How to Buy Michigan Flowers

Here in Michigan, summertime means the majority of our local foods and products are in season! The best way to crown a table full of seasonal, local foods is to include flowers of the same vein. Purchasing Michigan flowers is important because they are truly seasonal — special to their time. So head out and pick up some dahlias to brighten your day, lavender to refresh your space, peonies to tell someone you love them, or even marigolds for a great addition to a salad.

There’s many ways to pick up blooms in your area, so here’s the rundown on how and where to find them: 

FARM STANDS

Maybe one of the easiest ways to pick up local flowers is to visit a farm stand in your area! Piggly Petals Flower Farm in Belleville, for example, has a Flower House where they sell arrangements from the farm throughout the Summer. Find other flower farms near you here!

FARMERS MARKET

Market bags just look fantastic with a local bouquet spilling out of the side! Pick up an arrangement while picking up your local veggies at your nearest farmers market. Eastern Market in Detroit even has a huge Flower Day market in the Spring, if you’re inspired to grow flowers for yourself next year. Check out our directory to find the next farmers market near you!

Tulips at the Farm at Cherry Hill

SUBSCRIPTION OR CSA

If you’d like to ensure you have fresh flowers on the table all season long, subscribing to a local flower farm’s service is the way to go! The Farm at Cherry Hill in Traverse City offers subscriptions for both Spring tulips and Summer blooms, while MI Farm Co-op allows you the option to add them to your weekly CSA. Golden Hour Farm in West Michigan also offers a CSA just for flowers! Find a flower subscription near you!

U-PICK

Many farms give you the option to go and pick your favorite flowers! Indigo Lavender Farm in Imlay City gives you the option to pick the best smelling lavender blossoms late June through August! They suggest to bring a picnic basket because it’s as scenic to pick flowers as it is fun. Pick a u-pick flower farm near you!

Photo: Benjamin David Photography

EDIBLE FLOWERS

Edible flowers range the gamut from the well-known like chamomile and lavender to the ‘wait, you can eat that?’ with borage and pansies, and add a pop of color and flavor to anything from cocktails to salads, or even pressed into shortbread cookies. Little Parsley Farm in the UP, Future Days Farm in Southwest Michigan, Bear Creek Organic Farm and Alchemy Farms in Northwest Michigan are great places to start your search for edible flowers. Learn more about the traditions around edible flowers and their medicinal properties in this article from our 2019 Guide to Local Food for Southeast to Mid Michigan.

WHOLESALE 

Are you an event designer or restaurant hoping to incorporate local blooms into your business? Many flower farmers have the ability to sell to you in a wholesale capacity, such as the Michigan Flower Grower’s Cooperative in Southeast Michigan, or can even create arrangements for your business on a regular basis. 

Floret Farm’s Collective Directory, which focuses on seasonal flower farms throughout the world, is a great resource in addition to our Find Food and Farms Directory for finding a Michigan flower farmer near you!

Header Photo: Benjamin David Photography