Awakenings

The last Friday of February brought the most beautiful ice storm. Everything – trees, grass, fences, railings, cars – was coated in ice that shone like polished silver in the dawn’s early light. Later that morning, rain fell, and the temperature rose, so that by the time I walked the gardens, you wouldn’t have known there had been ice at all. The ground that had been frozen, and, just a week before, covered in snow, was muddy, and the first early spring weeds were blooming.

Which is to say that while it looked like all was cold and frozen these last months, the earth was silently preparing for its annual spring awakening. What we couldn’t see was happening all the same, and, at the first opportunity, plants burst forth.

Awakenings are often like that. We think nothing is happening, we are frustrated when nothing seems to be changing – and then one day, change is here.

We see this often in the flower world. Seeds that take forever to germinate, brides that take forever to book, a silent ordering system until suddenly we spot green in the soil or bookings overflow. What do we do when we are awaiting these changes?

We organize. We plan. We learn. We connect. We prepare so we can ride the wave of abundance when it arrives. Often a wild ride to be sure, but always worth the wait.

What’s Available Locally in March: This list is by no means comprehensive, just a sampling of what growers in our area may have this month.

Daffodils, Forsythia, Freesia, Hyacinth, Paperwhite Narcissus, Pussy Willow, Quince, Succulents, and Tulips. Also ask your local growers about dried flowers and wreaths – many dry their harvest!

Care Tips for Daffodils – Narcissus pseudonarcissus - Daffodils define cheerful! Whether yellow, white, orange, or pink, the many forms and colorations are uplifting in early spring. When cut in the “gooseneck” stage, they can be stored dry in the cooler or in buckets of water. If flowers are to be placed with other types, place just the daffodils in water for at least six hours first so the sap can leek out. Don’t get the stems again before designing with other flowers. Vase life is three to six days.

Monocacy Valley Flower Cooperative

Playing Wordle every day and a weekly Scrabble game with my husband has me googling  words frequently this winter.  One I was just checking the definition of is burgeon, which perfectly describes the locally grown flowers movement in our region.  The number of specialty growers has been rapidly increasing, so much that flower availability is flourishing in local markets year-round.  

I’ll be featuring different growers regularly here on the IFDA website.   In between, the Maryland Cut Flower Growers Association is a terrific resource for finding flowers in this area:  http://www.marylandgrownflowers.com/flowerfarms  Traveling to design for a destination wedding?  Find local farms all over the nation from the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers here:  https://localflowers.org/find-flowers/

It isn’t just individual growers that are increasing in number, but also cooperatives, both formal and informal.  This first grower’s profile will feature the first cooperative in this area in recent years, Monocacy Valley Flower Cooperative.  Four years ago, prompted by their love of flowers and their desire to share that beauty with others, six growers from three Maryland counties banded together so that they could offer a broader range of flowers and foliage on a more consistent basis to designers, streamlining the ordering and pick-up process.   

Each of the growers has been growing for six to 12 years professionally, and each brought prior experience and education to the cooperative.  For instance, the part-time administrator, Lydia Printz, has a degree in Agriculture from the University of Maryland, and Jackie Coldsmith of Tierra Blooms ran an organic vegetable farm before venturing in to cut flowers.   Those years of study and experience have helped them navigate the many challenges of farming and still offer high quality product to their customers.  Additionally, they are able to grow flowers and foliage for nine or more months of the year, as each has either a heated greenhouse, an unheated hoop house, a low tunnel, or some combination of these.

Melane Kinney Hoffmann of Hidden Ridge Farm and a Past President of the Maryland Cut Flower Growers Association shared with me that the members prioritize talking with designers to better meet their needs.  

“The single most valuable thing that designers could do to make the process go better is to give us very early notice of what they want for large events so that we can custom grow it,” Melane said. For example, if a designer will need 300 stems of white cosmos or 200 stems of coral fountain amaranth for a September  wedding, or 400 white ranunculus for a May wedding, if they let us know in time to get the seed, plugs, tubers or corms we can grow it, manage it, and save it for the occasion. If plans change, there is no obligation to buy; we can still sell it to someone else. But if you don’t ask for it in time for us to grow it especially for you, there’s a chance we won’t have it.”

So, how do you find out what products Monocacy Valley has available?  Request to be added to their Wednesday availability list, which goes out weekly from Mid-March to Mid-November.  Visit www.monocacyvalleyflowercoop.com to complete the contact form.

Melane described what each of the talented growers in the cooperative enjoy about their work. 

“First, how cool is it to produce fields of colorful beauty and elegant stems of spectacular flowers, all from a tiny seed or humble cutting or wrinkled tuber? That brings a daily feeling of satisfaction and pride. Second, we love the sense of community and connection with others in the field, from growers and designers to customers and suppliers,” she said

Thank you to the growers of Monocacy Valley Flower Cooperative for talking with us.  The members include:

• Belle Blooms Farm, Morgan Wilson Patterson, Adamstown, MD, Frederick County

• Cut Flowers by Clear Ridge, Jessica Todd, Union Bridge, MD, Carroll County

• Hidden Ridge Farm, Melane Kinney Hoffmann, Clarksburg, MD, Montgomery County

• M & M Plants, Madgie and Mark McGaughan, Dickerson, MD, Montgomery County

• The Petal Patch Flower Farm, Julianne DuFour, Walkersville, MD, Frederick County

• Tierra Blooms, Jackie Coldsmith, Taneytown, MD, Carroll County

Resolutions

A fresh start awaits us each morning, but somehow, the turn of the calendar to a new month or year gets the limelight.  Beginnings prompt many of us to consider what we want to change, either by improvement or elimination or both.  What could be improved or eliminated with locally grown flowers?

Communication is often mentioned as causing challenges between growers and designers.  This could be improved by eliminating vagueness on both parts.  If a grower isn’t sure they will have what is ordered, speak up sooner rather than later!  It doesn’t help the designer if they learn last minute that something hasn’t come on as fast as expected, or was hit with pest damage unexpectedly, or demolished by hail.  Tell them early and often what is going on, offer alternatives, and apologize.  With global supply-chain issues from the pandemic still disrupting so much, this will be especially important this year.

Designers, too, could be clearer about their needs.  If a customer cancels, or changes their vision after you have ordered from the grower, let them know right away.  If the product is still in the field, they can sell to someone else.  If it has been harvested, they may still be able to sell elsewhere, but that is tougher, depending on the perishability of the item.  If you are hedging your bets by contacting more than one grower, let them know that, too.  Many growers collaborate to fill large orders, and knowing who else is in the mix makes it easier for growers to work together to meet the needs of florists.

Something else that can improve relationships between growers and designers is patience.  It takes time for designers to trust new growers, and it takes time for growers to understand the needs of their floral customers.  Delivering as ordered, as well as offering consistent, clear communication, especially when things aren’t going quite as wished, builds a lasting foundation of trust.

Make that your resolution every day, and we can all have more time to celebrate the beauty that brings us together.

What’s Available Locally in February:  This list is by no means comprehensive, just a sampling of what growers in our area may have this month.  

Forsythia, Hyacinth, Paperwhite Narcissus, Pussy Willow, Quince, and Tulips.  Also ask your local growers about dried flowers and wreaths – many dry their harvest!

Care Tips for Chaenomeles, Flowering Quince – These lovely branches can be forced into bloom by placing stems in water in light in warm temperatures.  The expected vase life is about a week, sometimes as long as ten days.  Look for these from December to March.

Year's End

Things end. Days, seasons, events, years – even this pandemic will end one day. December starts the countdown to a new year, but whilst we are still in 2021, let’s consider what we learned before we toast 2022.

Local connections are critical. From shortages of goods to pandemic-related delays in shipping, developing local sources was the key to smoother operations for growers and designers alike. The shortage of imported flowers provides local growers the opportunity to fill the needs of designers who may have been hesitant or unfamiliar before with the wide variety of flowers and foliage available to them in every season of the year.

Virtual can be a good thing. One of the true silver linings of gathering virtually is that anyone can attend, regardless of geography. We have seen that with our IFDA meetings – we can now welcome members from all over the nation who can attend without the expense and hassle of travel. Inclusion of more people offers interesting new takes on creativity, and I expect virtual and hybrid models of meeting are here to stay.

Flower sales are up! On a farm tour this fall, Dave Dowling, guru of American flower farms, mentioned the huge increase in sales of cut flowers last year – and that has continued this year. Being intentional about gifts that spark joy or simply wanting beauty in our homes as we cope with uncertainty has meant more flower customers buying more often. A rosy forecast for cut flower sales is good for the industry overall, providing business to designers and growers.

As we celebrate the season, we can also celebrate the many ways we have all pivoted, been nimble, learned new tricks, connected with new suppliers and businesses, and simply carried on. Let’s also remember that, while all things end, endings make room for new beginnings. May the new year be the beginning of new joys for us all.

What’s Available Locally in December: This list is by no means comprehensive, just a sampling of what growers in our area may have this month. Anemones, Coral Berry, Eucalyptus, Ilex, Lilies, Paperwhite Narcissus, Sweet William, Tulips, Evergreens, and wreaths, swags, and garlands. Also ask your local growers about dried flowers and wreaths – many dry their harvest!

Care Tips for Juniperus – Juniper greens are a festive addition to holiday designs, although they can also be used at other times of the year. Their vase life is long, usually two to four weeks, depending on the cultivar. They can be dry stored at 32F for a month or more.

Abundance

The seasons are always changing, regardless of the attention we pay them. For days and weeks my Bride-to-Be Dahlias had a seemingly endless supply of buds. I basked in their beauty as I harvested buckets. And then one day there were hardly any new buds coming. That moment of realization is often a surprise, but it shouldn’t have been. Yes, we had had some days that were warm as summer, but overall, daylight hours were fewer, temperatures were lower, leaves were falling, and birds were flying overhead in huge flocks southward. Every sign was there, but I, focused on the myriad tasks of the moment, didn’t comprehend them. The change that seemed so sudden had been happening every moment, as those plants knew the shorter days and cooler temperatures meant their time was ending.

Just as with my dahlias, circumstances that began in 2020 during the pandemic have resulted in repercussions today, including flower and supply shortages. The roots of these challenges can be traced back to waves of sickness or natural disasters or both that kept crops from being sown or supplies from begin manufactured or products from being transported. This scarcity seems sudden, but its causes were days and weeks and months in the making.

Sometimes, it seems all we hear about is lack – lack of cold glue, lack of white flowers, lack of available labor – everyone working in the floral industry has their list of what is not to be found. So, instead, let’s focus on what is abundant.

First to mind is creativity. I see every day on Instagram florists learning new ways, designing with new flowers or foliage when they can’t source the tried and true, often giving locally-grown a try for the first time. Cooperation is something else that flows from all of us. When I needed some vases that I couldn’t find anywhere a few weeks ago, another florist simply said, sure, I have them, I’m out of town, but here is the code to my studio – take anything you need. Ingenuity is next on my list, and we see this all the time in flowers, even before the pandemic, as many designers committed to reducing their use of floral foam and began looking for ways old and new to support and hold flowers and foliage.

You likely can add a few more qualities to these three, as you cope with an every- changing supply scenario. I’ll end with just one more – camaraderie – the sense that we are in this together, that we have trust between us, and, together, we will make it through. Happy Thanksgiving!

What’s Available Locally in November: This list is by no means comprehensive, just a sampling of what growers in our area may have this month.

Cabbage Roses, Chrysanthemums, Dusty Miller, Eucalyptus, Ilex, Paper White Narcissus, Rosemary, Sage, Evergreens, Dried Flowers

Highlighted Bloom: Whenever I look up Chrysanthemums in certain flower books, I am shocked when it isn’t there, and I feverishly turn the pages to Mums, and then the index – where I again find the scientific name is Dendranthema. Mums come in every gorgeous color, type, and stem-length, and they fill a critical need for focal flowers after frost.

Care tips for Chrysanthemums: Mums have a terrific vase life, often two weeks or more. While some varieties might last a little longer with flower food, the vase life is excellent even without it. Leaves may yellow before flowers fade; to prevent this, store in the dark at 34 degrees.