Seed to Bouquet
Zinnias from New Beat Farm in Knox, Maine. PHOTO: KELSEY KOBIC
Maine Flower Collective helps grow the market for local blooms
By June Donenfeld
“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.”
From Bridal Bouquets to opening night posies, flowers mark some of the happiest moments of our lives. They bring us joy on ordinary days, too, whether in the form of unexpected “just because” gifts or when we pass a garden filled with color and sublime fragrance.
Unfortunately, the majority of the cut flowers now sold at supermarkets, big-box stores, or even most florists come from large farms far outside the United States. So if you’ve ever thought these bouquets lack the fragrance and freshness you wish they had, you’re right.
But change is in the air. In Maine, the Maine Flower Collective (MFC) is helping to bring the fresh flower market back home. The collective was founded in 2021 following the 2020 closure of Bangor’s Bennett Wholesale Florist, where many Maine growers sold their flowers. It works on a membership business model and is open to growers and floral professionals, with the collective handling all flower listings, purchase orders and delivery logistics. And while the public cannot buy flowers directly through the site, their online list of growers is a great way to find local flowers.
Adrienne Lee of New Beat Farm harvesting ranunculus.
PHOTO: KELSEY KOBIC
When MFC opened their online marketplace in early 2023 ,sales quickly exceeded their projections, enabling them to add an in-person wholesale market in Brunswick in spring 2024. The organization has grown rapidly. By the end of 2024, there were 22 members, 39 growers and 88 buyers.
It’s no wonder people want to sell and buy through the collective.“
Local flowers absolutely last longer and are usually much higher quality overall,” says MFC President Michelle Jones, who owns Of the Fields Floral Design in Sanford and a flower farm in Springvale. “While imported flowers are sometimes cut up to two weeks before we receive them, the local flowers sold through the collective are harvested the same week.”
Buyers also like ordering locally because they can make specialized requests for the color, size or harvest stage of many flower types.
The collective has been a game changer for its members, helping them save time, grow their businesses, extend their reach, strengthen their community and be more resilient. Jones used to spend half a day on the road every week picking up the flower orders for her business. “This was unsustainable and limited the number of farms I could order from each week,” she says. “But now I can purchase substantially more local flowers from growers across the state—and save 4–6 hours and 100-plus miles of driving per week!”
At Broadturn Farm in Scarborough, self-described “flower nanny” Alaena Robbins tends her charges from seed to harvest and beyond as manager of Broadturn’s wholesale and flower community-supported agriculture (CSA) business. “One of the biggest benefits [of MFC] is that we’re able to reach customers in parts of the state we wouldn’t normally be able to,” she says.
But there’s more. “There are so many growers in the directory that even if we are out of a type of flower a buyer wants, others can provide it,” Robbins says. “This is good for everyone and bolsters the local flower market overall. MFC is a community effort among all the farmers and designers.”
Brianne Emhiser of stem & vine in Biddeford,arranging a locally grown bouquet. COURTESY PHOTO
Lee and Phillip Cline, owners of Fox Hollow Flowers, a farm and floral design business near Mount Desert Island, started out strictly as growers but have evolved into buyers, too. “The collective has helped us be a more resilient business—we can sell what we have too much of and buy what we need,” Lee says. “I feel more confident taking on larger event work knowing Ihave the MFC to back me up if I need it.”
They also love that they can support fellow growers through their membership. “It’s a wonderful embodiment of the ‘collaboration, not competition’ ethos we flower farmers talk about,” Lee says. “Now we have a network that makes it easier to run our businesses in alignment with our values.” The collective’s success can also be seen in its overall numbers. “Nearly 250,000 stems of flowers and foliage have been sold through the collective since it started in 2023,” Jones says, “bringing over $300,000 of income to our growers since the collective began.” Maine Flower Collective members are also seeing happy changes among consumers, from more requests for local, seasonal wedding flowers to growing interest in buying local. MFC secretary Brianne Emhiser, owner and lead designer at stem & vine, a retail florist in Biddeford, says she’s always delighted to teach newcomers to her shop about the seasonality of flowers and how customers can appreciate varieties they just wouldn’t find at grocery stores or more traditional florists. “It’s still somewhat of an uphill battle combatting the desire for roses at Valentine’s Day,” Emhiser says, “but I am on a mission!”I think she’ll win that fight. As Robbins says, “Once you get an interest in local flowers, there’s no going back.”
Resources to find local flowers:
