The constant repeat of every single day has really become a grind. I look forward to weekdays moreso than I do weekends. With weekdays, I at least have a schedule. The time passes by juggling my son's school work with business and home life. It happens again and again and again.
This past week, I broke free and traveled north to Mt. Vernon, WA in the Skagit Valley. The freeway was a breeze and the sun was shining!
First stop on my day drive, was Mossy Gate Gate Flower Farm. Back in 2015, Jesalyn Pettigrew had a garden, which lead to a passionate obsession of farming flowers for her community. Jesalyn is also part of a tight knit group of specialty cut flower farmers in the Pacific Northwest who not only sell flowers on roadside stands but also serve wholesale product to floirsts all over the region, including those on LORA Bloom.
Having met Jesalyn a couple of years ago at a local floral community meeting. Immediately, I noticed she was not afraid to jump in, voice her opinions and create action. Since then, she's a well known and cherished member of not only the grower community but also florists. Jesalyn is also an avid local influencer on social media. Throughout the year, even in the barren winter months, she shares her day-to-day. Admittedly, I can completely derail my daily agenda by watching her Instagram Stories. She shares her life, not just the beautiful flowers.
I also love how she incorporates her two darling sons into her business. They may not realize it, but their playful helpfulness and observation of a solopreneur mother is teaching them vital life lessons for their bright futures.
When I visited Jesalyn's backyard flower farm, her blooms were in between cycles. She had literally sold everything in the fields for Mother's Day and was awaiting early summer blooms. She also has another one acre plot, which I hope to visit on my next trip up north.
My second stop in Skagit Valley was to Suot Farm in Burlington, WA which is just a few miles north of Mt. Vernon. The owner of Suot Farm is Sarah Wagstaff. SUOT stands for Small Units of Time. However, there's nothing small about Suot. Sarah is a go-getter. She always has a project!!! She recently completed a new studio space in a garage which she had her husband purchased for rental properties, their other main business. Sarah has done such a wonderful job!
When she isn't tackling home improvement projects, Sarah can always be out in a flower field. On the afternoon I arrived, she was designing a last minute arrangement for pick-up. Her selection of flowers and different foliage was beautiful! The colors seemed to illuminate the flowers as the natural light filtered in over her work space, a vintage desk. Want to see video of this visit? Head on over to my Instagram profile. ---> here
Sarah growns nearly everything she designs with and likes to incorporate one very unique detail to her arrangements- weeds! On this day, it was a roadside weed with heartshaped leaves. The entire arrangement was beautiful, but that was my favorite part. Such a signature touch!
Sarah too has a strong presence in the local flower farming community. She is an extremely strong advocate for sustainable growing right down to the recycling of packaging within her business.
It was such a great visit and really look forward to seeing Suot Farm continue to grow and prosper.
Getting out of town for the day was so refreshing. My soul needed it. Stay well my friends.
