The Purpose of Flowers

I was recently asked by my own 9 yr old daughter Azalea, “I know flowers are pretty and they smell nice, but what’s the point? They’re all just going to die.”

It took a moment to fully grasp what I had just been asked by my own little flower! She has been surrounded by flowers since the day she was born. How could I have overlooked explaining to her why I feel so passionate about what I do?

And so I explained to her that for me, the purpose of flowers is not to just enjoy their fleeting beauty, but to also remind us of the fragility of life. To take a moment to truly appreciate the beauty of these perfect flowers, just as we should always remember to enjoy and appreciate those in our lives. As a mom especially, I have learned that life is much to short to take the time we have together for granted. My Azalea flower is growing so fast these days, and I don’t want to miss a moment of it.

As a florist I am exposed to all of life’s moments within one days time. From a new birth to illness, celebration, love and loss. I understand the purpose of the flowers personally and know what message these flowers will bring- the message that like a flower-they are loved and cherished and beautiful.

Romancing the Rose

With Valentine’s day approaching, sending flowers to your sweetie is still a tried and true tradition of showing the love.  Sadly, with flowers so available and standardized through the online commercial floral networks and grocer bouquets, the expression of love that is meant to be given is lost. Even sadder is that the experience of purchasing the flowers is less than positive, with additional hidden fees and poor quality flowers.

The romance of flowers are fading like their cheap, commercially processed petals.  Unless, like a loving relationship, you make the effort. Independent florists are still around, creating beautiful long lasting arrangements using flowers that have been given the love and care they need. Neighborhood florists will custom design a bouquet for you that reflects your own personality. Unique and individual, where the effort made will show and be appreciated.

Let us help you show the love. Place an order with us by February 5th before prices escalate to accommodate the added growers costs.

 

 

Introducing… Seattle Wholesale Growers Market

There’s some exciting news in the floral world!

The Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, located in the original Rainier Brewery Malthouse, is having its soft opening on April 20th.

As a florist in the Seattle community, I know first hand how long we have been waiting for a floral market that features and supports our local farmers. Not only will Seattle Wholesale offer a large variety of local flowers, but florists in the Northwest finally have a resource for flowers that can go from farm to table in the same day!

So, if you’re a local florist and are interested in becoming a part of the community supporting the viability of our floral agriculture and helping our farmers sustain financial stability, swing on down to Georgetown and check us out.

If you’re an interested consumer and want to know how you can get ahold of the flowers that come through Seattle Wholesale, you have two great options:

First, as the market’s floral distributor, we are offering Terra Bella CSA Bouquets, which are guaranteed to be stocked with local and sustainably grown flowers. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) bouquets feature the freshest flowers available in the Northwest. Each month, you and your loved ones can enjoy a new Terra Bella CSA bouquet, which is available for pick-up or delivery. Similar to monthly produce delivery, you can order bouquets for a six month period or for a full year.  And, if you purchase  in advance, Terra Bella will give you a 10% discount on the overall cost.

Second, as you know with the rules of supply and demand… the more you demand local, sustainable flowers from your neighborhood florist, the more the supply will be available to you.  So, we encourage to ask your florist if they’re carrying flowers grown in the Northwest. If not, you can certainly direct them to the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market, so you can be sure that you know exactly where your flowers are coming from and when they were cut.

Just a reminder, we are a full-service florist providing you with floral arrangements for your upcoming events or last-minute flowers.  As always, Terra Bella sources local and sustainable flowers for our floral creations. Seattle Wholesale Growers Market is just going to make our job that much easier!

 We will keep you posted on all the new and exciting developments with Seattle Wholesale. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me at 206.783.0205.

It’s not easy being green.

Hi, I’m Melissa: a Seattlite, florist, and avid promoter of organic, local and sustainable flowers. I’ve decided to hop on the blog waves to share some of the exciting news and challenges we are facing as the Northwest’s premier eco-florist.  TerraBella Flowers is a spin-off of the legendary Phinney Ridge Florist.

As you’ll see on my website, terrabellaflowers.com, my designs are inspired by unique European garden-style arrangements, both cut and living. Although I believe deeply in the healing and aesthetic power of flowers, I want to pursue that passion responsibly.  Once upon a time, I thought it would be a good idea to study hazardous waste management.

I spent my summers in Mexico, where I saw the detrimental effects of poor waste management first hand. I decided to look deeper into the world of flower production and found out some very scary facts: I highly recommend reading Amy Stewart’s, Flower Confidential to learn more… if you dare.

This blog will be dedicated to the ups and downs of sustaining a business on sustainable flowers, which includes not only the flowers I buy, but also my efforts to launch the one of the first floral co-op wholesale in the Northwest supporting local growers who are doing it right.

So, if you’re interested in expanding organics from produce farming to floral farming, a  Seattle resident curious about what’s going down in the Greenwood Hood, or just into flowers, stop by my blog, and I’ll be here to keep you in the know.

PS – you can also find TerraBella on Facebook & Twitter.