Over the last thirty years there has been a ton of research & development put into creating the perfect rose. If you were to buy a bunch or roses from the market or flower mart they would likely be the same size, almost flawless depending on whose been handling them, and to me… lacking in character.

Unfortunately, flowers, and especially roses are not a product of small farmers anymore; they are becoming limited to large producers and following in the footsteps of other major industries like cattle, chicken, corn, and soy producers to keep up with demand and the goal to create a superior product.

Just as there has been a revolution with sustainable food, a growing number of people are consciously choosing to buy locally, buy non-GMO food (genetically modified organism), and even going as far as trying their own hand at growing and farming. Which I love!! Our family has started a hydroponic garden, which supplies four people with all the lettuce, herbs, and about a quarter of the vegetables we consume.

Also, I have seen first hand a shift towards local non-GMO flowers. Large commercial flower marts are starting to sell local producers and pushing seasonal flowers more than ever.

These local flowers, in season now, are the beauties I prefer. I made the arrangement above to show the character flowers can have. These garden roses are light, unique, and more impressively have an amazing scent! An arrangement with these flowers sends a message that things don’t have to be perfect to be breathtaking, and that nature itself is innately beautiful.