Buckets of bloom for our national holiday

I stand in front of my table and greet all market goers with the same words.

“How about some flowers today?”

Behind me is a six-foot long table filled with buckets of 
blooms.  Long-stemmed white snapdragons fill one large, deep bucket, while pink larkspur and nigella combine their beauty in a one-gallon paint-can stripped of its label and painted purple.  The number and size of buckets varies through the season, but there is always a generous assortment of blossoms.  All stay fresh in water and shade provided by a large off-white market umbrella.

For the most part, I sell flowers to women.  A special few approach my table as they would a day at the spa.  For them, flowers are an indulgence to be savored like fine champagne or a bubble bath.  Other women are more traditional.  They buy flowers to cheer up a friend in the hospital or thank a weekend hostess.

On this Saturday in early July, a woman stops by for Fourth of July table flowers.

“Can you make me a bouquet in red, white, and blue?” she asks.

Indeed I can.  I check my buckets for the proper colors, carefully nudge stems out so they do not break and arrange a custom bouquet in a glass vase.  Gorgeous red poppies, a last-minute inclusion picked just before market, looks smashing with drumstick allium.  These members of the onion family are still green but have a great architectural shape.  White feverfew balance blue bachelor button; sweet peas add fragrance; tall white snaps, their stems kinky but still lovable, complete the bouquet.

My customer smiles her approval.  I take the flowers from their temporary container and wrap the stems in waxed paper.  The old-fashioned product keeps the bouquet intact and separates wet stalks for purchasers’ hands.  Money and flowers are exchanged along with wishes for a happy holiday.