THE FIELD GUIDE: NOTES ON SUSTAINABLE FARMING & FLOWERS

THE ROOTS OF REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE

Farming. Learning. Growing

The Field Guide is where we share the story of flowers beyond the bouquet. Here you’ll find notes from the field, lessons on native plants, and insights into how sustainable farming is reshaping the floral industry. Part education, part storytelling, it’s a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to grow and design with purpose.

A look at how global production, refrigeration, and trade reshaped the floral industry and changed what we expect flowers to look like, regardless of season or place.

How Flowers Became Seasonal Everywhere Except Where They’re Grown

A clear look at the mechanics behind floral design, why floral foam became standard, how much waste it creates, and how reusable systems change both design and impact.

What Actually Holds Flowers Together

Why It Costs So Much to Grow Tulips Out of Season If you’ve ever wondered why winter tulips cost more than their spring counterparts, let...

The Reality of Winter Tulip Forcing

Navigating Change, Embracing Growth Spring’s arriving whispers have turned into full-blown conversations on the farm, and boy, does it...

Springs Arrival On the Farm

An examination of how modern floral supply chains affect growers, handlers, and consumers and why long term exposure and transparency deserve more attention.

The Hidden Cost of Perfect Flowers

Spring in the Mid-Atlantic doesn’t arrive all at once. It unfolds slowly, in layers. First buds. Then bloom. Then the quiet filling-in of green that signals the growing season is truly underway. Native plants are the ones that understand this rhythm best. They’ve evolved here. They know when to wake up, when to bloom, and how to support the ecosystem that depends on them. If you’ve ever wondered what actually thrives here in early spring, these are some of the true standouts. Why Native...

Spring Stars: The Best Native Plants for Spring in the Mid-Atlantic

What’s Happening & Why It Matter If you’ve bought tulips from me between December and March, they were winter-forced. That’s because...

The Tulip Industry is Changing

We’re uncovering the environmental and ethical implications behind Valentine’s Roses and why it’s crucial to rethink our floral traditions.

Unsustainable Valentine’s Roses

A grounded look at sustainable floristry in practice, from regenerative no-till farming to pollinator support and closed-loop design systems that reduce waste and create abundance.

What “Sustainable Floristry” Actually Looks Like

Is It Still Sustainable? Growing tulips in winter has never been the easy road, but lately, it’s starting to feel like a road with no...

The Future of Winter Tulip Forcing

Native perennials quietly support pollinators, birds, soil health, and ecosystem balance. This guide explains why long-lived native plants matter in Mid-Atlantic landscapes.

Native Perennials: The Backbone of a Thriving Mid-Atlantic Landscape

Surprising Benefits for Mind and Body In the hustle of our daily lives, we often turn to tried-and-true methods for health and happiness...

Enhancing Your Health with Flowers

LET’S DESIGN TOGETHER

We are !

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Up-close photo of freshly harvested euryngium, also known as sea holly, grown in Northern Virginia at The Fertile Burb flower farm using sustainable, foam-free floristry practices

THE FERTILE BURB'S MANIFESTO

The Fertile Burb is inspired by the inherent beauty within nature and our responsibility to heal and protect it.

We are dedicated to the process of teaching and helping others discover the fertility that exists in the suburbs.

We support local growers, artists, and clients who celebrate regenerative and sustainable growing methods and business practices.

We believe florals should be inclusive, welcoming every story and every kind of love — across race, culture, gender, identity, orientation, and background.

This is our DNA: creating beauty & growing humanity from the moment the seed is planted.