Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Bordovsky.
Amy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Iris & The Bee started with an idea I had in 2016, but my love of flowers started about 17 years ago. Shortly after my own wedding, I became fascinated with floral design. I’ve taken floral design classes, read and studied everything I could get my hands on and even worked for an event florist for a short time. I’ve also designed flowers for weddings for family and friends. I knew I wanted for flowers to be a part of my life but I didn’t know how to fit that into my life where my primary job is a stay at home mom to 3 children. So flowers just became a hobby I picked up and put down despite my love for them.
Things started to change in 2015 when my husband came to me with the idea of buying an acre of land near our home as an investment. When we closed on the property, I began researching all the ways we could use that chunk of land. I thought maybe I would grow vegetables on it to feed the family and sell the excess. I started looking for books on homesteading and urban farming and stumbled upon Cut Flower Garden by Lynn Benzakein of Floret Farms. This book opened my eyes and led me to many other grower’s books and experiences. I could try to grow flowers! I never realized that was a thing you could make money from as a normal person without a huge farm and equipment and employees. I had never thought of this side of the flower business. All of my experience with flowers came from ordering from a huge wholesaler. I never had access or even thought about local flowers. Flowers I had used in the past came from all over the world. If I grew flowers, I could design as much as I wanted using my own flowers and I could sell some too. I registered my business, got all the permits and then ordered a ton of seeds. Way too many!
That first year was a crash course in flower farming. I learned which flowers worked for me in this climate, and which ones did not (peonies!). I learned how to prepare the land to grow on, start flowers from seed and keep them alive and happy. I also learned about the care and handling of freshly harvested flowers. There was so much to learn. To my surprise, it worked! I grew actual flowers and they were beautiful! I took to social media sharing what I had grown and realized there was a place for local flowers. People seemed really interested and start asking me to make the bouquets and I haven’t stopped since.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest obstacle has been marketing. A lot of people don’t know I’m here because my little farm is in an urban area and isn’t open to the public so right now, I rely on referrals and social media to get my flowers in the hands of customers. The idea of buying local flowers is relatively new so unless you are specifically looking for local flowers, I’m easy to miss. I plan to do more pop up markets, getting my bouquets in retail shops of different businesses and get my website online soon to gain more visibility. Another issue is I’ve heard people refer to my flowers as “wildflowers” when they were actually very carefully curated and grown crops. I did not forage them from the roadside in the wild to sell as my own. I planned, nurtured and harvested these crops, just like a vegetable farmer does. I don’t think people realize all of the care and hard work it takes to grow quality cut flowers. More value is placed on local food, honey and other natural products than flowers but I hope that will change as the local flower movement grows.
Please tell us about Iris & The Bee.
I am always striving to learn as much as I can about flower farming through classes, conferences and other resources. I’m a member of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. Through the ASCFG, I’ve received education and I’m able to learn from other growers from around the United States online through our community. This has been an invaluable resource for me.
I’m proud to say that almost everything I sell is started from seed by me. I know the flowers footprint and where they came from. I don’t use harmful chemicals in my growing so I know my flowers are safe for me, my family and my customers to handle. I try to leave the insects alone as much as possible and I don’t use any pesticides that might kill our pollinators. We need them!
I sell lots of mixed Mason jar bouquets and wrapped bouquets of mixed flowers. I also sell straight bunches of flowers. For example, I have an order of all marigolds going out this week for a Day of the Dead altar. I sell at a local farmers market and customers can also pick up flowers from me or I can deliver them to their home or office for a fee. I love that my flowers are accessible and affordable for people to have in their homes every day. Flowers don’t have to only be purchased for special occasions and you can absolutely buy flowers for yourself. They are an instant mood lifter. I also offer a ton of variety in my mixed bouquets that you won’t necessarily see in a grocery store mixed bouquet.
I hope as my business continues to grow that local brides who are already DIY minded will become aware of my tiny farm and buy flowers that they can then arrange for their own weddings. I would like them to know that you don’t have to order from a big box store or have them shipped to you to do your own flowers! I’d love to see what brides or even local event designers could do with my flowers. If you are using a professional florist you can always request that they use as many local blooms as possible. I would love to develop relationships with local florists and supply them with beautiful local flowers to use in addition to the imported flowers they are used to.
When you buy my products, you can trust that they are fresh. Local flowers last longer and have been through less wear and tear since they were not shipped. Most of the time, your blooms were in the field the day before you receive them. They were handled by me from seed to vase. They haven’t been sprayed down with preservatives and been flown in from across the world. I am so passionate about the flowers I grow and I want to share them with the community.
Pricing:
- Arrangements available for pick up or delivery starting at $15
Contact Info:
- Phone: 281-704-9346
- Email: irisandthebee@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irisandthebee
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/irisandthebee
Image Credit:
Darcy Heard Photography took all photos featuring me.
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