Page Text: Connecting America’s Flower Farmers & Florists
About the Floral Source
Five years ago, I had a vivid vision of how I wanted to start sourcing my flowers
Hi, I’m Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore , a wedding and event floral designer located in Maryland. I started my journey in flowers in 2000 at a small campus flower shop in Champaign, Illinois and went on to open my own studio north of Washington, D.C. in 2011. For almost 15 years in the floral industry, I didn’t question where my flowers came from. I only looked for what was beautiful and could fit my client’s budget. It wasn’t until I started forming relationships with flower farmers at my local farmers’ market in 2011, that I realized I can choose where my flowers come from. In 2014, I visualized how I wanted to source my flowers and pursued a personal project. I created seasonal designs over the course of an entire year, from the same flower farm. What could I create with those “limitations?” What if I made bold and beautiful arrangements with exclusively seasonal and local product?
What happened in this “passion project” became the foundation for a new business model. It was time for me to incorporate more intention and meaning into my floral designs. I developed deeper appreciation for flower farmers, and it demonstrated the obstacles that designers face when trying to implement local and seasonal practices. Over the next few years, I immersed myself in domestic sourcing. I refined how I sourced flowers by choosing local and American grown flowers and foliage 365 days a year. I began visiting the farms where I purchased flowers. I spent time with the farmers, walking their fields, and I began to understand seasonality across the country.
What I learned each time I walked the fields with a farmer, whether I was visiting that farm for the first time or for the tenth time, was that there was always something to learn as a designer, and there was always something the farmer was learning from me.
It is imperative, in the farmer-florist relationship, that an open and honest dialogue takes place. Our respective industries are reliant on the others’ success, and to be successful, we must break down the walls of misconception and fear. We have to collaborate and communicate our needs and expectations. Sourcing domestically year-round IS possible and deeply gratifying.
My goal through The Floral Source is to bridge the gap between farmers, florists and wholesalers. The chain of sourcing domestically is reliant on strong relationships and transparency. Not only do I want to see the U.S. floriculture industry thrive for many years to come, but I want to equip today’s and tomorrow’s designers with both the passion and knowledge to design with what grows here in our country. We can all be stewards of change, whether we are sourcing in our own regions or seeking product from other states to fulfill our clients’ visions. There is an abundance of beauty that grows here in America and I want to explore it all with you!
- Kelly Shore, Petals by the Shore