Our Story
Where passion for rare blooms meets the grit of hands-on craftsmanship
How It All Started
Honestly? It started in my grandmother's greenhouse back in Surrey. She'd been growing chrysanthemums for decades - not the usual stuff you'd find at supermarkets, but these wild, almost forgotten varieties that took my breath away. When she passed, I inherited her collection and kinda didn't know what to do with myself. I'd been working corporate gigs downtown, feeling pretty hollow about it all.
One weekend I decided to set up a tiny stall at Granville Island market with some of her blooms. Sold out in three hours. People were literally stopping mid-walk to ask where I'd found these flowers. That's when it clicked - there's this whole world of botanical beauty that folks are starving for, they just don't know it exists yet.
Finding Our Space
West 4th Avenue wasn't exactly on my radar at first. I'd been looking at cheaper spots, but this old workshop space came up and it had something the others didn't - natural north light and enough room for both a studio and a proper cultivation area out back. The landlord thought I was nuts wanting to build greenhouse panels, but he came around.
Spent about four months gutting and rebuilding the place mostly by myself with help from friends who knew what they were doing. Installed grow systems, built custom drying racks, even salvaged some old industrial fixtures that give the place its character. We opened in September with exactly twelve chrysanthemum varieties and a dream that people would actually care.
Growing Through Challenges
Yeah, pandemic hit like everyone else. But weirdly, it taught us what really mattered. When events dried up overnight, we pivoted hard into subscriptions and botanical workshops - small groups, lots of fresh air, people craving something real to work with their hands. Turns out folks were desperate for that connection to living things.
That's also when we started seriously expanding our pyrethrum cultivation. These plants aren't just beautiful - they've got this natural insecticidal property that's been used for centuries. Started experimenting with companion planting, organic methods, really geeking out on the science of it. Our little operation became this living laboratory, and customers loved being part of that journey.
Building the Team
Can't do it all yourself, right? Started bringing on people who genuinely gave a damn about the craft. Not just folks who thought flowers were pretty, but people who'd stay late debating the proper way to dry delphinium or spend hours researching historical cultivation techniques. That's the energy we wanted.
We're still a small crew - deliberately so. Everyone here can do everything from propagation to final arrangement. No hierarchy BS, just people who care pulling in the same direction. Some of our best workshop ideas came from team brainstorming sessions that turned into these marathon conversations about botanical history and modern sustainability.
Where We're At Now
We're cultivating over 40 rare chrysanthemum varieties now, plus a rotating selection of pyrethrums and other botanicals you won't find at your typical flower shop. Every arrangement that leaves our studio is something we'd be proud to put in our own homes - that's the standard.
The workshops have taken on a life of their own. We're teaching people not just how to arrange flowers, but how to understand them - their life cycles, their needs, their personalities (yeah, plants have personalities). And honestly? That's what gets me up in the morning. Seeing someone's face light up when they realize they can actually grow something beautiful themselves.
