Best of 2019

I have made it a new years/ beginning of January tradition to take a look back on the year I have had with this company of mine and as a mother. These are the moments and experiences that have grown both me as an individual and also The Local Bouquet as a whole.

It was definitely an exciting and flower-filled year to say the least. Between the First Ladies Luncheon, beautiful weddings, enriching Farmer Florist classes and even some floral travels that connected me with my peers and farmers from across the country- I am grateful for what 2019 has taught me and am excited to see where 2020 leads us. Our family had a big year as well. We went on an epic cross country trip, celebrated birthdays and new accomplishments, including surf camp!

Take a look at each month’s magic!

Dahlia Dreaming 2019

This past August, The Farmer Florist Series traveled to Middletown, R.I. to the beloved Dahlia Shed, for our third and final class of the series “Dahlia Dreaming”. Owned and operated by Amy Rodrigues and her hardworking family, the Dahlia Shed is a speciality cut flower farm known for their insanely gorgeous dahlias!

Amy is the dahlia guru! Her attention to detail, quality, and consistency is like no one else (in my opinion) and so I was honored when Amy agreed to co-host the “Dahlia Dreaming” class this year. I have always loved Amy for her big smile, warm heart and her ability to work hard while being an awesome mother! I was eager to introduce her to our attendees and showcase her amazing farm and her twelve years of growing knowledge!

On August 16th, this past summer, Amy rolled back the large wooden doors of her beautiful barn and together we welcomed a sold out class of dahlia lovers from all over New England! The weather was perfect, the fields were in full bloom, and I was excited to get our minds and our hearts filled by the magic that locally grown flowers gives.

Like our other Farmer Florist classes, we began in the field with our experts, learning all about how to grow and care for this beloved perennial. Amy walked the rows and rows of dahlias, pointing out all 65 varieties and sharing how she grows, cares for, and harvests each one to ensure her customers experience The Dahlia Shed in the most perfect way each and every time. She spoke about what her 10 year journey of growing dahlias has looked like, how her and her family have scaled the farm over the years, and even shared with us where they are headed in the future.

Being amongst all of the beautiful and colorful dahlias, you could feel the huge amount of love, energy, and time that went into growing each one. Listening to how Amy and her family work side by side through every phase of the process brought each of our attendees into her world and helped us all to see the importance of supporting local flower farmers like the Rodrigues family.

Participants were able to ask their burning questions from pest control, to how to maintain weed pressure, to what varieties are the best to invest in. It was such a joy watching everyone be totally captivated by Amy and her huge amount of knowledge and see as each person found a variety that spoke to them!

Following our farm/growing tour, we gathered in the barn for the design portion of the class. Using 100% Dahlia Shed flowers, we designed a lush, summery centerpiece. I spoke to our attendees about what working with locally grown flowers is like, how the farmer to florist relationship works, and what The Local Bouquet’s brand has become over the years because of our sourcing mission and our commitment to sustainability.

The barn was filled with so many yummy ingredients for our attendees to choose from for their own designs including privet, ninebark, rudbeckia, foxglove, lisanthus, zinnias, strawflower, chocolate cosmos and gomphrena. Amy spoiled us by providing dahlias in every shade, shape and size that one could possibly want! We all were like kids in a candy shop, eager to gather the most beautiful flowers and begin our designs right away!

Using foam-free mechanics, attendees were stretched to create designs that were sustainable and of the season! It is always so fun for me to see each attendee start off with the same vessel and flowers as their neighbor, but then create a design that is so personal and unique to who they are. This is one of the reasons why I started the Farmer Florist Series four years ago. I wanted to give everyone the opportunity to not only meet some of New England’s top flower farmers, but also to experience locally grown flowers on a personal level.

I couldn’t be more happy with how not only this class turned out, but how the entire series unfolded this past year. I feel extremely blessed to be able to work with the farmers that I get to and to meet all of the amazing attendees that came to all three of our classes. I am filled with joy and anticipation to celebrate FIVE amazing and wonderful years of the Farmer Florist Series in 2020!

Farm: Dahlia Shed

Photography: Jennifer Jeanne Photography

Seed To Vase 2019

On July 13th, Phoebe of Weatherlow Florals and I welcomed guests to the beautiful Weatherlow Farms in Westport, MA on a warm summer morning.

For the fourth year in a row, Phoebe and I have been teaching together the Farmer Florist Series. Our “Seed to Vase” class was again filled with eager students excited to see all of the beautiful annual flowers and foliage, grown by Pheobe and her team at Weatherlow Farm. Weatherlow Farm is such an amazing destination for flower lovers and avid gardeners because it is home to several high tunnels, colorful field production and a sprawling post and beam barn, perfect for designing farm fresh arrangements in. Any flower lover can get swept up in the awe of this property!

This year seemed to be the perfect culmination of all of these things and more. Our attendees smiles and positive attitude throughout our morning together said it all. As Phoebe walked the rows and rows of annual crop production with us, our guests were able to see what were some of the best flower varieties to grow here in New England and how to care for them. Phoebe shared a ton of helpful information and our guests were able to ask their burning questions!

Following our visual tour of the farm, we all gathered in Weatherlow’s beautiful barn to create hand held bouquets filled with flowers and foliage grown right at Weatherlow. I spoke to our guests about designing seasonally and what that means for our environment and our community both near and far. I spoke openly about my journey in the floral industry and how I have created a wedding/event floral design company rooted in the sole mission to design with 100% American grown product.

I also lead the group in a live demonstration of how I create lush and natural hand-held bouquets using lots of color, texture and movement. It is always such a joy to see all of our attendees bloom in their creativity and their ability, gaining the confidence to design again and again for themselves!

Take a look at the magic Jennifer Johnson captured for us at this year’s “Seed to Vase” class.

Farm: Weatherlow Farm

Photographer: Jennifer Johnson