Bouquets + Bites: Seven Bouquets and One Very Good Summer Afternoon
Seven people came to the farm for Bouquets + Bites. The plan was simple enough: eat something good, walk through the flowers, and make a bouquet. It turned into one of those afternoons that felt surprisingly easy, in the very best way.
First, the bites
Puttin' on the Spritz brought the charcuterie and grazing snacks, along with lemonade. Everyone arrived, settled in, and mingled under the tent before we headed toward the flower rows.
Then, a little waltz through the U-Pick
I talked about growing flowers specifically for cutting, which is not quite the same thing as planting a tidy landscape and hoping for the best. Cut-flower plants are chosen, spaced, pinched, harvested, and generally fussed over with a bouquet in mind.
Then everyone was turned loose with clippers. They chose a few stems from the field to add to the buckets waiting back at the workshop tables. That part was the clear winner. Instead of simply being handed an assortment of flowers, each person got to wander, notice what caught her eye, and bring a little of the field into her own bouquet.
No two bouquets came out the same
Back under the tent, I demonstrated how to build a hand-tied bouquet using shape, movement, texture, and color, without making the whole thing precious or overly complicated.
The tables were covered with flower buckets, the clippers came out, and seven completely different bouquets began taking shape. Once everyone finished, I wrapped the flowers for the trip home.
"Best thing I did all summer."
Frankly, that is a difficult workshop review to improve upon.
Why this one worked
Bouquets + Bites was not just an arranging class moved outdoors. The field was part of it. Guests saw where the flowers grew, learned why cut-flower growing looks different from ordinary gardening, chose stems for themselves, and then used those flowers at the design table.
It was relaxed, useful, a little indulgent, and just structured enough. There were flowers. There was cheese. Everyone went home happy. I would call that a successful summer afternoon.
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