Getaway Guide: Yosemite National Park
Nestled within the Sierra Nevada, Yosemite National Park is famous for its giant sequoias, granite monoliths, and cascading waterfalls.
Sustainability is a hot-button issue, especially as more people are eco-conscious and work to live more environmentally friendly lifestyles. Californians all over the state strive to minimize their carbon footprint, adopt more sustainable energy solutions such as wind and solar, and convert their lawns to more sustainable indigenous plants. This wave of eco-conscious lifestyles has also influenced the consumer market. Businesses both big and small work to cater to these buyers. One great example of this development in recent years is the emergence of eco-friendly florists.
As surprising as it may seem, traditional floristry is quite bad for the environment. These shops use a lot of water and chemicals to keep flowers alive and generate thousands of tons of single-use plastic waste. To fix this problem, these excellent eco-friendly florists in Northern California have stepped up to the plate, reimaging floristry as something that can help the environment rather than harm it.
Location: 3883 Petaluma Hill Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Hours: Open Thursdays only from 12 to 2 p.m.
Prices: Range from $3 to $85. Sunflower membership is $150, Lavender membership is $350.
Located at the foot of Taylor Mountain just outside of Santa Rosa, Bees N Blooms is a certified organic flower farm that produces lavender oils, native flowers, nursery plants, pollinator-friendly trees, and even a beautiful lavender labyrinth. By sticking to pollinator plants, Bees N Blooms has created a beautiful sanctuary for thousands of bees, thus helping to combat the decline in global bee populations due to the loss of pollinator plants. This eco-friendly florist also hosts events to keep the community involved in this green (or should we say lavender) mission, including the annual Lavender Daze. This is an annual celebration of the distinctly beautiful lavender bloom from mid-May to mid-July. All of the plants sold by this florist are pollinator-friendly organic flower plants, although you can also purchase lavender bath and body care products, honey, and even lavender edibles.
Location: 2550 Rio Lindo Avenue, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Prices: Start at $6,000 for event floral design, a minimum of $1000 for a la Carte event floral design, and a minimum of $300 for a bulk bucket order.
Along the winding Russian River, Front Porch Farm is truly a jack of all trades and a master as well. In addition to growing over sixty different varieties of flowers including everything from anamonies to zinnias, the Front Porch Farm also grows a range of fruits, vegetable crops, and olive orchards. Thanks to the sheer diversity of its certified organic fields, Front Porch Farm has created a beautiful and sustainable 110-acre mosaic of sustainable agriculture.
Although you can find their flowers in grocery stores throughout the Bay Area, Front Porch Farm specializes mainly in selling flowers for weddings and other events. With the help of their skilled in-house designers, you can add wonderfully unique and colorful flower designs to prettify your next family event. Get the full floral makeover for your event space, or go with the bulk buckets option if you’d prefer to arrange Front Porch’s beautiful flowers yourself. Although not normally open to the public Front Porch Farm does have open house days perfect for admiring their beautiful flowers or picking your very own fresh blackberries, so be sure to check their website to keep up to date with events.
Location: 2478 E Washington Street, Petaluma, CA 94954
Hours: Open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., open Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Prices: Membership starts at $250 per year, and VIP membership is $1,000 per year.
As its name implies, the Happy Dahlia Farm is all about beautiful flowers and good vibes. Run by a team of Dahlia stewards, the Happy Dahlia Farm has a mission to spread the values of reverence for the natural world, eco-conscious lifestyles, and love amongst all people. This eco-friendly florist and farm is open to the public during late summer and fall offering families a great place to let their kids run wild in a beautiful natural space. You can support this colorful collective by becoming a member. This gives you access to sweet perks including first choice on plant sales, free tubers, free local delivery, merch store discounts, and much more.
The main event at this eco-friendly florist is Happy Dahlia CSA, meaning Community Supported Agriculture. During this event from August through September, the Happy Dahlia Farm offers the best blooms of the week for pickup or delivery within 25 miles of the farm. This is a great opportunity to get a delightful bouquet of gorgeous Happy Dahlia flowers delivered right to your door, so be sure not to miss out on this flowery opportunity.
Location: 15101 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, CA 95442
Hours: Open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Since 1965, Oak Hill Farm has been dedicated to promoting sustainable farming practices and preserving arable land from environmentally dangerous redevelopment. The farm’s founder, Otto Teller, was a vocal environmentalist who was appalled by the water-intensive and pesticide-heavy farming techniques of local vineyards and sought to create a new way forward for more eco-conscious agriculture. The business started small with Oak Hill Farm initially producing only floral greens, the leafy plants you often see in bouquets. With time the Oak Hill Farm product line has broadened to include a range of different flowers as well as vegetable and fruit produce.
All of the farm’s products are available at the Red Barn store, a historic red barn that was once used for cattle farming and is now a local landmark at this idyllic organic eco-friendly florist. If you end up coming out here on the first Saturday of the month to grab some succulent produce and wonderfully colorful flower wreaths and bouquets, consider also going for a Farm tour to explore this eco-friendly florist farm’s proud history. Tours meet at the Red Barn at 10 a.m. every first Saturday of the month through December.
Location: Delivery only
Prices: Bouquets start at $92 and go up to $350. Gift cards are also available starting at $25.
California Sister is one of the best eco-friendly florists for those who want thoughtfully composed floral bouquets that do not make use of harmful chemicals shipped straight to their door. Based in Sebastopol, California Sister offers same-day floral arrangement delivery to the Santa Rosa area, perfect for adding some color to your sitting room or getting a thoughtful gift for someone special in your life. Because California Sister aims to integrate the wild beauty of California into each of their floral arrangements, they offer a range of beautiful yet eclectic bouquets that include local plant life.
For example, California Sister offers begonias, calathea houseplants, seasonal flower arrangements, and much more so that your floral arrangement is both gorgeous and in tune with the untamed beauty of the California landscape. Whatever you choose to order, every floral bouquet from this eco-friendly florist is guaranteed to be seasonally fresh, organic, locally grown, and even prettier than the pictures themselves.
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