Around the Farm

Are you considering a flower farmer/florist for your wedding floral design? Learn what to look for in a farmer florist and the Top 5 Questions to Ask a Farmer-Florist.

Ask how the farm handles crop failures and weather events. This could seriously impact your wedding flowers so it’s important to know the ‘backup plan’. At East Texas Flower Farm we work diligently to protect our crops and ensure each seedling or plug has the optimum potential to develop into stunning wedding flowers. Still, we have no control over natural events. Our ‘backup plan’ is our network of local flower farmers and the relationships we have built with our fellow growers over the years. When this occurs, our clients can be assured the blooms we source from off our farm were still American grown by farmers. We also have a wholesale floral company who can assist with sourcing flowers as a last resort. We have several back up plans and options for our own and our clients’ peace of mind. 

Ask to visit the farm. A florist farmer should welcome prospective clients visits. At East Texas Flower Farm we have something growing year round. That does not mean we have flowers blooming in January. However, winter cover crops such as cereal rye, Austrian peas and winter oats are thriving in the warm days and cool nights. During your farm visit expect to learn about cover crops, crop rotation, and water conservation as well as vermiculture.

Ask if the farm starts their flowers from seed or uses plugs or a combination of both which is what we do here on our farm.

Is the farm certified organic? Do they adhere to an organic growing philosophy using sustainable agriculture practices as much as possible? Our farm is not certified organic nevertheless we are committed to growing using sustainable and organic practices as much as possible. That includes beneficial insects, vermiculture, crop rotation and using OMRI certified sprays and fertilizers when necessary. We choose to be transparent about how we grow and let our clients determine if their ecological principles align with our farming philosophy.

Do they own the land where the flower farm is located? This question can be tricky because the farmer may be sensitive to the fact that he or she is renting the plot. This is an important question because what happens if the landlord decides not to renew the lease? When the land is leased there can be significant limitations to structures and irrigation installation that is allowed on the land.

Thankfully, we own over 5 acres of rich soil in the Piney Woods. Our farm has a deep water well and extensive drip irrigation to conserve the water and support our crops. We are able to forage almost all of the greenery we use for large installations from our land. Plus, we have established 100’s of perennials that will produce flowers for our clients for many years. We grow nearly 100 roses and focus on specific varieties chosen for wedding design; David Austin roses and Weeks famous varieties: Koko Loco, Honey Dijon, Distant Drums, Edith's Darling and Celestial Night. In addition to our roses we grow Coral Charm peonies, dahlias, speedwell, smoke-bush, hydrangeas and many others.