Brand Client Feature | Hazel Landscape + Design
It’s day six and the final day of my weeklong “meet the florist” series in celebration of the upcoming Valentine’s Day holiday and hopes to steer you into shopping local this year for your flowers on the new LORA Bloom online floral marketplace or through your local florist directly.
Today I’d love for you to meet Annika McIntosh of Hazel Landscape + Design, LLC, based in Bellingham, WA. Hazel Landscape + Design serves Whatcom & Skagit Counties, plus the Seattle area.
Annika opened her landscape design/build business in 2010, a year after she finished grad school in Landscape Architecture and in the midst of the recession. It was equally out of necessity and the desire to continue hands-on work with plants and people, away from a desk. Helping people get outdoors where they can feel, smell, taste, hear and sense the beautiful complexity of the natural world has always been her passion. In 2016 she started growing cut flowers and herbs for holidays, events and a bouquet subscription for herself and other studio florists, and have been studying, freelancing, teaching and working in floral design as a symbiotic, creative addition to her garden design business.
Annika describes her designs as seasonal, textural, and organic and draws her inspiration from patterns and colors that fluctuate seasonally. She mentioned that her garden design is in line with the "New Perennial Movement" which is generally drought-tolerant, highly textural, and based on natural plant communities, coincidentally benefiting pollinators and soil fertility. And her floral design follows suit, highlighting interesting pods, expressive vines, fragrant herbs, and colors that speak to the vibe of the season.
When asked what her favorite flowers to work with are, she said she has a few which include; sweet peas, heirloom roses, clematis and dahlias for their range of color and character in the vase. But she is also known to use branches in her design work and loves how expressive they are. She feels that each tells a story of growth and reaching for the light. And she really enjoys incorporating herbs into her design work too as she loves how they add another dimension to an arrangement.
Annika is currently what I call a "solopreneur" as she works as operates her business alone, with the exception of bringing in help as needed from her wonderful floral community. And she also really enjoy freelancing for different florists in return when the time calls. One thing that I learned about Annika that is unique is that she is both a floral designer/grower, and a garden/landscape designer. She said that one informs the other and she is so happy to be figuring out her niche in this exciting field.
With Valentine's Day coming up later this week, I asked Annika if she has any tips for her customers and she said, "The less a flower has to travel, the fresher it will be, so think about giving locally or regionally grown flowers, even if that means skipping the roses. Plants and cut flowers like clean water and comfortable living conditions, just like us. If the stems have been out of water at all, give them a clean cut and change the water every few days, before it gets scummy. It will make a huge difference!" -I think this is sound advice - especially the idea of giving local or regionally grown flowers as they will be fresher! I know I have bought and received flowers that weren't grown locally in the past and they have died within a couple of days. Fresh local flowers definitely have a much longer life for you to enjoy in your home once cut! I've had locally grown flowers still look great at the 1.5-2 week mark, especially after changing the water frequently and giving them a clean cut too.
If you are in Annika's area and interested in purchasing fresh Valentine's Day flowers from her, you can find her Brazen Shop + Studio in Bellingham, Feb. 13th and 14th where she will be selling handtied bundles of seasonal flowers.
I want to give a big thanks to Annika for allowing me to help capture a little piece of her brand and products to share with you on the new LORA Bloom site. This was my first time meeting and working with her and she said she was a little nervous about getting in front of the camera, but as you can see she did such a fabulous job! And I can’t stress it enough, people - please check out both LORA Bloom and Hazel Landscape + Design and support local this V-day and all special occasions moving forward. When you purchase local there is an actual person on the other end doing a happy dance. 😊
P.S. Want to something incredible that Annika is working on? Head to the Northwest Flower and Garden Show February 26th - March 1, 2020. Annika will be a featured designer, creating a display of floral art using mannequins for the FLEURS de VILLEs event. She is also contributing to the LORA Bloom partner mannequin that will be on display over at Pacific Place! Oh, and she will also be leading demos throughout the event and a pop-up shop on Thur. 2/27 from 11 AM - 5 PM.
