Turning Inward

I’m taking some time this month to turn inward, to focus on my goals and dreams. Not only for myself, but also Aromatic Acres. The hustle of the holidays is behind me and I’m settling back into my morning winter routine of waking up at 5 AM, wrapping myself in a cozy blanket, enjoying a cup of coffee and taking the first hour of the day to focus solely on whatever I want to prioritize at that moment. Sometimes an activity is planned, other times it’s intuitive. I allow myself permission to focus on whatever I’m gravitating towards at that moment even if that means skipping the plan. Sometimes it’s journaling or writing, sometimes it’s reading, sometimes that’s even opening up Pinterest for inspiration to write or create. Other times it’s just sitting quietly and enjoying the peaceful and dark morning before heading off to work.

The Curation Process

The month of December was focused on curating the 2023 cutting gardens. Most of this work was done during the wee morning hours because it brought me so much inspiration and joy that I could carry with me throughout the day. Imagining colors, the way the plants would look in the garden and of course the beautiful, seasonal bouquets that would be created lit me up as we approached the winter solstice.

It might surprise you to know the process of creating these collections is rather time consuming, but I love it.

• It begins with an inspirational research phase. I review my personal photos from past seasons, but focus most of my attention on the last season, selecting images of bouquets that I’m really drawn to. I pin all kinds of color palettes.
• Then I start developing the plant palettes. I select a list of 8-10 different varieties that are both productive all season here in our climate and easy to grow. Varieties that I have personally vetted in our own gardens.
• After I’ve selected the varieties I choose the colors for each variety.  I begin another photo gathering stage selecting imagery of each individual flower I’ve included in each collection. This step is incredibly helpful to visualize how the collection will look as a whole.
• Finally, it’s time to determine the quantities of each variety. This can be the most challenging step for someone new to growing cut flowers, especially if you are working with limited garden space. However, my 6 years of growing flowers for market bouquets guides me in determining quantities for optimal bouquet making.

As the demand for local flowers grows, which is lucky for us, new colors are being bred and introduced every year. For an artist turned plant geek like me, new introductions and releases are something I look forward to trialing every year. If they pass the test (productivity + ease), I consider them for our future collections.