ABOUT LILLY
I’ve been around plants and flowers my whole life. The taste of a carrot just pulled from the ground and rinsed off by the garden hose or the smell of brushing up against a tomato vine brings me right back to my childhood. As a kid I would start snapdragons, cosmos and sweet peas from seed for the family garden. The daughter of landscapers, my parents didn’t hesitate to put me to work on various job sites around town on San Juan Island— usually weeding for countless hours! And though I liked playing in the dirt, I was always more fascinated by cut flowers.
I started working at a flower shop as a summer job in college and after graduating, stayed in Bellingham to continue learning the floral trade and complete the weddings I had booked. While working at the flower shop I met Marilyn, a seasoned florist who taught me every single floral technique imaginable and I picked up a few more tricks during a short course at the Floral Design Institute in Seattle. Eventually I made the big move to Seattle and supported studio-based event florists before going on to run the floral department at the downtown Whole Foods Market. After several years in a grocery store I gradually felt a pull to work on a flower farm, understand how flowers are cultivated and get my hands back in the soil. Working on the farm and connecting with other local farmers brought me so much joy that I debated starting my own flower farm. Then in the summer of 2016 I challenged myself to source as local as possible for several floral design clients, and I realized this is where my passion truly lies. Rather than starting my own farm, I left sustainable farming to the experts and committed my full energy to showcasing their hard work through my designs. The local growers in this region provide such bounty. Even in the dead of winter you can just open your eyes, look around and see all of the different foliage, seedpods and berries. Sometime down the road I would love to have a little plot of land to grow some specialty items but until then I’m thrilled to let the talent of these growers shine through my work. Please visit my Services page for more information about my commitment to sustainability and seasonality. |