A guide to buying local flowers for your mother, your neighbor or yourself
Doorstep plant deliveries, porch bouquet pickups, sidewalk flower sales — Denver-area florists and growers have been spreading joy during the pandemic with early spring blooms.
At Rowdy Poppy, a home flower garden and floral arranging business in Denver’s Whittier neighborhood, Kim Zimmerman has been hosting weekly sliding-scale sidewalk sales of her tulips, anemones, ranunculus and more.
Zimmerman places bunches in buckets outside and passers by can enjoy the blossoms by donating what they can. In addition to studying art, gardening and design, Zimmerman spent years working as a psychotherapist.
“Working from home now and being stuck in the house, (people) just really want some life and some color and something beautiful to be stuck with, as it were,” she said. “There is a psychology of receiving flowers; it really does make a difference.”
And she hopes more flower shoppers will consider buying locally as opposed to just picking up a bouquet at the supermarket.
“There’s definitely a time and a place for grocery store flowers,” Zimmerman said. “And I want people to know what actually comes with that choice, because I didn’t know for a very long time.” A larger carbon footprint, more chemical treatments and flowers bred for longevity rather than scent, she says, are some of the reasons to buy locally when you can.
“Take a pause and think, could you get that from a local farmer or a florist who works with local farmers?” she asked.
In time for Mother’s Day, here are 12 local florists and growers to support. For more options and information, visit coloradoflowercollective.com.
Blossom and Branch
This Lakewood flower farm and farm stand sells dahlias, snapdragons, zinnias, roses, peonies, clematis, sunflowers and more throughout the growing season. For Mother’s Day, you can order a bouquet for $75 to be delivered or picked up on the farm. Various bouquet-making classes are also available for $75-$125.
2440 Iris St., Lakewood, 720-319-0243, blossomandbranchfarm.com
Blush Flowers on Vine
A Fort Collins farm growing 75 flower varieties, Blush offers three CSA subscriptions during the high season — eight weeks of bouquets for $140, 12 weeks for $205 or 16 weeks for $265. The farm also sells 2-gallon seasonal flower buckets for $75 each for DIY arranging at events such as weddings.
1428 W. Vine Dr., 970-217-8505, blushflowersonvine.com
Buckley House of Flowers
These Denver-made arrangements can be ordered for same-day delivery (48-hours notice outside of town) for $55-$125. Weekly subscriptions for homes or businesses are also available, and grocery shoppers can find bouquets at Leevers Locavore, 2630 W. 38th Ave.
Farmette Flowers
Longmont’s Aspen Moon Farm provides a 10-week organic flower add-on to its summer vegetable CSA. Flower lovers can also order dahlia tubers now (which provide weeks of flower growth in season) for $6-7 each. See varieties from white Bride-to-Be to deep burgundy Jowey Mirella.
7927 Hygiene Rd., Longmont, 303-684-6848, aspenmoonfarm.com
Fresh Sends
A new Denver-based national florist, Fresh Sends wants to “freshen up the cookie-cutter floral industry,” according to the brand’s social media. Next-day nationwide shipping is available on designer’s choice bouquets ($45), and the cards are extra cute for Mother’s Day — “Home is where your mom is” and “Got it from my momma” among them.
Little Seed Flower Farm
Johnstown’s Little Seed sells DIY flower buckets for at-home arranging for parties or special occasions, and summer flower subscriptions ($170) providing six fresh bouquets from June to October. Subscribers get a free floral arranging class with their summer bouquets.
858-243-2900, littleseedflowerfarm.com
Little Hollow Flowers
This Berthoud-based farm is collaborating with two local businesses for Mother’s Day flowers. Shoppers can find their bunches at Babette’s Artisan Bakery in Longmont on Mother’s Day, or they can order DIY arrangements ahead from Wild Blossoms Studio in Fort Collins.
2401 S. County Rd. 23e, Berthoud, 970-528-0622, littlehollowflowers.com
The Perfect Petal
This Highland neighborhood shop shows a selection of dreamy bouquets and showstopping arrangements on its website (around $50 to $300), with a number of special Mother’s Day centerpieces. Art-piece custom creations are also available, and when the store is open, customers can walk into the flower cooler for color, varietal and scent inspiration.
3600 W. 32nd Ave., 303-480-0966, theperfectpetal.com
Pickletown Flower Co
From her home studio in Littleton (and a traveling flower truck), Jessica Sparzak creates fresh and everlasting flower arrangements, as well as dried floral art installations and hanging shower bundles ($20) for your home. For Mother’s Day, Sparzak is offering springtime bouquets ($48-$98) and at-home video workshops that come with an assortment of peonies, roses, ranunculus and a mix of greens ($85).
Plume and Furrow
The Lyons Farmette’s eight-week flower CSA starts the Saturday before Mother’s Day and continues through June. Flower buyers can pick up their bunches weekly at the farmstand or take advantage of contactless delivery around Lyons. Watch for edible flowers and classes coming this summer.
4121 Ute Highway, Lyons, plumeandfurrow.com
Rowdy Poppy
Denver floral designer and grower Kim Zimmerman hosts Saturday sidewalk sales where she sells bouquets created from her garden on a sliding scale ($10 suggested donation) with a percentage of proceeds donated to a different local charity each week. For Mother’s Day, Zimmerman has also created gifts of perennials paired with ceramic vases and custom flower drawings ($150).
303-862-0407, rowdypoppy.com
She Grows
Arvada-grown lavender and cut flowers are available for CSA members during the summer and fall months (spring has sold out). Summer memberships cost $120 and include ranunculus, poppies and sweet peas among others. In the fall, find zinnias, dahlias and sunflowers from August to September ($165).