The simple flowers that changed my life:

 As a child growing up in Northern Virginia, my most favorite time of the year was spring. I couldn’t wait to see the first royal purple Crocus as it sprang out of the barely thawed ground. I knew it was time for all of the trees to bud and bloom. Just outside my bedroom window was the most glorious Kwanzan (Japanese) cherry tree. I would climb up the tree and gather as many delicate bushy pink blossoms that I could carry back to the house.

As the season progressed I would visit the giant bright yellow daffodils at my neighbor’s house down the block to see how many had doubled in number from last year. Sometimes my best friend and I would climb and practically live in her fruitless pear tree talking for hours as we drew in the pungent aroma of thousands of tiny white flowers. The petals looked almost snow-like on the ground below.

Lastly, a drive down an old windy local road would reveal that spring had turned to summer when the endless bunches of sunset orange day lilies began to frame every curve of the narrow two lanes. About that time of year my father would plant mostly vegetables in his large garden, but he always set aside a place for “Karin’s garden” and I was able to plant the Zinnias, Marigolds, and other flower seeds, myself.

Those flowers changed my life. I began to associate almost every life event with whatever plant life was around at the time. Dogwood trees became a symbol of visits to East Tennessee to see my grandparents. When I planned my wedding one of the biggest factors for deciding the date was making sure the white dogwoods outside the church were in bloom. Sure enough, they were in their full glory and now dogwoods have even more meaning to me.

Recently, I saw an old photo of my mother in law with her wedding bouquet. The photograph is tattered and those flowers are gone, but I could almost smell the fluffy full white carnations coming right out of the picture!

My Philosophy:

I believe every person has a flower; whether it has yet to be chosen or has already been a part of their life’s story. The flowers themselves fade so quickly and yet they have the power to bring back memories every time you see or breathe in their likeness. Whether you choose your flowers in life or they choose you, blooms have the power to transform an event from ordinary to an occasion to remember.

My passion is using nature’s treasures beyond their fullest potential to amaze and inspire people.

My purpose is creating memorable, fantastic organic decorations for my client’s life events.

Karin Woodward