2 minute read
LocaLLy Grown
More and more brides and floral designers are turning their focus toward using locally grown blooms in their wedding designs. And with more weddings being held outdoors due to health and safety concerns, we think that embracing and appreciating the natural beauty that is surrounding you will pay off in big ways. No sense in competing with Mother Nature!
Aside from some potential cost-saving benefits (no expensive shipping fees!) and minimizing negative environmental impacts (fewer harmful chemicals used to grow and preserve!), there are many other reasons to consider sourcing your blooms from a local grower. Abra Hawley, owner of Hawley Hill Gardens, is one such grower, located in the Brainerd Lakes area. Emotional connections and aesthetic appeal are two benefits of locally grown flowers that she highlights in her floral design work.
RESOURCES FOR LOCAL FLOWERS
TWIN CITIES FLOWER EXCHANGE tcflowerexchange.com
SLOW FLOWERS slowflowers.com
MINNEAPOLIS FARMERS MARKET mplsfarmersmarket.com
“Many flowers that are incredibly gorgeous and useful in event design can be difficult to find through traditional wholesale sources, either because they are too delicate to hold up in shipping, don’t like cold storage or are not desirable for mass production for some other reason. When you work with local floral ingredients, you’re likely to find a whole new world of flowers and foliage that simply aren’t available as imports.”
It’s important to be flexible, considering a shorter growing season this far north, but don’t let that deter you. That’s where working with a professional can help, as they’ll be able to educate you on what is in season when, and what substitutes can be made when necessary.
“It does require a degree of flexibility in the planning and design process, but the payoff, to me, is worth it,” says Hawley. “When you are able to add those special touches of local and seasonal flowers, they are a tangible piece of a moment in time, that day in that year when that couple chose to marry, and it’s a beautiful thing. When you source more unique locally grown ingredients for your wedding day, the results are bespoke floral pieces that are individual works of art and seasonality, a beautiful tribute to the time and place two people chose to unite in marriage.”
Considering your own floral design for your wedding?
Use these broken-down and then reconstructed arrangements and bouquets by Hawley Hill Gardens as inspiration for creating your own floral stunners focusing on seasonal, locally grown blooms.
1 | Wild fern
2 | Acidanthera
3 | Figwort
4 | Sunflower, “Sun-Fill”
5 | Delphinium
6 | Dahlia, “Orsett Beauty”
7 | Celosia
8 | Zinnia, “Golden Hour”
9 | Scabiosa, “Fama White”
10 | Zinnia, “Oklahoma Ivory”
11 | Dahlia, “Sugar Daddy”
12 | Snapdragon, “Costa Apricot”
13 | Calendula, “Ivory Princess”
14 | Scented geranium
1 | Baptisia foliage
2 | Hanging amaranthus
3 | Gomphrena
4 | Baptisia seed pod
5 | Chocolate Queen Anne’s lace seed head
6 | Dusty miller
7 | Chocolate Queen Anne’s lace
8 | Foxglove, “Dalmatian Peach”
9 | Dahlia, “Cornel Bronze”
10 | Dahlia
11 | Ornamental kale, “Crane Pink”
12 | Dahlia, “Jowey Winnie”
13 | Dahlia
14 | Hydrangea paniculata
15 | Dahlia, “Iced Tea”
16 | Nicotiana, “Marshmallow”
17 | Salvia, “Lancelot”
18 | Ornamental oregano, “Kirigami”
19 | Dahlia, “Koko Puff”
20 + 21 | Zinnia, “Little Flower Girl”
22 | Peony foliage
23 | Gomphrena
24 | Wild raspberry foliage
25 | Salvia, “Lancelot”
Jewelry that transforms imperfect, sustainable materials into meaningful and timeless designs to last a lifetime.
