By Julie Chai, Sunset associate garden editor
Photo by David Perry
Can I step into this photo please?? If you've gotten your April issue of Sunset, you may have had the same wanna-be-there impulse I did when you saw this image on page 20, featuring Erin Benzakein of Mt. Vernon, Washington. In addition to being a floral designer and owner of Floret Flowers, Erin’s also a sustainable flower grower. Here she's walking with son Jasper in her 2-acre farm, enveloped by alliums that are almost as tall as she is. Photographer and blogger David Perry shot the photo, and writer Debra Prinzing interviewed Erin for Sunset, and shares a bit of their conversation below. Click here for the full story.
Why are sustainable flowers important?
Eighty percent of the cut flowers we buy in the U.S. are imported from countries that do not have worker safety or pesticide regulations. I don’t think we should sacrifice the health of our earth, or that of the farmers, their children and animals, just to have a bunch of pretty blooms on our kitchen tables. If you buy your flowers locally - at a farmer’s market, from a roadside stand, or a grocery store that sources bouquets from local growers - they’re probably sustainably grown. You’ll help eliminate the use of jet fuel that flies flowers to America, keep money in your local economy and enjoy healthier and fresher blooms.
What’s the easiest way to bring flowers into your life?
Go into the garden you have—right now! Give yourselves permission to cut an awesome bloom or a few sprigs of this or that. You can grab greens from your hedge and pick up local tulips from the farmer’s market. It’s kind of addicting. Yes, I love flowers, but when I give them away, I see how powerful and moving they can be for others.
What inspired you to farm sustainably?
The most important reason is my children’s health and safety. Our home is in the center of our little farm and my children basically live outdoors during the growing season. Their days are spent among the flowers as they build forts in the raspberry patch, make elaborate doll picnics out of bits from the garden and race up and down the paths while we’re harvesting. I am aware that anything I might use on the flowers, such as herbicides or pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, will be directly in contact with Jasper and Elora. This reality has prompted me to only use organic practices to grow my crops.
What are some of your favorite flower crops for bouquets and other arrangements?
My main crops include sweet peas, ranunculus, peonies, ‘Limelight’ hydrangeas, old garden roses, Oriental lilies, sunflowers, and dahlias. But I harvest from spring to late fall, so there are some months when I cut branches, vines, berries, thistles, grasses and pods for my arrangements.
