Marie Raley
Owner and Lead Designer
Early on in life I learned to appreciate the natural aesthetics and overall beauty of flowers and greens. My parents and grandparents are avid gardeners. My mom and I would go into the woods and pull grape vine off struggling trees to make wreaths. My dad would take me on walks and teach me all the different plants so I could differentiate them by their leaves and needle structures. Every season the mantle was decorated with flowers and greens from the gardens and the woods. Today, I have my own gardens for fresh picked bouquets and children to take on nature walks.
I am so excited that I can use my love of nature to design and style events and teach my community about the joys of floral arranging, garden design, and bringing the beauty of nature into all aspects of our lives and homes.
Sustainability
Over the years I have learned about the struggles with safe agricultural practices, water quality, chemicals, waste and subsequent environmental issues prevalent in floral industry. In 2017 I made a commitment to reduce my environmental impact. In 2021 I became a Certified Master Gardener through the University of Minnesota.
I source local, organic, sustainable and environmentally safe products as often as possible. I am a foam-free florist and most of my design mechanics, vessels and wrappings are either recyclable, reusable, or compostable. When it's seasonally available, I compost all of my clippings, trimmings and garden waste.