Edible Read: Field to Vase

From Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden, by Erin Benzakein and Julie Chai, photographs by Michèle M. Waite (Chronicle Books, 2017).

Food lovers have eagerly embraced the practice of eating what’s in season, and many of the world’s most respected chefs base their menus on the freshest regional ingredients they can find. Consumers are demanding to know how, where, and by whom their goods are produced. Flowers are no exception.

Each season has its stars. Early spring welcomes fragrant narcissus, showy tulips, and many types of unique flowering bulbs. Late spring is filled with blooming branches, heady sweet peas, and big billowy peonies. As summer arrives, with it come garden roses, lilies, and all of the cheerful warm weather lovers such as zinnias, cosmos, and dahlias. 

Autumn ushers in textural elements like grasses, grains, and pods that pair beautifully with sunflowers and showy chrysanthemums. In winter, the abundance continues indoors with pots of forced amaryllis and paper-whites, and evergreen garlands and wreaths.

By looking to nature for cues, flower lovers can savor the best of the bounty by enjoying each bloom while it’s at its peak. There is something magical about experiencing an entire year through flowers.