Parker Blooms is a treasure trove of local appreciation. Jodie Rettinhouse, owner and designer at Parker Blooms, shares the benefit of having local blooms in her shop.
“In most cases, our growers harvest the morning we receive them,” Jodie says.
“Growing up in agriculture, I've always known the value of getting as close to the soil as possible. It's better for the environment and by knowing how the flowers are grown and the care that is taken to bring them to market, it makes us more knowledgeable florists.”
She relishes the growers who bring each bloom to life. Lovely Acres, Golden Hour Gardens, Trinity Lake Farms and The Winding Way Farm inspire Jodie’s bouquets.
Parker Blooms features an array of flowers, including dahlias, zinnias, snapdragons, cosmos and lisianthus.
“Our love affair with lisianthus grew tenfold when Ryan at Golden Hour Gardens walked in with her buckets of fresh lisi last year, asking if we'd like to buy them. We bought every last bucket as we had never seen such huge, fluffy lisianthus. We joked that we almost wanted to eat them for lunch. I am not sure what Ryan has in her soil in Elizabeth, but it's magical!” Jodie shares.
“At Lovely Acres, Dahlias are their prima donna show stoppers,” Jodie presses. “You should see the loving care Andrea provides these blooms. She wipes her clippers between every snip when harvesting to make sure she doesn't transfer contamination or disease from one flower to the next. She also puts little organza bags on each individual bloom to protect it from pests. I am so grateful for her care, which results in an amazing bloom for our customers.”
The growers' care and attention enhance the quality of Parker Blooms’ floral arrangements.
“Zinnias are a fun, happy flower with some amazing colors. I appreciate their long vase life and versatility in color,” Jodie reminisces. “Snapdragons are another favorite grown by three of our growers. Our team was just talking the other day about how much stronger the stems of the local snapdragons are compared with the imported ones from our wholesaler.”
Jodie's main goal for her customers is to ensure they experience happiness when buying flowers.
“Our customers come to us in the best of times and sometimes in the worst. We don’t take that part of our job lightly. It’s important to bring the customer’s vision to life, whether it’s flowers for a wedding, a special event, a holiday, a funeral or just because. People buy flowers to bring joy to the people they care about. This is the part of being a florist that fuels us every day.”
She goes on to say, “We get to be a small part of our customers’ important life moments: welcoming a new baby; a person excitedly anticipating a first date or a marriage proposal; the celebration of a retirement, anniversary or birthday. We love the little glimpse we have into the lives of our customers.”
At Parker Blooms, you’re supporting local growers and inspiring the dreams of florists who love to honor your special moments.
“We can send our grower a color from a vision board and she can send back actual pictures of the flowers growing in her field. I can ask about stem length and bloom size; it's all about bringing the customer's vision to life,” Jodie mentions.
With Parker Blooms, your requests are always personal and customized.
www.parkerblooms.com
"I am not sure what Ryan has in her soil in Elizabeth, but it's magical!"
"Growing up in agriculture, I've always known the value of getting as close to the soil as possible. It's better for the environment and by knowing how the flowers are grown and the care that is taken to bring them to market, it makes us more knowledgeable florists.”