Stacy Marshall
The Floral Immersion USA Course
After growing flowers for twenty years as a hobbyist and another eight years as a commercial cut flower grower, it was a dream come true to overlay Rachel’s five-day Floral Immersion Course onto this experience to significantly enhance my skills and confidence as a floral designer. As a grower, the challenge in combining this profession with design is TIME; growing well requires time, focus and acute attention and it can be challenging to find time to study and practice design. Not only did the five-day immersion address all of the foundations of floral design, but Rachel answered so many questions and gave attention to the nuances that are really the heart and soul to each individual’s unique expression. If you are a grower wanting to enter the world of design or are a grower who has been trying to find the time to improve your design skills, I urge you to sign up for any one of Rachel’s courses.
Rachel
Rachel’s warmth, approachability, encouragement and love for all things flowers and design was a perfect fit for me. She is a phenomenal teacher and for someone like myself, I want to FEEL the joy of working with flowers; it’s why I do what I do! Rachel brought this joy to each day in such beautiful abundance.
My growing journey
As a child, I was surrounded by seeds, plant starts and the most beautiful vegetables grown and harvested by my parents on their homestead. I began growing flowers in 1996 for pure joy and would share these blooms for years with friends and family. In 2018, I became Floret Cut Flower Grower graduate and began my journey as a commercial cut flower grower. Since that time, I’ve evolved from a grower of mostly annual cut flowers to a wide variety of perennial flowers, flowering shrubs and woody perennials. Growing is my passion!
Petal & Pitchfork Flowers is my cut flower farm and floral design business located on our family’s fifteen historic acres in Poulsbo, Washington. I grow on roughly three-quarters of an acre, with several high tunnels, and do my design work out of my home-based studio. I’m grateful every day for this opportunity on this land which we tend to lovingly without chemicals and with sustainability at the forefront.
Important to me
It’s important to me to connect. With the land, the pollinators, the seasons, the soil, the blooms and the people and couples who trust me to bring the absolute best, most in-season and local flowers to their beloved through special orders and to wedding couples on their special day. Flowers connect me to the earth, to the seasons and to humanity’s shared love of vibrant, ephemeral blooms.
The Seasons
April and May in the Pacific Northwest are glorious! Blooming spring branches, Hellebores, Ranunculus and Verbascum. June brings the Roses! July and August come on strong with Dahlias, Lisianthus and so many perennials. My favourite in September are the Japanese Anemone. And in October, the crimson leaves of the blueberries, dried hops and seed heads signal the approaching time of regeneration, an equally important season of rest for growers!
Favourite flowers
Oh, my, it’s so hard to choose a favourite as everyone plays such an important role in each design. My short list includes Hellebores, Ranunculus, Verbascum, flowering Quince, Didiscus, Lisianthus, Agastache, Foxglove and Japanese Anemone.
Click here to find out more about Petal & Pitchfork
