There are a lot of reasons I walked away from the ‘traditional’ flower shops I used to work in 14 years ago. I went into a career as a florist because I loved flowers. Seems simple enough, right? I grew up on a farm, hands in the earth, feet firmly rooted in agriculture as a way of life. As a florist I watched flowers come into the shop, flown from all corners of the world. I unpacked the same case of carnations every week. It didn’t matter if it was July or December, those carnations just kept showing up. We often wore gloves to unpack those blooms, to protect ourselves from the chemicals that were used on the flowers. I watched the commodification of something I once loved, bought for the lowest prices possible and sold for the highest prices obtainable. It left me asking questions there were no easy answers to. I walked away from that part of my career 14 years ago and haven’t looked back. My intention when I started this farm was to live seasonally again, the way I grew up. Peonies in June in Ontario, and dahlias in August. Every bloom in its own due time for its own moment. Less commodification, more care. I wanted to build something sustainable. I wanted to shine a light on what could be grown right HERE in Ontario. There are no easy answers in farming. We still use fossil fuels in our vehicles and tractor. We use (and constantly reuse) plastic trays in the greenhouse and ground cover in the fields. We have a way to go. And yet, we’ve come so far. We don’t ship flowers in from all over the world. We don’t offer you red roses at Valentine’s Day. We offer you the best of what’s grown right here in Ontario, in a three hour radius. We do that 12 months of the year, and that’s pretty important. We don’t use cellophane or plastics in our packaging. We use paper, and reusable containers. We use our platform to show you just how beautiful living seasonally is. I don’t have all of the answers, but I hold myself accountable to making better choices every day. To being honest with you about what we do and why we do it. Today is Earth Day. Let’s keep making the best choices we can and hold our politicians accountable to do the same.