Sweety Pea's FLOWERS

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

Strolling along among the flowers (and their uncanny ability to induce bursts of radiant happiness) Melissa Gardner chooses those that call to her, creating supple, expressive bouquets full of movement.

Loving the nitty-gritty, down-in-the-dirt appeal of growing her own flowers, in just four years, Melissa has transformed her quarter-acre lot in Ballston Lake into the dreamy Sweety Pea’s Flower Farm, a micro flower farm delivering fresh bouquet subscriptions to 65 delighted recipients each week.

When she’s not brightening the day for locals, Melissa is giving brides a variety of ways to let their own love of flowers blossom.

Flowers Your Way

Naturally lending themselves to garden-inspired soirees, Melissa’s loose, fun style has lots of room for flexibility. Because she doesn’t use a recipe, there’s no formula for her fabulous flower combinations, and one bloom can be replaced with another to best suit your specific color scheme. Perhaps fragrance transports you to a special memory - with enough planning (about a year before your wedding) Melissa can grow that specific flower just for you.

For those who are six months out from the big day, her à la carte wedding menu lets you pick and choose flowers from a list of options. Really want to let your creativity take centerstage? Experience the magic firsthand when you order buckets of bridal blooms and arrange them yourself. With Melissa’s help, you can even set up a full Bouquet Bar and let your bridesmaids in on the action.

Intrigue Without The Drama

In an autumn landscape, combinations of blush pinks, pale yellows, rich burgundies, and lush mauves make a big statement. In Melissa’s garden mesmerizing dahlias dance in a dizzying array of dazzling sizes and colors. Heirloom chrysanthemums (which mimic the dahlias’ complex form) have become an increasingly popular choice for fall weddings. Celosia, which can be used fresh or dried, is an ideal companion plant for stunning fall flowers. This fluffy, feathery, filler flower, and its foliage, with its purple and red tones, adds interest, elevating a bouquet into a wow-worthy showstopper. The flowers have an intricately beautiful shape and color but adding them into your wedding celebrations is easy. Melissa works with brides on any budget for fall events scheduled into October, prepares dried arrangements for winter weddings, and even puts bouquets out for sale at her roadside farmstand in the spring and summer months – so quaint! Because she is a member of flower farming collectives and communicates with other area growers, having locally grown flowers nourished with only natural growing methods and products doesn’t have to just be a fantasy. For more information, follow Sweety Pea’s Flower Farm on Facebook, Instagram, and online at www.sweetypeasflowers.com