I am Stephanie Wightman, the co-owner of Blooms and Wishes, and (apparently) a blogger; or at least the person giving you periodic updates about trucks, flowers, and life from the vantage point of a flower farmer/florist. Blooms and Wishes is a dream built from hard work, tenacity, a love of flowers and a selfless village of family and friends that are family.
In 1998, I visited my local nursery in Tallahassee, Florida and saw what I now know to be zinnias showing off their brilliant ruffles of hot pink and yellow and orange. I wanted them all. Within days, I filled a tiny triangle of peeking sun on my second floor apartment patio with tomatoes, peppers, and (of course) those zinnias….and they grew! I couldn’t believe I could grow something that pretty, even if I didn’t have any land. If you are in that boat, look up pot (as in flower pot) gardening….you can grow things, too.
Ever since that time in Tallahassee, in every house I’ve lived, I’ve planted my spaces….little by little. North side spaces, south side spaces, sunny spaces, wet spaces, rocky spaces. For me, it was a way to meditate, to breathe, to live rich in beauty……. to contribute something good. And also, it became the only place in my life where I could clean up a space and it would stay that way for at least a day.
Twenty years after my zinnia sighting, I saw my first flower truck. My friends had to drag me away from it (and I am still upset that I didn’t get to sleep next to it). But in that moment, I made it my mission to live in a way that would some day allow me to sell my own flowers from my own flower truck and contribute joy as folks simply “round the corner” and find a rainbow of flowers.
Blooms and Wishes is the realization of that dream and the tangible hope that with vision, a supportive village, determination, and hard work….our dreams can be achieved. Stop by Sallie the truck and visit the flowers even if all you want to do is soak in their sunshine for just a minute.