A passion for gardening leads couple into the world of floral retail, concentrating on the dried flower market
Beds of pink, orange, red and yellow flowers. Bouquets for weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, funerals, or to decorate your home. Fresh or dried, floriculture offers the means to express how we are feeling.
Lori Wimble of Floriculture Flower Farm, near Okotoks, Alta., has long been drawn to the beauty and texture of flowers. She started out as a passionate gardener.
Wimble wanted to share her love of flowers and maybe even make money at it, so in 2021 she started selling at farmers markets. Wimble focused on fresh-cut flowers, and the money she made went into production for the next market.
Looking to diversify, she started to dry her flowers and make bouquets.
“We started with Market Collective in Calgary and various other Christmas markets around our area,” said Wimble.
This created more interest in her flowers. Customers were intrigued by the vibrant colours and combinations.
Wimble’s husband, Kent, spoke to the owner of the local Safeway in Okotoks. Intrigued, the owner wanted to support a local producer and convinced the Wimbles to apply for local vendor status for participating Safeway, Sobeys and IGA stores in Alberta.
Kent said after that, business took off.
“Things developed quite quickly and before you knew it, we were getting barcodes and getting all set up for a proper operation.”
Seeing a demand, and lack of supply for dried flowers, the Wimbles have concentrated their focus on mainly dried bouquets.
Floriculture Flower Farm has two grocery stores selling their dried flower bouquets, with the potential for 141 province wide.
In their second year of production, the Wimbles are growing more than 5,000 flowering plants, with 28 varieties, plus grasses and perennials.
“I might even consider adding pussy willows to the bouquets; something nostalgic,” said Lori.
She said unique combinations of grasses, grains and traditional flowers like stewartia, snapdragons, and zinnias set their flowers apart from other dried flower arrangements. Lori focuses more on the colour and texture of flowers in arrangements, rather than on the type of flower. Seasonal bouquets focus more on the colours of that season than on types of flowers.
Since the demand has increased, Lori has brought in the aid of her daughter, Karlie Wimble, who handles the company’s internet presence, husband Kent, who deals with the marketing and sales, and, sometimes, Dave Snider, Lori’s dad, who lends a hand.
Lori takes care of the growing, harvesting, drying and packaging.
Using a successive growing technique, Lori has increased production to have three harvests in one growing season.
“We have two irrigated hoop houses and then we have about a half-acre of irrigated outside growing spaces. We also have hail netting and wind barrier for the outside part, and we have premium topsoil.”
Being as organic as possible, there is zero waste because unused cuttings are returned to the soil.
Still operating through farmers markets, the Wimbles have expanded their products to include anything related to dried flowers.
“It could be dyed fabrics, pressed flower arrangements through flower frames or different bouquets using wooden vases and clay pots, pre-arranged bouquets,” said Lori.
The most interesting request they have received so far has been dried flower boutonnieres for a wedding.
“There’s a globe amaranth and globe thistle. It’s really pretty, very sturdy … something other people won’t have at their wedding,” said Lori.
Looking to the coming season, the flower farm has been invited to participate in Spruce Meadows, a series of three horse jumping competitions, as well as several other markets. The Wimbles also hope to get their dried flowers into more Alberta grocery stores.
Kent said the start-up costs for the flower operation are much more affordable than starting a conventional grain farm.
“You can really get a lot of income from price per square foot because you’re succession planting and can get up to three plantings within that one season. You don’t need a lot of land to get going (unlike) a grain farmer.”
As well, because most of the work is done by hand, there are no additional costs for machinery or maintenance.
