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A dreamy spring wedding at Valley View Farm
T & C were married on a cool April Day – a springtime wedding at Valley View Farm in western Massachusetts. The birds were singing. Valley View’s apple trees were popping blooms. And I was able to incorporate all the flowers of spring into their blush and white florals: tulips, hyacinth, ranunculus, leucojeum and lots and lots of pieris japonica! Location: Valley View Farm, Haydenville, MA Photographer: Jeffrey Rifkin Photography Flowers by me! When I do a consultation I always ask the couple: do you want the bridesmaids’ bouquets to be the same as the bride’s, but smaller and simpler? That’s what’s happening here. The same flowers I used in…
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In springtime, love is in the air at Valley View Farm!
If you think pastels are the only choice for a spring wedding, Liz and Corey (and I) have a bone to pick with you! Spring weddings can be ALL the colors! That’s what Liz and Corey wanted, and that’s what they got. Hot pinks, corals, fuschias – and in amazing seasonal spring flowers to boot. All photos of this bright and beautiful wedding are by West on Jade. Location: Valley View Farm, Haydenville, MA. Flowers are by me, of course, and feature locally grown tulips, American-grown peonies, and other bright-bright springtime flowers! I like this close-up of Liz’s bouquet because it features some nice fat tulips, front and center. I…
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What is a Flower Share?
A Flower Share, also known as a Flower Subscription, also known as a Flower CSA (CSA=Community Supported Agriculture), benefits both consumers and growers. A Flower Share is a weekly or monthly “share” of locally grown flowers, paid for ahead of time, provided (either through pickup or delivery) on a set schedule. The consumer gets the freshest of seasonal flowers delivered to his/her/their door and knowledge that what they are receiving was grown locally, using sustainable practices, on a small farm. Most flowers sold in the US are imports from countries with dubious employment practices, lower standards for safety, including a heavy use of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides to meet…
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Fundraiser Flowers!
You may not know this about me, but I haven’t always been a flower farmer and designer. I spent 17 years working in (mostly) public schools and also founded and have been running a nonprofit to help families impacted by a neurobehavioral disorder (FAFASD) for the past 10 years. I’ve always volunteered, organized, and donated to causes I believe in. My work has always been more than “just” about making money. One of the core values of my flower farming business has been giving back whenever possible. I’m really proud of the fact that as my business has grown and for the first time in my life I’ve had some…
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Sweet summer pastels at Valley View Farm in Haydenville
A beautiful day, beautiful location, and a beautiful couple! Christina and Cameron were married at the peak of summer at Valley View Farm, in Haydenville, one of my favorite locations to flower! They wanted lots of colors – which I love – and lots of variety – which I also love – and as many locally grown blooms as possible – LOVE! All photos of this wedding were captured by Matthew Cavanaugh Photography. Christina’s bouquet featured the very first of my dahlias, plus lisianthus, snapdragons, delphinium, celosia, and a few roses and eucalyptus thrown in for good measure. We built this custom hexagonal arch for the two of them –…
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2020 Flower Failure Report!
I don’t think I’ve ever documented my growing failures before, which is funny, because there have been A LOT of them. I think I’ve been embarrassed and I haven’t wanted my clients to think I’m sloppy or I don’t know what I’m doing. But when I think about it, I doubt my clients ever see the end result of these growing failures, since if I’m flowering a wedding or creating a custom bouquet I will do everything I need to – including purchasing wholesale flowers or from other farmers – to get them what I’ve promised. With that in mind, I’m hoping documenting this stuff will help other growers –…
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Fun + Feathers = A Bespoke Summer Wedding at Quonquont Farm
The photos that include Hilary and Ross’s flowers, courtesy of Lex and Jake, show a gorgeous couple enjoying an amazing, thoughtful, curated day, courtesy of Quonquont Farm in Whately, surrounded by family and friends… …but the real story of this wedding (or at least the last half of it) was the bride’s Instagram feed, which showed an amazing PARTY that lasted all night long. When you get a text from the bride at 5 a.m. the next day thanking you for your amazing work you know a good time was had by all! Photos of Hilary and Ross’s wedding: Lex and Jake Location: Quonquont Farm
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Inspiration: a mustard wedding dress! Summer wedding flowers at Quonquont Farm
“I want it to be a surprise. My dress is going to be mustard.” Glorious words to a florist! I love a white or cream or ivory wedding gown, of course – they’re classic, gorgeous, traditional – but mustard! Mustard is different. It’s a hue a color-loving flower farmer can get inspired by! Location: Quonquont Farm, Whately, Massachusetts, Late July. Photography: Kim Lindler, Time Bandit Photography. Jesse and Dave had me do the personal flowers for their wedding, including bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages, a hairpiece and a floral necklace, as well as a garland for their chuppah, and friends and family created most of the reception centerpieces using buckets of flowers…
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About
Who we are: Passalongs Flower Farm in Florence, Massachusetts is a 1-acre, no-till, hand-dug, labor of love! We grow and sell cut flowers and plants and create heartfelt floral designs for all occasions. Our flower farm and floral design studio is located on the outskirts of the village of Florence, Massachusetts, which is part of the city of Northampton. Our owner and lead designer, Adrienne Bashista lives on the farm with her family. Half of the growing space is on her property. Half is leased from the city of Northampton and is part of the Mineral Hills Conservation area. ———— A note from Adrienne: As long as I can remember,…
