Erin Benzakein is doubly talented, one of the flower world’s new crop of floral artists who plant and grow the seasonal ingredients that compose their lovely, hand-crafted arrangements and bouquets.

Her acreage maybe small, but this farmer-florist has a big vision for offering a healthy, beautiful and local alternative to imported, conventionally-grown flowers. “We do not use harsh chemicals and all of our flowers are grown with the utmost care and love,” she says.

It all started with sweet peas, which gave Erin, a young mother in 2003, the dream of producing flowers professionally. With a few packets of seeds, she planted two rows, “creating a fragrant, sweet pea tunnel,” she recalls. “I wanted to walk through it, just for the experience. Pretty soon, I was completely and utterly obsessed. I ripped out all the vegetables and replaced them with flowers.”

At the time, Erin was working as a part-time landscaper. She observed how estate gardeners cut flowers and other botanical elements for arrangements. “I not realized you could go into your yard and cut flowers — those bouquets looked like Dutch paintings with perennials, berries, vines and floppy roses.”

Erin took floral arranging courses and studied with some of the top studio designers around, but more than anything, she credits nature as her inspiration and her instructor. “I specialize in heirloom, fragrant and romantic flowers, and I design by the seasons,” she explains. “I love the natural approach.”

Putting down roots

As a city-raised child Erin loved to dig in the dirt. As a young adult, Erin imagined living a country life that combined flower farming, floral design and raising her children with husband Chris. With a $1,000 loan from her mother and a run-down Euro van, she launched floret in 2007. Through word of mouth and the power of social media, her modest venture has flourished into a thriving cottage industry. “It’s a jumpin’ little business,” Erin says with obvious pride.

Today, Erin, Chris and their children, Elora (13) and Jasper (10), live and work on two floriferous acres. Their certified organic land is populated with thousands of flowers, 25 Bantam chickens, a half-dozen ducks and all sorts of salamanders, snakes and tadpoles living in the children’s aquarium tanks.

Flowering trees, rare shrubs, vines, bulbs, perennials, annuals (including those sweet peas) and even unusual berries and vegetables like fava beans, pea pods, alpine strawberries and cherry tomatoes, comprise Erin’s unique arrangements. Each bouquet reflects the bounty from her fields — a moment in time that connects its recipient with nature and the seasons.

This now-experienced flower farmer says her sustainable philosophy was developed through years of experimentation and good advice from fellow growers around the country. Erin’s methods include efficient use of land and greenhouse space, detailed succession planting schedules, crop rotation and daily harvesting — all of which maximize every square inch of land.

“In the spring, I till in my cover crops, add a nice dose of compost, a dressing of organic fertilizer and plant my crops,” she explains. “After a crop is done blooming, I pull it out, add another dose of compost, fertilize and replant with another crop. This enables me to grow up to three times the amount of flowers on my land in a single growing season.”

If the climate and growing conditions are ideal, Erin is able to harvest for nearly eight months of the year, beginning with early flowering bulbs and anemones in the spring and continuing through late fall when frost hits the last dahlia crops. The “off season” is devoted to planning, marketing, writing and teaching, she says.

From field to vase, hands and lapels

Carried down the aisle by joyous brides or worn on the lapels of handsome grooms, floret’s wedding flowers are breathtakingly beautiful. Erin designed for 17 weddings last summer and she expects that number to grow this year. Local natural food markets, including Whole Foods stores in Washington, Oregon and British Columbia, sell cheery sunflower and perennial bunches by the hundreds, while a steady stream of Seattle fans subscribe to weekly fresh bouquets, similar to food CSA subscribers.

For those who don’t live close by, Erin shares both her blooms and the “farm life” through her blog, a personal journal of thoughts and images that has captured the imaginations of would-be flower farmers and designers around the globe.

It’s easy to romanticize the image of a flower farmer, but Erin speaks honestly about the grueling hours, especially during the peak summer season. “Chris comes home from work as a VW mechanic and helps me make bouquets; then he gets up early two or three days a week to make deliveries to Seattle, which is 65 miles away,” she says. Erin is up at dawn, harvesting flowers Monday, Wednesday and Friday; making bouquets on Tuesday and Thursday. Weekend weddings add another design day to the schedule.

Jasper and Elora are involved in every aspect of tending, harvesting and preparing bouquets, although they also operate “The Little Red Hen House,” a thriving fresh egg business (the eggs are delivered to Erin’s fresh bouquet customers in Seattle). “We get a lot of family time,” Erin points out.

The allure of flowers is not lost on this hardworking floral artist, though. “At first, I just loved my flowers and I would give them away. People were so moved and it surprised me. Yes, I love gardening. And yes, I adore my flowers, but the fact that they are so powerful – that’s why I love what I do so much.”

floret-by-the numbers

• 2 acres
• 10 hoop houses/green houses
• 260 varieties of annuals and herbs grown from seed
• 30 varieties of ornamental shrubs form a hedgerow, planted for their blooms and as wildlife habitat
• 150 garden rose shrubs
• 40 varieties of perennials
• 45 varieties of sweet peas
• 3,000 dahlia plants (about 250 varieties)

About floret

Where: Mount Vernon, Washington (about 65 miles north of Seattle)

What: 2 acres, certified organic

Zone: USDA Zone 8a

More details: www.floretflowers.com

 At Midnight Blossom, a plant shop and floral studio in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, owners Amoreena and Matthew Herbage celebrate the season with traditional wreaths, swags and centerpieces. Their designs include a few surprising twists, such as pewter-colored pods, silvery houseplant leaves and tillandsias that look like snowflakes.

“We appreciate what the world has to offer – from amazing stones to beautiful succulents,” Amoreena explains. “We bring a fun, childlike discovery to our designs — the process is as important as the ingredients.”

Midnight Blossom began as a wedding floral design business; in 2010, the couple opened their retail store combining Amoreena’s love for plants and Matt’s custom woodworking shop.

Their tiny emporium attracts young urban customers who may never have gardened before, “but they love the artsy botanicals, preserved bugs and beetles, and unusual rocks we have,” says Matt, who builds display cases, shadowboxes and other custom pieces for Midnight Blossom.

 

The interior feels like an old-fashioned curiosity shop. Customers are welcome to explore and create terrariums and miniature tabletop designs at the “Garden Bar.” That’s where you’ll find glass jars, sand, pebbles, succulents and other ingredients to build one-of-a-kind miniature garden.

When they’re not at the shop, Matt and Amoreena are outdoors, gathering uncommon elements for Midnight Blossom’s shelves.

“We’ve managed to find beaches where harvesting is allowed,” he says. “So we’ve foraged for things like dried sea kelp, driftwood, agates and moss.”

Their forays into nature — always with the proper permits – have yielded creations like driftwood chandeliers, sculptural plant stands and tablescapes inspired by beach or forest.

Designing with nature as her guide, Amoreena says, “I am inspired by what I like, whether it’s a geode or a flower.” 

 

Decorate with a silver palette: 

Simple and elegant, this wreath is ideal for either the tabletop or door. The design combines only two main elements: a circle of pliable curly willow tips that are wired to a wreath base and a ring of tillandsias, gently wired in place. “Eventually, the tillandsias will need to be misted, but this design will look great for at least a month,” Amoreena says.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top this!

“These package toppers are like little gardens by themselves,” she explains. “Usually something here in the store will catchy my eye, especially if it shimmers.” She gathers leaves from house plants, tiny seed heads and even herbs into a mini-bouquet. Tied with raffia or twine, they add a touch of nature to a wrapped gift.

 

 

 

 

 

Place settings

“Centerpieces don’t always have to include flowers,” Amoreena says. “I love using dried elements like pods and other items gathered from the garden.” There’s an organic beauty to the way she combines leaves, stems, branches and seed heads, showcasing the distinct shape and texture of each. Arrange a series of small vases along the center of a dining table or use individual vases at each place setting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shimmery showstopper

Fill a larger vase with dramatic silvery elements, such as branches of the silver tree (Leucadendron argenteum), which grows well in Southern California and is sold as a cut floral ingredient. Eucalyptus and silvery twigs finish the stunning arrangement — an unexpected interpretation for the holiday season.

 

 

 

 

 

Swagger for the Porch

Softly draped, a swag of seeded eucalyptus makes a modern-looking accent for your front door. Amoreena simply gathered together several lengths with twine. Before hanging the swag on a hook, she wired a single large tillandsia (such as Tillandsia xerographica) as its striking focal point.