Are the gardens open to the public?

The gardens are located on private residences and are not currently open to the public. However, new private farm sessions and flower pick-ups will be offered during future growing seasons.

How do I get flowers?

Grower’s choice wrapped bouquets and vase arrangements, everlasting flowers, etc. are offered during the Jan-June and Oct-Nov growing seasons. Check out the SHOP page for current floral offerings.

ALL ORDERS MUST BE PLACED AT LEAST 2 DAYS IN ADVANCE. EVERYTHING IS HARVESTED TO ORDER AND REQUIRES TIME TO HYDRATE BEFORE DESIGNING.

IF AN ORDER IS PLACED FOR SAME DAY OR WITHIN 1 DAY OF REQUESTED DELIVERY, YOUWILL RECIEVE AN EMAIL WITH ALTERNATE DELIVERY DATE OPTIONS. IF WE DO NOT RECIEVE A RESPONSE, IT IS ASSUMED YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THESE TERMS & ARE OKAY WITH YOUR DELIVERY BEING ON THE FIRST AVAILABLE DATE.

Farm pick up in Elkton and local delivery is offered to the following areas: 32086, 32033, 32131, 32084, 32092 and 32095 (south of INTL GOLF PKWY), 32080, and 32145. More information provided at check out when purchasing flowers.

Do you offer bouquet subscriptions? If so, when?

Yes! Spring, early summer and fall subscriptions become available as the bloom windows open (weather pending). Shady Spring offers multiple week subscriptions (depending on the season) as well as pick-up and local delivery options. Keep an eye out on social media, sign up for the newsletter, or reach out to learn when seasonal subscriptions will start.

Do you ship Shady Spring merch and seed items?

Yes, but very limited, only within the state of FL at this time. No shipping of flowers, fresh or dried.

Do you have a storefront?

No storefront! Just gardens and a private home studio.

What flowers are in season right now?

Every season varies in bloom and color palette, growing from the end of January to the end of June and a small fall window from October to November. Check out the bloom calendar to see what flowers are in bloom month by month.

Do you offer DIY florals for events?

Yes! Shady Spring offers mixed buckets for DIY wedding bouquets, parties & events during the growing season. Each bucket comes with curated focal and filler blooms with greenery currently in season which can make up approximately 1 standard bridal bouquet, 1-2 bridesmaid bouquets, OR 5-6 jars for table decor.

I’m starting to plan a wedding, how far in advance should I consult with you?

No date is too soon, the sooner the better! Shady Spring only takes on a limited number of high-end, larger scale events per year so if you’re in need of full-service florals reach out for a consult as soon as possible to ensure your date is available. Full-service events must consult at least 3 months from your desired date. A la carte florals can be ordered up to two weeks from your desired date.

What is the difference between a la carte and full-service wedding flowers?

A la carte wedding floral options are tailored towards elopements, intimate ceremonies, and small events. For couples who are in need of mainly personal florals and do not require specific flower varieties, extensive consultations or on-site set up, who value locally grown blooms and are open to grower’s choice creativity within a desired color palette. Although we advise you to reach out as soon as possible, a la carte options can even be purchased up to four weeks from your desired event date, making it a very flexible and budget-friendly process. Delivery and pick up options available. A la carte event minimum is $300 and does not include on-site set up.

Full-service florals are tailored more towards larger, high-end events and includes thorough consultations to curate a detailed floral design plan for your special day. Full-service involves specifics such as visual, detailed proposals, delivery to venue, day of on-site set-up, and can even include growing specific flowers for you. Perfect for couples requiring florals for a larger wedding party and/or needing aisle arrangements, floral arch installments, extensive table decor, etc. Full-service event minimum is $3,000 and must consult at least 3 months in advance from your event date (if interested in dedicating a section of the garden for you wedding blooms, please inquire at least 6 months in advance). Pick up option not available for full-service events. Once a floral design plan is set, a non-refundable deposit is required along with a signed contract to secure your event date & blooms which covers the initial time and labor required for consultations, any revisions made, planning and sourcing product, floral proposal design, etc.

If you’re unsure of whether you’ll be needing a la carte or full-service event florals, contact me!

What is the difference between a garden bouquet and a bridal bouquet?

Simply put: time spent planning and sourcing, labor, skilled design, utilities and overhead to ensure flowers are kept fresh, and material and quality/quantity of flowers used.

Grower’s choice garden bouquets are beautiful and serve many purposes, but are very different. The time spent to create a grower’s choice wrapped bouquet straight from the garden and materials used is WAY different than the labor-intensive wedding bouquet design and creation.

In a wedding bouquet, hours and hours are spent just planning and sourcing each flower, filler and greenery stem to fit a certain desired aesthetic and color palette which is all factored in. Also, using specific/requested flower varieties and battling market inflation, planning and implementing specific bouquet structure and materials to make them look a certain way, overhead utility costs to keep them as fresh as possible throughout the week of your event, and the quantity and quality of flowers are highly elevated in comparison. Not to mention other various materials needed such as wire, luxe ribbon, vases and transport materials, pins, travel costs, etc. compared to a simple garden bouquet’s kraft paper and twine are all factors to consider.

Also, grower’s choice garden bouquets are made to order and one of a kind. They will always be different, colors and varieties are never guaranteed. If you’re needing a bridal and multiple bridesmaid bouquets to fit a certain color palette and aesthetic, there is no way possible to do this without prior planning and sourcing.

I wasn’t expecting my wedding flowers to cost so much…why???

To keep a long story short and to the point, if you want to elevate your event with stunning, durable, high-quality flowers and have beautiful, photographed memories... you really get what you pay for. Event florals are luxury items. With floral design, you’re paying for a luxury product AND a service.

There are so many factors that go into the pricing of flowers. Just to name a few: skilled design and labor, time spent planning, sourcing, traveling, floral processing, level of florist experience, overhead required to keep flowers cool and fresh, transportation materials and mileage, gas prices, materials that go unseen in order to construct your bouquets and arrangements, fluctuating floral market prices, time spent consulting from initial inquiry to day-of event, time spent creating a visual, well-planned floral proposal, day-of on-site set up time and labor, putting together a team to implement day-of onsite setup… and that’s just the florist side of things not even taking into consideration the farming side of flowers, meticulously cultivating them for months from seed to vase. (We do both!)

Flowers are a timeless, emotional, impactful statement that elevate each event experience. Flowers will eventually fade but your memories and professional photographs will last forever. Here are a few links to learn a bit more behind the cost of event flowers, the hard + wonderful work that’s involved in making your special day absolutely stunning and the benefits of investing in them:

Why Wedding Flowers are Expensive | Guide | Pricing | Cost (peppermintandco.ca)

A Wedding Planner’s Perspective: Why Are Wedding Flowers so Expensive? | Pocketful of Plans

The Cost of Wedding Flowers: An Investment That's Worth It (rootsfloraldesign.com)

Why It's Worth Investing into Wedding Decor and Flowers - The Wedding Bliss Thailand

What should I budget for wedding flowers?

Every event is SO unique, it truly depends on your vision and needs. A large wedding party or venue in need of extensive decor will probably take up at least half of your floral costs alone, vs having an intimate ceremony where only personal flowers are needed which leaves budget room for additional table decor, altar installments, etc.

On average:

$300-500 will likely get you a bridal bouquet, boutonniere, a standard table centerpiece and a few bud vases for simple table decor.

$1k-2k will likely get you personal florals for a small wedding party, table centerpieces for small reception.

$3k-5k will likely get you personal florals for a larger wedding party, table centerpieces for reception and/or aisle arrangements, and/or a few focal pieces at the altar. *this is the about the average!

$5k-7k will likely get you personal florals for a larger wedding party, table centerpieces for a larger reception area, lush aisle florals and statement altar installments.

*this can all vary, just depends on your unique vision and what areas you choose to invest in most!

Do you ship flowers?

No, we do not ship flowers at this time. You can purchase fresh or everlasting flowers for pick up or local delivery to the St. Augustine, Hastings, and East Palatka areas (see above for specific delivery zip codes). USPS shipping is only available for seeds and merch (t-shirts, stickers, etc.)

How do I make my flowers last the longest?

Each flower’s vase life varies, some last 5-7 days while others may last up to two weeks. Flower care is very important when trying to maximize vase life, this involves placing flowers in a clean vase and changing water daily, keeping flowers out of direct sunlight/heat, removing spent stems to allow others to last longer, trimming the end of each stem on a sharp angle every few days, removing any leaves from touching the vase water and keeping away from ripening fruit/veggies. Some people put bleach or sugar in their vase water, but I’ve found that keeping it simple and following the steps listed above works just as well.