A Holiday Open House at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market
December 13, 2012
The warehouse at the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market was awash with holly, greens, and festive floral arrangements for its Holiday Open House this week. Here are a few photos of some truly inspiring holiday decorations. Please do try this at home with gleanings from your winter gardens, woods, and trails.
A Grower’s Tips for Lilac Bouquets
May 14, 2012
“I shall not be likely to go to town while the lilacs bloom.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The scent of lilacs is such an ephemeral gift. The lilac bloom in Seattle is in its last days, and I just cut another fresh bouquet while I had the chance.
Here are some tips for cutting lilac bouquets from Gretchen Hoyt of Alm Hill Gardens, who was featured in The 50 Mile Bouquet:
- “Harvest lilacs when most of the florets are open, perhaps with a few closed florets at the top of the bloom. They never open past the stage when you pick them.”
- “Using a sharp knife, ‘shave’ the cut stem as if you are shaving a pencil. This exposes the under bark, which creates more area for water to be absorbed by the flower.”

Snowballs and callas displayed by Oregon Coastal Flowers inside the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market warehouse
Yesterday the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market celebrated its one-year anniversary with a festive party at their Georgetown warehouse. It was a joyous occasion, full of color, supportive buyers and friends, fresh blooms, and good food. Debra Prinzing and David E. Perry, author and photographer, were on hand to sign copies of their new book, The 50 Mile Bouquet. (The New York Times recently wrote an interesting article about the book and the “buy local” flower movement. You can link to it here.)
Starting June 1st, the market will open its doors to retail buyers on Fridays from 10 – 2 and will charge a $5 fee for this privilege. I appreciated getting an invitation to the Anniversary Party, even though I am not a wholesaler or florist. I am proud to know this group of local flower growers who are working so hard to promote sustainability and local markets in the flower industry. Small is beautiful!
Here are some photos of the day: