Flower buying’s new bloom
Just in time for the Mother’s Day flower rush, we caught up with Whitney Port, the former star of MTV’s reality(ish) TV shows “The Hills” and “The City.” The USC alum-turned-fashion designer, who announced in February that she’s pregnant with her first child, is co-founder and creative director at Bloom2Bloom.com, which she runs along with business partner Laurenne Resnik. The flower delivery service supports local farmers — the majority of flowers are from California, and all are from the U.S. — and a portion of each purchase goes to Wish Upon a Teen, a nonprofit organization that benefits seriously ill teens. Here, Port and Resnik reflect on how flower buying has changed, and tips for getting mom the perfect bouquet:
Whitney, since your very first Mother’s Day is coming up, what type of flowers would you like to receive?
I will accept any flowers I get. I mean, flowers are just one of those things, no matter what kind they are, you just love them because it’s really about the thought behind it. We’re actually in the process of designing our Mother’s Day bouquets right now … I’ll make sure to send myself some!
What’s your favorite arrangement on your site now?
There are two I love: There’s one with the raspberry dahlias I absolutely love, and then there’s one that has a succulent in it with these really pretty peach roses and yellow flowers that is just so bright and springy and cheerful. … I love that we mix in succulents with flowers because that’s not something you really see a lot of these days.
Succulents seem to be a modern take.
Yes, it is … and the good thing about putting them in bouquets is that once the flowers eventually die you can still save the succulents and replant them, so it’s something that can live on.
On your website, you say your bouquets are “fashion forward.” What does that mean?
It means really using trends in fashion and bringing them into the floral business. So whether it’s certain colors, certain textures or certain materials … it’s really making the flower the accessory to your home just like clothes are the reflection
of your lifestyle, you know?
Last year the trend was monochromatic flowers, right?
I think there are the people out there who want something a little bit more subdued and something that will match with their space and not clash with it.… We’re really huge fans of color and flowers are one of the most amazing things in nature, the most natural, beautiful colors that you can find and so why not take advantage of them?
Laurenne, how are millennials changing flower buying?
For us it’s a really exciting time when it comes to floral because we’re seeing this return to kind of the old-fashioned way of buying flowers and treating yourself to a little bunch every week “just because” and a return of that appreciation of flowers. And with that comes the generation that is very socially aware and wants to know they’re making a difference and making an impact when they can and values products that make that kind of impact accessible to them. And so the flower industry is in a really fun place because not only can people access these online and share so much through social media, but we can actually see the impact of having a true flower brand within the floral landscape.
Whitney, a lot of people know you from “The Hills” and “The City.” Is this how you imagined your life post-“The City”?
I think that the natural progression of my life totally makes sense and the fact that I’m so busy — that I dive into different creative spaces, is not surprising. I am surprised I’m working in the floral space, it’s not something that I necessarily ever envisioned myself doing. I always thought it was a really fun hobby and always loved having flowers in my home and loved how they made me feel … but partnering with Laurenne has been such a blessing and I’m so grateful for the opportunity.