that it's family-owned and operated by "mother-daughter trifecta, Chris, Jessica, and Stephanie."
Another farm we are delighted to have as a Details member, we reached out to the family and asked why they think buying local is important:
“One of the most beautiful things about flowers is that they’re seasonal. I think it’s really important to embrace the beauty that every season brings. My best designs come from fresh-harvested flowers because I’m not fighting to breathe life into an out-of-season flower that’s been through the supply chain ringer. When we work to create looks that consider the season, it is so much easier to find better flowers and source locally.” -Jessica Hall
We also learned that they ship their flowers nationwide! They ship both bulk flowers for designers and bouquets and DIY boxes for retail consumers - and even have wholesale available for floral professionals.
Learn more about Harmony Harvest Farm by visiting their website and Instagram!
If you’re looking for more sustainable ways to improve your business, try reaching out to a local farmer florist and see what blooms they have available!