A bit about who I am and why I started this business: I have been in love with flowers since I was a child — in fact, my first word was “flower!”

I started working for flower shops in high school, and continued my romance with the floral industry throughout college, working for both Blackistone Florist and Bethesda Florist during my winter and summer vacations.

After graduating college, I managed the floral department at the flagship Fresh Fields in Rockville (now called Whole Foods). After moving to New York while my husband attended Law School, I kept up with flowers by freelancing and doing weddings for friends and relatives. Now that I am a mother of two adorable children, I have the pleasure of introducing them to the wonderful world of flowers.

It saddens me to know that most flowers that are sold in America are often grown under pretty horrible conditions. Most people love the beauty of the flowers that we buy in the marketplace, but we rarely stop and think about where the flowers came from and how they were grown. As consumers, we are growing much more aware of what pesticides and other chemicals can do to us if they are contained in the foods we eat. The prevalence of organic produce and other foods in supermarkets and specialty stores are a testament to the growing demand for quality, wholesome foods. While we don't eat flowers (or at least not most of them), the same reasoning should apply to the floral industry. As consumers, we should be aware of the impact of conventional floral farming on the earth, the workers, and ultimately, the people who buy those pretty bouquets.

This is why I've decided to launch Katie's Flower's by Nature. To give folks an alternative to floral designs using conventionally grown flowers. The flowers I use are either certified organic or pesticide-free. Certified organic is the more stringent label, because farmers have to meet very high standards to receive this certification. Pesticide-free means the flowers were grown with either no pesticides at all, or environmentally friendly alternatives were used (such as corn gluten to cut down on weeds). Please think of me for your next special event where you want the beauty of floral arrangements without the added chemicals!