Why I’m Thankful for Cut Flower Growers.
Cut flower growers have guts unlike any other. Growing specialty cut flowers is an intensive practice that is a never-ending learning curve, a reaching for beauty in opposing forces of nature, and a heroic and gorgeous campaign to steward the earth.
I’m thankful for the enduring optimism of the grower; rescuing the flowers from weeds by hand, buying seeds in the dead of winter, hovering over dirt in garages as tiny miracles (seeds) come to life again, and sharing the beauty with anyone who will listen. In short, these gardeners are continually seeing the imperfect world, and moving foward with determination and hope. Watch out for all of us with a pocket full of seeds;)
I carry around a bag that says, “I am still learning” to remind me that learning is a lifelong adventure, and I think that’s why I love flower people; like any good artist, the growth mindset of this entire group of people is admirable and a fantastic thought process to adopt as we go through our life stages. The truth is, no flower grower knows everything because it’s an art and a science; rather we are always observing, taking notes (or photos), adjusting, and trying again next year.
““I am still learning.”
The gardener does all these things in pure optimism, hope, determination, and humility…because they know the weather can undo it all in a moment. A gorgeous stand of flowers can be flattened in a rain storm, a white lisianthus that has been growing as long as a human fetus to reach its maturity, can be bruised in a rainstorm. The whole thing is a giant risk that each and every grower weighs and decides the beauty of a flower is worth it all.
The local flower growers take care of the earth; they just do. Contrary to flowers flown in, locally grown flowers boast a carbon footprint 10 times less than some imported florals (Becky Swinn, Lancaster University). When my kids bring up concerns about the environment I am always proud to point to flower farmers who are chipping away right where they are to make a positive impact on our soil and evironment. This stewardship matters. Keep it up, growers.
So, on Thanksgiving 2022, in the middle of travel and business, I want to make sure I take time to say “I’m thankful for you growers”; thank you for supporting our small family business , for seeing potential in tiny seeds and brown tubers, and for letting flowers transform us all into determined and hopeful people.
-Lydia
If you are understandably tired at the end of the season and need inspiration, some pages I love:
