What would it be like to create a weekly bouquet of fresh flowers without planting one seed or weeding a garden? Mary, the flower lady, as she is affectionately called, offers that experience for my summer community with her weekly flower stand.
Mary has a farm nearby and fills her van every Friday with buckets and buckets of fresh flowers from her vast cutting gardens. People stop by her stand Friday and Saturday. They wander among the buckets, selecting flowers for their bouquets. Those overwhelmed by the colorful abundance turn to Mary to create their bouquets. She is an artist who is fearless with her color and flower combinations.
Mary’s bouquets are everywhere. Bold, brilliant gladiolus can be spotted on front porch tables. Exquisite, informal bouquets become centerpieces for lunch and dinner. Her flowers are the visual grace notes to our community’s life.
When my extended family gathers each summer, we like to go on a field trip to Mary’s farm. She takes the small ones to gather eggs in the chicken barn, and then we walk with her along garden paths in awe as she shares her latest adventures with weeds and blooms – a passion that for over 50 years has created beauty far beyond the rolling hills of her farm.