Siri Thorson
Siri Thorson, a floral farmer and designer based in the San Juan Islands of Washington State is hugely passionate about the natural world. Frequently highlighting the darker side of floristry, she is a staunch believer in the locally grown movement and in the regeneration of our land. In our twelfth edition of Cultivating Conversations we spoke to Siri about her fascinating floral journey, how she weathered the pandemic with the help of her community, and her everlasting wreaths that brighten the winter months ahead.
Photo Credit: Siri Thorson
“I’m a florist, a farmer,
and a craftsperson.
At the moment I live on the small island in Washington State where I grew up.”
I grow and sell cut flowers locally, and in the Fall I make everlasting wreaths from materials I have grown and gathered on my family's farm.
HOW DID YOU BEGIN FLOWER FARMING AND FLORISTRY?
“My parents started farming vegetables and flowers shortly before I was born, and I grew up helping them, so farming has always been a part of my life.”
Later I moved away for college, first to California and then to New York City. It was while I was living in NYC that I began working for a florist helping her with weddings and events in the area. After a few years we parted ways, and I began travelling regularly throughout the US and occasionally abroad working as a floral freelancer. I also began teaching workshops in floral design. Through it all, I always found time to return home to Washington and help out on the farm.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO RETURN TO YOUR
FAMILY’S FARM AFTER A DECADE OF WORKING IN CITIES?
My original move from New York back to Washington in 2013 was inspired by a break up and a desperate homesickness for the West Coast that never went away during the six and a half years I lived back east. From 2015 until the spring of 2020, I travelled a great deal for event work. All that came to an end with the beginning of the pandemic, and I was forced to return home to Washington.
“It was a return made out of necessity, but I am grateful to have had such a safe place to weather the storm.”
WHAT SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES ARE IMPORTANT TO KNOW ABOUT FOR ASPIRING FLORAL FARMERS OR FLORISTS?
“Lately I have been learning a great deal about organic no-till farming from a neighbor.”
My family has never used pesticides or herbicides on our land, which at this point should be a no-brainer, but no-till takes things to another level. We have to move beyond the idea of "sustainability" which is a word that has lost a great deal of meaning at this point, and think instead about regeneration. For florists, buying local is crucially important, but it's not enough. If more florists could find the time to really get to know where their flowers are coming from and forge relationships with small growers, it would make such a difference, but I also recognize that the system as it is does not make this easy. Frankly I think it's time to tear it all down and start over.
YOU’RE A BIG PROPONENT FOR SUPPORTING LOCAL FLOWERS. CAN YOU SHARE WHAT THIS SUPPORT MEANS IN RELATION TO IMPORTED FLOWERS?
Tackling the issue of imported flowers is incredibly overwhelming. How do you convince consumers who have grown up in a world where you can have fresh roses in the middle of January that this behavior is deeply detrimental to our planet? I don't have the answer. The amount of resources that a flower grown in the global South (often under deeply exploitative conditions), doused in unregulated levels of chemical poisons, moved in refrigerated trucks and flown to the auction house in the Netherlands and then flown yet again to wholesalers in US cities and then trucked, again, to grocery stores is staggering.
“It is no more sustainable
than our consumption of fast fashion, factory farmed foods
or fossil fuels.”
FOR ALL THOSE ASPIRING FLOWER FARMERS, WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU SHARE ON GETTING STARTED?
“Erin Benzekein who runs
Floret Farm not far from me in Washington is such a wealth of information and inspiration.”
For those who can make the investment, she offers an online workshop that I am sure is worth every penny. But she is also so incredibly generous in providing free insight, and her blog is an invaluable source of wisdom and recommendations. This list of books would be a great place for an aspiring grower to start.
NOW THAT THE WEATHER IS GETTING COLDER, HOW DOES YOUR BUSINESS SHIFT? DO THINGS SLOW DOWN?
Things slow down immensely this time of the year, and while it's a difficult feeling, by now I am utterly exhausted by a season of farming. We are expecting our first frost any night now, which will take out the last of my dahlias and zinnias.
“But as the cut flowers fade,
my dried flowers take center stage, and soon I will begin making wreaths and
dried arrangements.”
I don't really get a break until after Christmas!
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR WORK WITH DRIED FLOWERS?
My mother started growing and selling dried flowers when I was little as a way to help generate income during the colder months. She made wreaths and swags and sold them by mail order, placing ads in the classified pages of craft and country living magazines. I learned a lot of my technique from her, but over time I've developed my own style. If I could I would make all my wreaths extremely wild, but I have to consider the practicalities of shipping them.
“I try to find a balance
between free-spiritedness and what fits in a box.”
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START MAKING
EVERLASTING WREATHS?
“Originally it was largely a practical idea. Like my mother before me, I needed to find a way to make money after my fresh flowers had succumbed to the cold.”
But as time has gone by, I've taken more and more pride in being able to make these artistic and colorful wreaths entirely from natural materials without needing to rely on dyes or synthetic chemicals. It does mean that they are more delicate and susceptible to fading over time if not stored under ideal conditions, but I find beauty in that process as well.
HOW DOES COMMUNITY PLAY A ROLE IN YOUR WORK, ESPECIALLY LIVING IN SUCH A REMOTE AREA?
“Community is everything where I live.”
Growing and selling cut flowers here is never going to be hugely profitable as there are just too many logistical hurdles, but the feeling I get from providing flowers to my community makes the hard work worthwhile. During the height of the pandemic when there were no weddings or events, many friends and grown children living off-island and unable to visit hired me to deliver bouquets to their loved ones for birthdays, anniversaries, and just to say “I love you, I miss you, I'm thinking of you.” It was incredibly touching.
YOU’VE GROWN A SIZABLE SOCIAL MEDIA
PRESENCE OVER THE YEARS. HOW WAS THE DIGITAL COMMUNITY AFFECTED YOUR WORK?
I've gotten to know so many incredible florists through Instagram.
“It's a medium that has always served the floral community well because our work is both visual and ephemeral.”
I've made connections, gotten gigs, kept in touch and found inspiration there. During the pandemic it has been a lifeline to the outside world, my far away friends and the life I used to live. I say all this while at the same time feeling deeply ambivalent about social media in general and threatening regularly to throw my phone into the sea. Oh well. Embody the dichotomy, right?
YOU’VE TRAVELED AROUND THE WORLD LEADING WORKSHOPS AND CONTRIBUTING AT DESTINATIONS LIKE VILLA LENA. HOW HAVE YOUR TRAVELS INFORMED YOUR WORK?
Thinking about travel at this point in the pandemic is pretty emotional for me. I haven't travelled further than the next island over in almost a year and a half. Travelling gave me so much. It made me who I am.
“My residency at Villa Lena opened my eyes to the fact that floristry is art. I felt so accepted by artists of every genre there and it changed my life profoundly.”
My time in Japan showed me the beauty of simplicity and the importance of care. The first class I ever taught was in Seoul with Flower Workshop Korea. We had never met and they took a huge chance and put their faith in me. It meant so much and gave me the confidence to keep teaching. I have such deep gratitude for all the people who touched my life during my travels and I think of them often.
DID THE SLOWDOWN OF THE PANDEMIC OFFER ANY CHANGES TO OUR BUSINESS OR LESSONS IN HOW YOU WORK?
The pandemic brought my entire way of living and working to a complete halt. I had no floral work for over a year. In this extremely difficult time, I was fortunate to be able to come home to Washington and still grow and work with flowers on a hyper-local and small-scale level.
“In some ways it was a good reminder of why I began working with flowers – to share beauty, to help celebrate,
to bring joy.”
At this point I truly don't know what the future holds. Life as a freelancer has always been uncertain and unpredictable, but the pandemic has brought things to a whole new level. I'm trying my best to sit with that uncertainty and just accept it.
