An Inspired Interview With Linda Of Little Farmhouse Flowers

We are so lucky in the Adirondacks to have many talented and wonderful wedding professionals within our small communities to bring beautiful weddings to life for our couples. One of my favorite floral designers and flower grower is Linda of Little Farmhouse Flowers in Jay, NY. I am so excited to share with you a little glimpse into the business and life of her floral studio!

An interview with Linda D’Arco of Little Farmhouse Flowers

Website: www.littlefarmhouseflowers.com

Location: Jay, New York

How would you describe your floral design style? 
Our design studio’s style leans more toward eclectic, and it is very seasonal. Our studio is located on our own flower farm, so we are able to offer the freshest blooms to customers.
We source seeds and bulbs specifically for our wedding clients, and we begin nurturing them as early as November for the following summer. Many of the varieties of flowers we grow are not easily sourced on the commercial market. We provide specialty flowers that often don’t ship well – like dahlias and sweet peas. 

Planning Your Wedding Floral Design

How do you become inspired when designing floral arrangements? 
I let the flowers show me the way. I value the curvy stems and bobbing heads of Iceland poppies. They are meant to float on the breeze above a bouquet. I let them. I spend a lot of time outside. Sometimes the cultivated gardens provide everything we are looking for. Other times, I explore the meadows and woods beyond the flower beds.
I always find something new and inspiring in the larger garden of our environment here in Jay. We’ve been including a lot of native seeded grasses in our arrangements lately. They twinkle in our designs and ground them in a way that makes sense.
I’m inspired by other designers who sculpt with flowers. They see line, shape, and color in natural ingredients. Emily Thompson, Kiana Underwood, Susan Mcleary, Ariella Chezar, and Lewis Miller are some of my favorites. 

What do you recommend couples do to maximize their floral budget?
There are lots of ways to squeeze more flowers into your budget. Some clients elect to turn the bridal bouquets into cocktail table arrangements after the ceremony. Others are finding ways to use centerpieces as ceremony flowers or vice versa.
It’s important to have a team of folks who can help you with those kinds of tasks on your wedding day if you decide to go that route. I’m probably most excited about projects that involve thinking a little differently about larger floral decorations.
We’re making a floral curtain that will hang behind the band at a wedding. The other side of the curtain will serve as a fun photo backdrop for guests or a place to have video messages for the bride and groom recorded.
For a different client, we’ll build an arbor decoration that will be re-purposed after the ceremony into a photo booth. 

Wedding Flower Design Advice

What is something you wished couples knew when planning their wedding flowers?
The beauty of nature is so important to our work. I think that the couples who are drawn to our studio really appreciate that. We are so fortunate to work with clients from near and far on their destination weddings.
I hope they all know how beautiful and abundant local flowers are – even here in the Adirondacks! 

Do you have a favorite flower?
I love whatever is blooming! Our hellebore collection satisfies my late winter craving for flowers. Customers were crazy for our 5,000 specialty tulips last spring. We’ll quadruple our tulip production next year. I’m sure I’ll regret that decision when it is time to plant the bulbs this fall!!
We started growing anemones this season, and I was so impressed by them. Next year we’ll add many more anemones and a series of ranunculus- I’m really excited about those, too.
And then there are the English garden roses and dahlias. They are a lot of work, but they are so worth it! I could go on and on…

Anything else you would like to add?
We are just one small drop in a growing “Slow Flowers” movement that seeks to return the flower industry to our country. We call it “slow” because we grow them ourselves instead of picking up the phone or hopping online to have flowers shipped to our studios. Organic, local flower farms benefit the growing sustainability of our region by providing healthy homes for pollinating insects and preventing the introduction of toxic chemicals into our lives. We’re so happy to be able to share our flowers with clients. 

Thank you so much Linda for giving us a peak into your world as a flower grower, nature lover, and designer of beautiful weddings! If you would like to learn more about Linda and Little Farmhouse Flowers please check out her Website!