Frequently Asked Questions
What is a farmer-florist?
A farmer-florist grows flowers and provides design services. I'd say we are 30% farmer (growing flowers sustainably grown on our microfarm in the heart of Charlottesville) and 70% florist (focusing on designing floral-forward weddings and events with mostly local blooms. We offer gift deliveries of our sustainably raised flowers, seasonal bouquet subscriptions, and custom event design for nature-loving clients.
What does “Designer’s Choice” mean?
For weddings and events, we select the most premium blooms available within your style and color palette. While we generally do not promise specific flower varieties, we will try our best to find a specific flower if it has a sentimental meaning for the bridal bouquet or groom's boutonniere.
For our gift deliveries and bouquets, we choose the freshest flowers available each week. We are a small farm growing only what is in season without greenhouses. If/when we are short on flowers, we source from other local farms here in Central Virginia that care about people, land, and quality as much as we do.
How do I take care of my flowers?
Take your bouquet home and get it into fresh water as soon as possible (trim stem ends 1/2" first). Change the water every 1-2 days for optimal vase life.
Why do some of the blooms in my FLORA bouquet last longer than grocery store flowers, and some don't last as long?
Like getting a freshly crafted pastry from a local bakery vs. a pastry in a plastic clamshell from a big box store, allowable shelf life does not always equal a better experience.
Grocery store flowers have to travel a long way to get to you. They are varieties that are bred (and highly fertilized/pesticide-ized) for travel and long vase life, not for fragrance or uniqueness.
Some of our flowers have a naturally longer vase life and, because they are harvested shortly before they are in your hands, you will be floored at how long they last!
Other flowers are specialty blooms that you won't find at a store and are shorter lived in the vase (dahlias, cosmos).
Simply remove any spent blooms and enjoy the rest...and enjoy that low-carbon-footprint feeling!
I want to learn how to make these arrangements. Can you teach me?
Yes! You provide the venue and we will provide the rest: flowers, foliages, vessels, tools, floral mechanics, and know-how for your intimate design workshop. We require a minimum of 5 participants and pricing starts at $65/guest.
How do you grow enough flowers for large events on such a small farm?
We don't. We use our flowers and flowers from other local farms when possible, and sometimes source (import) flowers for large events because of seasonality or preferences. We started with a "100% local" mindset but quickly realized it was impractical at times. We feel that mostly local is better than everything imported!