When Lindsay Lidge, owner of Reverie Fields, was making the leap to turn her longtime gardening passion into a full-time endeavor in 2018, she was inspired by a quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince.
“And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful.”
This idea that enjoying natural beauty is not a luxury, but rather a necessity, inspires Lidge in her work to bring organically grown, wholly sustainable local flowers and flora to the Boulder community.
“Creativity and artful expression are huge pieces of what makes us human,” says Lidge, “As is the awe we experience when we are in and around nature. People need to make and experience beautiful things like music, art, and other creations. It feeds our souls.”
At Reverie Fields, Lidge grows flowers that she loves and flowers that love the Colorado climate. From their sweet fragrances to their intense colors, bountiful petals and delicate simplicity, these flowers and other native plants and wild materials—which Lidge forages for herself—make up her collection of cut flowers and other floral goods.
Lidge uses this bounty of botanicals for small sustainable gatherings, such as intimate dinners, parties, and weddings, and to create her custom wreaths. She also partners with Pearl Street’s Cedar & Hyde Mercantile to offer fresh bouquets as well as a bouquet subscription, which features four weeks of seasonal spring flowers.
All of Lidge’s pieces are made from purely local products and have the feel of genuinely belonging in the given place and time. She also offers botanical styling services and, moving forward, is working to further her experimentation with using the plants she grows to dye fabrics—a venture she’s partnered on with local botanical dyer, Edie Ure—such as the silk ribbons she uses to put the finishing touch on her wreaths and bouquets.
The Reverie Fields mission extends beyond Lidge’s passion for growing: it is rooted in Lidge feeling called to provide a local option as an alternative to imported flowers and to inspire real change both in the flower industry and in sustainable, environmentally conscious community practices.
“Sustainable agriculture is traditionally defined as being economically viable, socially supportive, and ecologically sound," says Lidge. "I think we’re way beyond the point of trying to preserve. We need to heal and regenerate.”
Flowers are grown at Reverie Fields without the use of toxic chemicals. Lidge also experiments with regenerative growing techniques, such as low- or no-till practices, to rehabilitate the soil. In her goods, Lidge never uses harmful materials such as floral foam and does not treat her flowers with hydrators or “flower food” preservatives. These practices are largely in stark contrast to many of the norms in the mainstream flower industry.
“The terms 'organic' and 'local' are mainstream, especially in Boulder," says Lidge. "But these values haven’t been embraced yet in the flower world as they have with food. Bringing nature into our homes is meant to celebrate life, not exploit or destroy it.”
Lidge feels fortunate her ardent commitment to honoring the natural beauty of flora and connecting the community to the beauty of locally grown flowers resonates in Boulder—an area in which she feels people are highly informed, motivated, and diligent in sustainably caring for the environment. Through her local, organically grown flowers, Lidge hopes to help inspire the community toward even more environmental stewardship and, perhaps, even a future of self-sustainability.
Lindsay’s Recommended Reading
· For a peek into the floral industry: Flower Confidential, by Amy Stewart
· For sustainable living inspiration: Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer
