In conjunction with Garden Designers Roundtable
The very act of presenting a bunch of flowers to a loved one speaks volumes. For thousands of years the symbolism of a blossom, expressed through its delicate beauty and alluring fragrance, has charmed and wooed; offered admiration or empathy; feted and memorialized each chapter of human life.
Yet when you buy a bunch of lilies at the corner market or when you call a florist to send a celebratory arrangement to a sweetheart, do you know where those flowers really came from? And not just where they came from but how they were grown?
When photographer David Perry and I were asked to contribute a guest blog for GDRT, we were given the theme: “Getting from Here to There” and told that it was completely up to our interpretation.
For us, the theme immediately conjured visions of vibrant dahlias, zinnias and sunflowers that journey the relatively short distance, say 50 miles, from a local flower farm to a beautiful vase that graces your dinner party table. How do our flowers get from here to there? Perhaps that sentence needs re-stating: How does your bouquet get from there to here?
So how do our flowers literally get from there to here?
Since we first met on a garden-scouting trip in 2006, David and I have been mutually obsessed with the emerging “eco floral” story. Some may say it is a trend, but we argue that it is an important cultural shift in the relationship between humans and flowers. Similar to the “Slow Food” movement, which for decades has involved chefs, restaurants, purveyors and consumers alike, the concept of “Slow Flowers” has been taking hold in communities small and large.
Conscious consumers who want to grow their own food and cook with organic ingredients, drive hybrid vehicles and pursue a sustainable lifestyle are now questioning the cost of their flowers, whether it’s an inexpensive, cellophane-wrapped supermarket bouquet or a dozen long-stemmed Valentine’s Day roses. They are instead calculating the “price” by the many hidden costs, such as harmful environmental impacts, dangerous conditions for those who work in a global market, and the carbon footprint of importing cut flowers from a continent or two away. Comments like: “I’m not eating my flowers, so why should I care if they are organic or not?” no longer make sense. Flowers sprayed with pesticides and herbicides are not safe to handle, inhale, display in our homes or give to others.
So we’ve been busy for the past three years photographing, videotaping, and interviewing the inspiring individuals who are helping shorten the journey as flowers Get from There to Here. They involve passionate owners of small flower farms, floral designers who believe in sourcing locally, seasonally and sustainably – and the consumer herself. We’ve learned that flower enthusiasts are ready for an alternative – a fresh and authentic option to conventionally-grown and imported flowers. There is a “better way to beautiful,” which is achieved by going straight to the source – the flower farm — or by growing stems and blooms in your own backyard.
When we know where our flowers come from and how they are grown – be it in our own cutting gardens, from a local nursery, the friendly vendor at the neighborhood farmer’s market, or a fair-trade grower – we can truly connect with the seasons, enjoy sensory pleasures and experience a sense of place – and that’s a story that changes our relationship with flowers.
We’re pleased to announce that St. Lynn’s Press will be publishing our first collection of stories in April 2012. We’ve named the project The 50 Mile Bouquet, a title that clearly explains how such beautiful flowers journeyed from there to here. Inside, you’ll find David’s evocative photography and Debra’s intimate conversations with the farmers, designers and backyard gardeners who have inspired us. It’s storytelling that we’re thrilled to share and we invite you along for the flower-filled journey.
Please visit the other blogs participating in this month’s Garden Designers Roundtable.
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX
Scott Hokunson : Blue Heron Landscapes : Granby, CT
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In The Garden : Los Altos, CA
Jenny Peterson : J Peterson Garden Design : Austin TX
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA
Jocelyn Chilvers : The Art Garden : Denver, CO
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol,
{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
What an interesting take on the GDRT topic. Most other contributors interpreted it as pathways. I’m excited about your book. I was fascinated by Feb’s Smithsonian article about the floral industry and hope that more books and articles raise public awareness of these important issues.
Leave it to you two to take a totally different and brilliant approach to this month’s topic! It’s amazing how we think of where our food comes from, but often not our cut flowers. I’m really looking forward to the book!
Wonderfully interesting take on this topic, and so true that there are these overlooked products/industries that fall outside the sustainable discussion, when in fact they belong right in the mix. Your book sounds awesome, can’t wait to read and share with my readers, and the photos are amazing!
Great post, and thanks for joining s this month!
WOW! This post leaves me feeling like I just had a beautiful visual vacation. Aaaaaggggghhhh….. I adored your take on this topic and the gorgeous partnership between the two passion of the photos and the flowers was lovely. Thank you!
What an interesting interpretation of this month’s topic. I’m intrigued to know more. And I love that cover photo on your new book! Seeing people in the garden makes both more interesting. Thanks for joining the Roundtable this month and adding your unique perspectives, Debra and David.
All of this slowness is adding up to a huge lifestyle trend that’s calling itself ‘slow living’ and incorporates everything you’ve talked about and more. I think it’s a wonderful thing…maybe people will even sit on their front stoops again while children play outside and the newspaper gets delivered by a person on a bike instead of a minivan. We need to slow down in so many ways–your take shows us another. Thank you!
Wot a great idea.
It will be a fabulous book I can tell.
The best of luck with your project!
Best wishes
Robert
You’ve so perfectly hit the nail on the head with this month’s topic! I can not WAIT to read your book, as it’s a topic that needs to be brought to the public’s attention. Thank you for being persistent with your message and for such beautiful photos. All will hear what you have to say – I just know it!!
What a wonderful project! A few years ago, a friend of mine had no idea what the term “carbon footprint” meant. Now she buys her produce at the farmers market and drives a hybrid. Terrific information, and the medicine goes down much more easily when it comes in the form of personal stories and gorgeous photography. Thanks to you and David for your wonderful take on this month’s Roundtable topic!
I live in a community that was once one of the biggest producers of carnations in the US – until Cheap imports from South America flooded the market. Grow local (and BUY local) has so many positive consequences…Looking forward to your book, and thanks for contributing to the Garden Designers Roundtable today!
What a fantastic topic to bring to light! I can’t wait to read the book. I buy from a local grower as much as I can and what a tremendous difference it makes in our arrangements.
What a wonderful book cover.
Congratulations on the book deal, Debra!
Wonderful news… Can’t wait to read it!
Always trying to find the best flowers for our consumers!
I’m looking forward to the book! I live in an area where getting cut flowers from a florist is almost impossible– arranged flowers, yes, cut flower bunches, no– and reading about folks who are passionate about growing and sourcing them locally will be a real treat!
{ 7 trackbacks }