3 things on my mind this month as an Oakland florist

1. Improving systems

Now that I’ve been running this business for over a year, I’m starting to see areas where the way I set things up initially is no longer working. For example, my studio space where I work is located in a sunny spare bedroom on the second floor of my house. 

At first it seemed idyllic. I could arrange bouquets in a bright, airy space. I set up floating shelves so I could display different arrangements and have a place to take pictures of bouquets.

Then came the drawbacks. Cut flowers, in order to last longer, need darkness. Even indirect sunlight can cause some flowers like snapdragons to bend. The room got warm in the summer, and even in the winter the heater was not a friend to the flowers.

The nearest water source was in the bathroom across the hall. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried washing a large quantity of vases in your bathtub, but it gets tedious quickly. Another drawback is how far removed the space is from the garden. It’s cumbersome to harvest outside and then climb the stairs with a heavy bucket full of flowers.

So now I’m working on making a change. I have (potential) space in my garage once I clear out some things. I’m looking into getting a shop sink. Then I can be on the same level as the garden; keep the flowers in a dark, cool space; have a water source for easy washing; plus sweeping up loose stems will be much easier without a carpeted floor.

I’m excited about making the space work for me. I’m sure there will be new improvements I’ll need to make after a while, but making this transition will have an immediate impact on my work.

2. Fall planting

August is the tail-end of summer, but fall will be here before we know it. It’s time to start seeds! California is fortunate to have mild winters, which means we can sow spring flowers in the fall. 

This year, I’ll be growing sunflowers, statice, strawflower, snapdragons, yarrow, and rudbeckia. They may not be as flashy as peonies, tulips, or ranunculus, but the ones I’m growing are the workhorses of the flower world. Flowers like statice and yarrow are great cut-and-come-again fillers. Snapdragons and sunflowers are both easy to start, and branching sunflowers will have multiple blooms per plant. I’m investing in strawflower because it dries well and will be amazing in winter wreaths. 

I may add additional flowers later this year. It depends on how well my seedlings do and what the space constraints are in my garden. Balancing out new seedlings with last years’ flowers (which may or may not perennialize) is always a challenge, but even more so on a small scale. This year, I need to be more ruthless about ripping out the old things that aren’t working well and making space for the new. There’s a life lesson there somewhere, I’m sure.

3. Subscription program

The best part about growing flowers is being surrounded by beauty. The worst part is having no one to share it with.

While I love fulfilling the one-off orders, having a subscription program (where someone is ordering flowers every week, every other week, or every month) means more consistency. It also means I have a dedicated purpose for the flowers that are blooming each month, which translates to less waste.

If I’m using more materials consistently, I can find a rhythm and see where the gaps are. This will help me plan next year’s crop list and give me the opportunity to try new flowers.

This will be my first time trying out a subscription program for Wild Leaf Flowers. I already have some interest, and I’m hoping to get more businesses and individuals to sign up. Check out the various subscription options here!