Magical Milestones of 2017

Happy Brand New Year, friends! The year is so very young and I'm feeling somewhat tentative and excited all at the same time for everything that's to come in 2018. I've been working on my book, (as mentioned in my New Year's post in 2017) but I'm not as far along as I'd like to be.

 I took off down a few new and unexpected rabbit holes this year and that put me a wee bit behind but these cold, dark days will be perfect to keep me grounded enough to finish in 2018. I'll be posting on Facebook and Instagram along the way to get you all primed and ready for the release date! 

I'm happy to report that I did indeed stand by my 2017 touchstone word ( Fearless)  and because of that it was a year filled with many magical milestones. I kept my promise to get out from behind the flowers and make some in the flesh connections last year and boy did I! 

 None of which I would have accomplished without the help of my sweet hubby. He's always behind me in everything I do. When I panic, he's my rock. When I'm overwhelmed, he picks up the pieces, and when I DREAM BIG, he digs in with me to make it all happen.

Me and the man behind my dreams and the camera.

The flowers led us to wonderful places and people last year! 

EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS.... EVENTS....

In March and November, I organized and co-hosted two gatherings for the New England Farmer Florist Connection. A Facebook group I founded for flower farmers and florists in the New England Region. Both gatherings were filled with energy and passion. Flower Farmers and Florists gathered to network and collaborate to grow the slow flowers movement here in New England.

You can read about both amazing days, here and here.

Debra Prinzing, Semia Dunne, Me, and Monica Tavaras

COMMUNITY.... COMMUNITY..... COMMUNITY...... COMMUNITY..... COMMUNITY....  

I am a proud member of these Sustainable Flower Organizations

 Slow Flowers Directory 

 Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers 

 

Fall Floral Exchange attendees at Flowers by Semia, Studio.

 

 SPEAKING....SPEAKING.... SPEAKING.... SPEAKING.... SPEAKING.... SPEAKING....

 April brought more fun challenges and new experiences.  My husband and I were invited by a dear friend of ours to speak at a Woman's Club Meeting about Creative Living. Neither of us had ever done something like that so it was fun to work on it together. It was a 35 minute talk with some Q and A time at the end. I'm not gonna lie. I was TERRIFIED before the talk, but once we got inside the room and started talking to all the nice people my nerves took a back seat and we just had a good time talking about creativity of all kinds, including growing and designing with flowers of course. Phew. I was relived and elated when it was over!

TEACHING ...TEACHING.... TEACHING.... TEACHING.... TEACHING..... TEACHING....

In June I hosted a floral workshop on my backyard flower farm for a group of the sweetest retired ladies. This event was organized by my friend, author, speaker and gardener, Betsy Williams. This time our son was behind the camera while I talked with the attendees and my hubby was on yard detail making sure it was all perfect for the ladies, and me.

I wrote a blog about how to host a Garden to Vase workshop of your own, here. And, I'm planning more for 2018!

 FLOWERING... FLOWERING... FLOWERING.... FLOWERING.... FLOWERING.... FLOWER

July and August kept me busy in the cutting gardens and making arrangements for luncheons, charity events.

Ball Jar Bouquets

My ball jar bouquets graced the tables of several luncheons and events this summer.

IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS.... IN THE PRESS...IN 

Dandelion House Garden was featured in the Country Cottage Issue of the Cottage Journal Magazine this summer. It was our second time being featured in this wonderful magazine and it was just so exciting! Maybe you saw us!?

We were also featured in Johnny's Seeds " Fifth Season Floral Design Elements" newsletter article here.

WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS... WEDDINGS.... WEDDINGS.... WED

Photography Credit: @liztracyphotography

Vintage Glam ( November )

I had the honor of  flowering two beautiful fall weddings in 2017. I can't express in words what it feels like to be apart of these special milestones, but I can say that I simply love every part of creating beautiful designs for weddings and events. I'm so excited for more opportunities in 2018 that I created a website just for weddings and events.

First Look " Old World meets Vintage Romance" Red Lion Inn, Cohassett, MA. 

Photography Credit: @theshannongrant

 I will stay true to sourcing local material from my own cut flower gardens, and other local flower farmers in season. And when the gardens are sleeping here in New England, I'll buy beautiful American Grown product and Dutch Blooms for my floral work.

My helpful guy's.

We managed to get away to the beach this summer for some much needed R and R and to celebrate my hubby's 60th birthday.  Well, 60 is the new 40, right? That's what I keep telling him so he'll keep up with me!

 My year of being " fearless" taught me to have faith and courage and to continue on this path laden with beautiful flowers and lovely people. So, I declare COURAGE my touchstone word for 2018! 

The skies the limit! 

Have you chosen yours yet?  

Blessings in the coming year from all of us at Dandelion House.

Love,

Deb ( and Boz )

What Every Bride Should Know About Choosing Local Flowers

My sweet husband and I will celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary this year ( I still can't believe it's been that long). Every time I meet with a new wedding client I can't help but be transported back to our wedding day and all the planning we did to create a special day for ourselves and our guests. We chose a small country venue for our old-fashioned Vintage Victorian theme ( who knew we were ahead of the trend by about 25 years? ) If I was wearing a flower crown instead of a wide brimmed hat I just might pass for a modern vintage bride today. The roses for my bouquet were local ( but most likely not in season in September) but I do recall having simple small wild flower arrangements on the banquet tables.

Happily Married me! (circa 1991)

 The 2016 Wedding season is here and locally sourced wedding flowers are more popular than ever before. Whether you're going the DIY rt.or having your flowers designed by a farmer/florist there are a few things you should know about choosing local flowers for your wedding day.  

• I  recommend an in-person or at a minimum a phone consultation to find out what kind of farm/garden or other local sources your flowers will be coming from. This is also the best time for the farmer/florist to get to know you and find out about your venue, wedding theme, the types of flowers you would like as well as any personal details in the wedding flowers you wish to include. 

• Local and seasonal flowers aren't always cheaper than imports. When comparing costs, remember that your local farmer/florist has been married ( so to speak) to your flowers since the day they placed their first corm/seed and tuber order for the season. From that moment on they are committed to bringing you fresh, lush and vibrant blooms for your special day. Local flowers are almost always 100% sustainably grown and have been given lots of TLC before they come to you, so they come with love and beauty.

•  Seasonal flowers means, just that, seasonal. June, July, August and September are brimming with beautiful blooms so be sure to ask your farmer/florist what will be blooming the week of your wedding. Some may have pinterest boards, and/or websites with lists of the flowers they offer each month.

• It's always a good idea to visit the farm or garden where your flowers are coming from. I love to have couples over to see the flowers. This is a good time to bring any vases, ribbons, trays, etc that will be incorporated into any design work your florist will be doing for you. 

• If you're working with a local florist and want to use local flowers, just ask. It's possible they have a network of local flower farmers to source seasonal flowers from. 

• Some farmer/florists also deliver and set up a venue, others do not. Expect a delivery and set up fee to be added on to the cost of the flowers.  Be sure to iron out those details from the very beginning. You don't want any extra stress tacked on to your wedding day. If the grower is also your designer, expect a design fee to be added to the cost of the flowers. 

• Local flowers can also mean plants, trees and flowers from your local garden shop. Some nurseries offer design services which can be a great fit for romantic garden themed bridal showers and weddings.

 Find local flower farmers, florists, and designers, on the Slow Flowers Directory Website.

As always, thanks for reading! 

I wish you a wonderful gardening ( and Wedding ) season. 

Only ' natural ' green gasses were used to drive us to our reception hall.

Put down some roots and BLOOM!

DIY Wedding Flowers for Rouwenna and Craig

Rouwenna and Craig

Every time I look at this photo I just get giddy! What a joy it was to provide flowers for Rouwenna and Craig's DIY wedding. I had the pleasure of meeting the bride when she visited the farm to discuss her wedding and flowers with me. I love having people out to see where their flowers are tended and loved prior to the wedding day.

Rouwenna  (such a pretty name) was kind enough to send me some photos of the flowers in action to share with you so here goes!

Dandelion House Flowers

 Rouwenna and Craig put together such a beautiful and personal celebration for their late September wedding day starting with the venue. Not far from Plymouth center is Pinewood Lodge Campground and Events Center, ( a family owned and operated campground  tucked into the woods overlooking a scenic pond with a lodge, outdoor events center, tent and trailer sites, cabins, cottages and yurts for rent).  Family from both sides of the isle came from far and wide to " camp out " at the Pinewood Lodge for a few days prior to the wedding.  

I loved this brides can-do spirit. She took a personal and practical approach with every detail. She knew exactly  what she wanted and stuck to her budget. I admire that! One of the things she wanted was tiny purple flowers and some baby's breath for her hair. Luckily my perennial asters were in  bloom the week of her wedding and the lilac color matched her flower-girls dresses to a tee!

 

Family and friends gathered the night before the wedding for the rehearsal dinner and some DIY flower arranging for the following day!

The bride getting some help with her bouquet.

 

She went with the ever popular mason jar for vases with fit the bill for her rustic venue. The colors of the flowers popped against the backdrop of the bridesmaids navy blue dresses. 

The bride and groom with the ladies of the wedding party.

 Mr. and Mrs. 

What I learned:

•  On the "farm" side of things the dahlia patch suffered a spider-mite epidemic in mid-August that nearly wiped out one entire raised bed. I just barely made it for being able to provide enough flowers for what the bride ordered. I had to source additional flowers from a nearby local flower farmer. She was in the same boat as I was, scurrying to finish her wedding season also but the added blooms helped! I'll be planting 6, 4x12 beds of dahlias instead of three next year.
• Listen, listen, listen...to your bride! Don't push unnecessary flowers and drive up costs. DIY brides are DIY brides for a reason. They are on limited budgets but also very creative and are keen on putting a personal touch on their wedding. I respect that being a DIY'r too.  
• Provide some flower arranging tips for your DIY brides. Print out a small list of how to care for the flowers, and some flower arranging tips.
• Be confident you can deliver what you promised. The day Rouwenna visited my flower farm I had just done a big cutting for a previous wedding. My established beds were a bit bare and my second crop was just starting to form buds. If I was her, I might not have committed but she believed, because I believed.
• Be flexible and enjoy the little surprises and surpluses along the way. It's all good when you are surrounded by beautiful flowers every day.

 Oddly enough, I didn't seek out wedding work this summer. Local couples searching for local flowers found me through the farmers market and an add I placed in a local Edible South Shore magazine. I was pleasantly surprised by the interest and decided to go for it. I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous about the flowers being " on time " but I welcomed the challenge and new experience. Turns out, I loved it and I can't wait for next year!

So, if you're wondering if you can turn your backyard garden hobby into a small business the answer is absolutely, positively YES!