CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS

Full Bloom Flower Farm

Hedda Brorstrom

is a flower farmer and florist for Full Bloom Flower Farm. Designing vibrant bouquets for everyday joy as well as for weddings and special events, Hedda’s bountiful creations reflect an appreciation for the cycles of each season, spilling over with color and a natural ease.

Started in 2013, Full Bloom uses no-till methods to grow thousands of chemical-free varieties of flowers for its two farmstands in Sonoma County as well as for imaginative installations and wholesale orders to florists and stores. Seasonally, the farm offers flower bouquet subscriptions, following the model of a community-supported agriculture (CSA) share.

A founding member of the North Bay Flower Collective, Hedda loves collaboration and learning within the local floral community. Hedda holds certificates in Ecological Horticulture from UC Santa Cruz and herbalism from the California School of Herbal Studies as well as a degree in Conservation and Resource Management from UC Berkeley.

Before flower farming, Hedda worked for years as a school garden teacher in San Francisco, as a wetland restoration instructor at Save the Bay, and as an interpreter for the California Academy of Sciences. Today she focuses on promoting sustainable flowers and believes that being both a farmer and a florist provides an opportunity to give extra care and attention, from seed to centerpiece.

Where you can find Hedda

fullbloomflower.com

@fullbloomflowerfarm

In-person farmstands:
• Sebastopol, CA: 9516 Graton Road
• Petaluma, CA: 3855 Roblar Road

Full Bloom Flower Farm pink yellow red white zinnias

What drives you to create and put your work out into the world?

I was such an academic person, but every time I took a practical hands-on gardening or farming class it felt so right. I have always loved art, but was never able to fine tune my skills. I feel that flowers offered the ability to paint with structures that already were made.

I love being able to grow the products that then become part of important ceremonies. I am passionate about local and organic blooms, they matter so much not just for the environment, but for the florist’s hands and our homes.

What were some of the major points along the trajectory of your flower-related work?

I spent six months learning to farm at a special program at UC Santa Cruz after doing gardening while I was an undergrad at UC Berkeley. I have taken lots of courses at Occidental Arts and Ecology and I experiment a lot. I am part of the association of speciality cut flower growers to continue to learn everything floral.

Full Bloom Flower Farm Hedda Brorstrom picking ranunculus

“Flowers let me speak in a way

I could never do with words.”

What’s a non-negotiable for your creative workspace?

We work outside in natural light to design and are dependent on lots of water for staying hydrated. Using as few imports as possible each season is also incredibly important to us.

What are the environmental and social benefits of supporting local flower farmers, farmworkers, and producers, as opposed to purchasing imported flowers?

Imported flowers account for more than 80 percent of cut-flower sales in the U.S. Imports are flown long distances (the U.S. gets most of their flowers from Columbia and Ecuador) and then go up for sale on a daily auction in Florida–where they are then again reshipped and boxed. Those flowers are sprayed with an ozone-depleting gas when traveling across the entire country. This fumigation process is part of a long, toxic lifecycle. Other countries do not have as strict chemical regulations in the field as well, so imported flowers can be grown with high levels of herbicides and pesticides.

Journalists have been sounding the alarm about the amount of sprays and chemicals used, the environmental impacts of shipping imported flowers long distances, and the worker conditions in the industry for some time, though most people still remain unaware of so many of the very dangerous issues with imported botanicals.

Personally, I have freelanced for some bigger florists who use imports and my skin has broken out in rashes. It is common for older floral designers to develop cancers, and I cringe when I see people decorate their cakes with imported flowers and bring them into their homes, all without knowing of the additional chemical exposure that’s coming into their homes.

How do slow-flower farming practices differ from conventional ones?

Regenerative farming means adding more than you are taking from the land. We add about 20 yards of compost per acre each season and don't use any chemicals when growing. We foster habitats for bees, butterflies, birds, and soil life. We work hard to store water in our land and build our soil biology every season. The quality of our flowers and life force of the ecosystem shines through in our blooms and helps the entire local community of pollinators.

Full Bloom Flower Farm farmstand bouquets

Tell us about your wildest floral design experience.

I got to design an entire dress made of flowers for a magazine, but the wildfires broke out and we were shooting with helicopters going over with water.

Full Bloom Flower Farm Hedda Brorstrom dress skirt made of flowers

Full Bloom Flower Farm Hedda Brorstrom wearing flower crown of roses

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given that’s helped shape your work?

Start small and don’t grow too much the first year. And plant peonies today.

Full Bloom Flower Farm Hedda Brorstrom holding flowers in field

Full Bloom Flower Farm pink fuchsia red ranunculus flowers

What role do flowers play in your life, and what benefits do they provide for your emotional and mental well-being?

Flowers pretty much rule my life, from the first seeding to putting the beds to rest in the winter. Flowers let me speak in a way I could never do with words–they let me gift beauty in moments that need it the most. They let us mark occasions with seasonality so that each year we remember events based on the opening of a bloom. I am so grateful to be the community florist for my town!

Full Bloom Flower Farm mixed flower bouquets

What would you create with flowers if you had unlimited resources?

I’d love to do a large installation of flower beds, each focused on different scents, for people to get inside of and experience each plant in a fully immersive way.