We were lucky to catch up with Alexandra Abuza recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alexandra, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I lived in NYC as a child, and every summer I went to visit my grandmother, an avid gardener and floral design hobbyist, in Massachusetts. Being a city kid, there was so much about her little house in the woods that was fascinating to me. I remember waking up early in the mornings, sitting quietly by a window before anyone else was awake and listening to birdsong, particularly the doleful call of the morning doves. I remember loving to look up at the towering tree – an oak? – quaking in her front yard, sitting in its shade and getting a chill from the cold grass on my thighs. I remember building forts deep in the woods with my brother, rolling limbs and logs cut from felled trees to form a wall, and stuffing the cracks with pine needles from the forest floor. How our hands smelled of pine for days. I remember the quiet, and the marvel I felt at the strange things she grew in her flower gardens, Lunaria, or money plant, the heady scents of Bee Balm and Lavender, and the freedom to walk outside, the screen door slamming behind me, and pick blooms at will.
It was by no means a conscious decision, but I think on some level I decided early on that this quiet and peace I got from nature was something very special – that I would need to find a way to be in it, to work with it and to share it. And so as I grew older, particularly during times of stress or fatigue, I found myself gravitating towards plants and flowers, and somehow, my hands decided for me: I would design gardens and work with flowers. It happened at first involuntarily. I was teaching English and Writing as an Adjunct Prof in Maine, and a friend with a landscaping company needed a hand, and I needed more money than I was making… And then, a few years later, in NYC a florist I happened to be walking past was rushing in and out of his shop, obviously very stressed, with no one to help, and I offered a hand. And then friends were getting married, and friends were wanting gardens, and so on and so on it went. On some level, it all happened by a series of coincidences, but on another level, it was always meant to be.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
For so many years, when I was doing floral design exclusively in NYC, I felt torn about doing something I love so much, that ironically connected me (and others) with nature, while at the same time, negatively impacted the earth.
I had been in business for a little over 10 years when we bought an old farmhouse in Upstate NY with land that consists of woods, wetlands and meadows. This land has given me so much – particularly in terms of professional development. It has allowed me to practice floral design in a much more sustainable manner, and also has tested my years of garden design knowledge as I try to grow cut flowers on land that is not conventional farm-land . I am feeling relieved to be learning more and more about how to flower sustainably. I am trialing many native plants for cut flower production, following my garden design ethos of selecting the right plant for the right spot. I am testing out wildflowers and native shrubs that love wet conditions in our swamp, spring ephemerals in our woods, and plenty of other native wildflowers, trees and shrubs in various microclimates and ecosystems on our land, and I am foraging and cutting responsibly, always being sure to leave part of the plants there still for pollinators. I am incorporating what I cut from our land, either cultivated or foraged, into my floral design work, continuing to test the limits of wild design – exploring ways to reference the landscape in ways that feel natural and beautiful, but not overly chaotic. I am taking what I learn about native plants, and bringing this knowledge to my garden design clients’ properties. I am composting ALL of my waste – from my events downstate, to my studio scraps upstate, and I am using these composted materials to boost soil health! This opportunity to experiment and trial has made me a better garden designer, and a more sustainable and interesting florist. I bring wildness and textural interest to all my floral design work in NYC, and bring my event breakdowns back upstate and compost them.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think the qualities that makes me best suited for the work I do are my curiosity and my work ethic. I never tire of learning, and in fact I crave it, and all the plant research I have done and continue to do – understanding the different cultural requirements of different species – has helped all aspects of my work. I believe I am an interesting designer, but I think talent is less important than work ethic. Because without a great work ethic, the willingness to tackle the tasks – all of them, and the desire to continue to learn, to experiment, to make time and space for professional development, without all this, talent gets you nowhere. I never allow myself to think, “I’ve made it,” but constantly remind myself that every thing can always be done better, that there is always more to learn, and more to do.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
I think the hardest thing for me in terms of growth is reining my energy in, and not trying to do so much at once that I am unable to maintain what I start.
On one hand, I am incredibly lucky to love what I do so much, that not once in 14 years, no matter how early I have had to wake up, have I ever needed an alarm clock; I bolt out of bed with such enthusiasm, so excited for my day, particularly during the growing season. On the other, I have a thousand experiments/projects going on at once at all times, both in trying things out for clients, or trialing things for my own edification. Sometimes these efforts – some of them anyway, go to waste as I do not have the time to monitor them all, particularly when a last minute booking requires that I change gears, and transition from growing flowers to designing with them and creating decor for an event.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wilderflora.com
- Instagram: @alexabuzadesign
Image Credits
Eileen Meny
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