“Dahlias are the star of the autumn arrangements,” Susan Snegosky says. “But cosmos are beautiful and abundant in September, and Queen Anne’s lace is wonderful, too.” Snegosky owns Fiddles and Fronds, an organic florist business that she operates from her Spring Park home. As summer fades, she continues to find flowers that inspire her. And her inspirations don’t necessarily stop with flowers.
“Basil is really wonderful in summer and fall arrangements,” she says. “The fragrance adds something special. I really like to use basil, and people comment on it a lot.”
Fiddles and Fronds has been in business for about two years. Snegosky grew up on a farm and worked in a flower shop when she was in college. When she was laid off from her office job, and after years of being asked by friends and family to do flowers for parties and events, she decided that she’d try her hand at creating a business from her passion for flowers.
From the beginning, she knew that it was important to her the flowers she used were organically grown and locally sourced. She has a cutting garden in her backyard where she gets some of her cuttings and, when she isn’t just walking out the back door to find her flowers, she also uses a few local growers. There’s a cooler in her basement where she can store purchased cut plants until she’s ready to use them.
“I feel so good about working with local suppliers that I know share my emphasis on organic growing,” she says. Snegosky supplements her backyard cutting garden with flowers from Twin Cities Flower Exchange, which is a flower market for wholesale buyers. The exchange sources from small, organic farms in the region. Her business has grown mostly by word of mouth, and some of her referrals even come from the farmers she buys from.
As fall begins to remind us that just around the corner winter is approaching, Snegosky says you don’t have to give up the idea of cut arrangements just because you can’t grow flowers without a greenhouse. Even in the deep winter, she still creates with plants.
“I did arrangements for a December wedding last year that were all evergreens and winter accents,” she says. “I used white pine and birch.” Elegant winter arrangements can brighten a room just as well as summer blooms.
Snegosky likes to use vintage containers in unexpected shapes to give extra interest to her work. She likes containers that have lasting value and bring something different to the look of the arrangements. “Using vintage pieces as containers for the arrangements and getting away from plastic is another way of being more sustainable and environmentally responsible in my business,” she says.
Fiddles and Fronds will be part of the Three Rivers Park District Wedding Fair, on September 29 at Hyland Hills Ski Area in Bloomington. Susan Snegosky will be available to talk about winter and spring weddings and show interested couples some of her creations.
Fiddles and Fronds
Facebook: Fiddles and Fronds
Instagram: @fiddlesandfronds
