Locally Grown Flowers for Your Wedding
/Associate Contributor - Written by Althea Wiles with Rose of Sharon Floral Design Studio
PHOTO BY TWO CARTERS PHOTOGRAPHY
To start with, some facts:
The top 3 exporters of flowers in the world are:
1. The Netherlands
2. Columbia
3. Equador
The US imports 82% of its flowers.
Within the US, 75% of the cut flowers are grown in California. Much of the foliage is grown in Florida.
PHOTO BY ROSE OF SHARON
What are Sustainable Flowers?
Following the Farm-To-Table trend, the Field-To-Vase, Slow Flowers, & Sustainable Flowers movements have increased in popularity in recent years.
When you think of flowers, I bet you think of ‘green’ and ‘growing’ and similar words. My guess is that you’d think that because flowers are natural, it’s a pretty eco-friendly industry. However, given that most of the flowers used in the US are imported, the floral industry has a pretty high carbon footprint.
Sustainable flowers is a move towards lowering that footprint. One of the main ways this can be accomplished is by using flowers grown close to home.
PHOTO BY ROSE OF SHARON
DECREASING THE CARBON FOOTPRINT
When flowers come from the Netherlands, South America, or even California they spend several days being shipped by boat, plane & truck. Not very environmentally friendly! These commercially grown flowers from large production farms are also wrapped in plastic, which is then thrown away.
In contrast, locally grown flowers have a minimum of shipping associated with them. Usually, less than 50 miles. They are also rarely packaged in bunches or wrapped in plastic and this adds up!
FRESHNESS
Locally grown flowers are fresher! These flowers are generally harvested & sold within just a couple of days. Flowers from elsewhere can be harvested up to 3 or more weeks in advance before your florist receives them. Now, we’ve been doing this for quite a while & there are steps that are taken to ensure longevity of these flowers, but the fact of it is: 2 days vs 2 weeks—it makes a difference.
VARIETY
Many small flower farmers focus on flowers that the large commercial farms don’t handle. This means you can get truly unique flowers for your wedding.
SUPPORT OF LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS
You’re supporting at least TWO small and local businesses: the florist and the flower-farmer.
As with anything, there are some things you should consider if you want to use locally grown flowers for your wedding.
PHOTO BY ROSE OF SHARON
LIMITED SELECTION
Specific flowers and/or varieties may not be available. You know that toffee colored rose that you love on Pinterest? Unless you have a specialty rose grower next door, they probably won’t be available. But also, you might not be able to get the exact color of Dahlia that you love. Locally grown generally means ‘by a small flower-farmer’. These are micro farms of just a few acres (usually 5 or less). While the flowers can be spectacular, there is a much smaller range of flowers available.
SEASONALITY
You know how all the planning blogs say ‘ask for seasonal flowers to save money’? Well, if you’re getting commercially grown flowers from a large farm, this doesn’t really apply. Except for a few cases (like peonies!), most flowers are available all year with minimal price changes. But if you’re buying locally, the season matters! You won’t be able to get tulips in July or Dahlias in March because they just don’t GROW at that time.
In addition, you’re at the mercy of the weather. I’ve seen locally grown peonies available in mid April, mid May and Mid June. Peonies have a short blooming season as well. If your wedding is in April, I can’t guarantee peonies will be available. If we have a cool spring, it might be May before they bloom.
COLOR
Again, because these are small farms, you may not be able to get the exact shade of pink you want. However, the range of pink flowers will more than likely be something beautiful.
What do YOU need to do to have beautiful local wedding flowers?
· Be flexible. Discuss basic styles and general colors but leave specifics up to your florist.
· Plan on a more organic, boho style.
· Understand that there may be last minute changes because of the weather and season.
· Recognize that the flowers-farmer may not be a trained florist. These are 2 different professions & they don’t always cross-over. Look at photos of their work & make sure it’s a style you like before going for the cheapest option. You may want to have a professional florist use locally grown flowers (my favorite option!).
This wedding was designed using at least 75% locally grown flowers. It was an early April wedding and our clients requested a wildflower theme with some blue flowers if possible. It was an extremely COLD April (wind chill was close to freezing that day), which meant that our selection was even more limited than usual. However, the anemones were STUNNING!
PHOTO BY TWO CARTERS PHOTOGRAPHY. CAKE BY SHELBY LYNN’S CAKE SHOP.
Locally-grown white anemones from Woodbine Meade Farm. Photo taken by Rose of Sharon.
Locally-grown purple anemones from Woodbine Meade Farm. Photo taken by Rose of Sharon.
Locally-grown burgundy anemones from Woodbine Meade Farm. Photo taken by Rose of Sharon.
Locally-grown Virginia Bluebells from Woodbine Meade Farm. Photo taken by Rose of Sharon.
Photo by Photo Love Photography.
About the Editor
ALTHEA WILES, Owner/Head Designer
Rose of Sharon Floral Design Studio
AMF, PCF
Hi, I’m Althea. I’ve been a florist for over 20 years, designing amazing arrangements, creating beautiful bouquets and working with wonderful flowers; I can’t imagine doing anything else! My goal is to make your wedding day just a little bit easier and a LOT more beautiful. I LOVE the big events. The planning, the details, the coordination that it takes to transform a bland space into a wonderland--that amazes me and my soul sings to be a part of that. I LOVE being a part of your love story. To help you say 'I love you' to that person who makes YOUR soul sing--that completes me.