Book Review: The 50 Mile Bouquet

Landscape designer and Bay-Friendly Qualified Professional Susan Morrison recently wrote this book review for her Blue Planet Garden Blog. It seemed timely to share here after last week’s post about growing cut flowers.

As a garden designer, the word sustainable has been a part of my lexicon for quite some time now, and as a dedicated foodie, I’m a regular at my local farmers markets, where I know the benefits to be had from choosing organic produce, cage-free eggs and grass-fed beef. But it wasn’t until I met Debra Prinzing and learned about her passion for seasonal, locally grown flowers that I thought to apply these ideas to the floral trade.

A Summer Bouquet

The foxglove, columbine and snapdragons of the spring have officially given way to summer blooms of dahlias, lavender, dianthus and verbena. Some people think that growing cut flowers is decadent, but it’s hard to argue with the beauty of a fresh bouquet on your dinner table. Many of the plants you can grow for cut flowers also provide great habitat for pollinators, and are drought tolerant.