The Pollen Mill

There’s something remarkable about the florist community. Many of us have never met each other in person, some have never even exchanged emails. Yet, we still support each other in business. Client referrals, sourcing flowers, sharing products, sending contacts to freelancers. While the last year was spent grieving and processing, I’m continually grateful for our flower community. There’s honesty in these distant relationships, comradeship, collective care. Thank you. To each... designer out there who has referred a client, sent a refreshing message of solidarity, liked each other’s posts, asked about colors and and flowers, offered to help when one of us is struggling. There’s really something special about the ease in this community I don’t see in other realms of the event business. The effort to take care of one another doesn’t go unnoticed. Cheers, to regaining our footing and doing so with compassion. Much love. See more

K+A Spring Wedding Venue: @parkwinters | Photography: @cadylately | Beaty: @christireynoldsbeauty and @micheledeeann | ... Planning: @withgraceandloveevents | Baker: @customcakesbytara | Film: @phillipalanfilm #thepollenmill #parkwinters #parkwinterswedding

For Kathleen. #parkwinters #thepollenmill

Just unboxed my Peace, Love, Flowers framed canvas. It’s even more beautiful in real life. {Kitty approves} (16x20 canvas, float frame in natural wood | collaboration with @crystallynncollins) https://www.crystallynncollinsprintshop.com//peace-love-fl

Congratulations @crystallynncollins So excited to see you recognized for your beautiful contributions to the world. So proud of our collaborative work and your let’s do it attitude. Cheers to you! X

Back to school for our local elementary teachers. Thank you for all you do! {homegrown, narcissus, freesia, cala, tulips, daffodil, blooming branches} #thepollenmill #weloveourteachers #backtoschool #supportourteachers

Centerpieces available from Katie Flower Mama. Get your orders in for your holiday table.

December 2, 2020; from our garden. #thepollenmill #fifteenminuteflowers #acer #cosmos #marigolds #buckwheat #fountaingrass #blackeyedsusan

The Tiffins got married! With twenty of their closest loved ones this was a beautifully intimate celebration. Photos: @hannah.costello Hair & Make Up: Beauty by Brittney Dunne

October under a Harvest Moon.

These are photos of Pampas Grass along the north coast of California. Please, please stop using and requesting these grasses for your weddings designs (and never plant them). They are highly flammable. Pampas burn very hot and fast leading to rapid fire spread. An individual frond can produce millions of seeds annually that can travel several miles via wind, implant, and germinate with ease. Introduced to California in 1848, this invasive plant decreases biodiversity by takin...g up space and using resources necessary for our native flora. Biodiversity, native plants, and a variety of healthy fauna are all beneficial to the health of our environment which in turn result in less destruction during wildfire. Dry, highly flammable material (such as invasive Pampas Grass) will continue to perpetuate our cyclical fire dangers. We need to hold ourselves and our clients accountable for our decisions that impact our earth. #themoreyouknow #pampasgrass #invasivespecies #sustainability #thepollenmill #weddingtrends #pampasgrasswedding #pampasgrassdecor See more

For the sweetest Natalie. A pandemic, three venues, and three fires later. This was a victory for us all. Much love and patience to N+A. It’s all up from here! #thepollenmill #lisianthus #gardenroses #scaniosa #dahlia #astrantia #ranunculus #bunnytails #californiaflowers

We are now offering our Remnants of Hope, Fire in Our Hometown as a 16x20 limited edition fine art print. This beautiful limited edition piece is mounted and custom framed in woodland walnut. $275 +direct shipping All subject materials in the print were collected from our family homes the days following the LNU Complex Fire reaching Vacaville. These organic remnants could be found strewn across our entire city. Drifting from the sky, carried by smoke. Entire leaves charre...d to a delicate artifact. Inches of ash that once were the homes, farms, businesses, and rolling hills of our city. 100% of the proceeds from "Remnants of Hope, Fire in our Hometown" print sales will be donated to Travis Federal Credit Union Fire Relief Fund, directly supporting those impacted by the LNU complex fire. Pre-order available on Crystal’s online printshop (link below). @crystallynncollins https://www.crystallynncollinsprintshop.com//remnants-of-h

Katie came into my life a few years after opening The Pollen Mill full-time. She reached out to me as a young, new, fresh flower farmer selling her locally grown blooms. With an infant wrapped close to her chest, Katie delivered her flowers to me nearly every week I had an event. We became simple friends, both respecting the local flower movement, the environmental impacts of the flower industry, and equally supporting each other as women in business. When Katie and her part...Continue reading

It’s hard to describe what our city experienced the last week. The LNU Complex Fire ripped through Vacaville with erratic behavior. Leveling homes and farms while leaving neighboring properties virtually untouched. The fire progressed rapidly without emergency notifications or any early evacuation notice. Inhabitants woke to smoke filled homes and flames peering in windows, or concerned neighbors pounding on the door of rushing to get to safety. With a moments notice, many we...re only capable of saving family and pets. Farm animals were turned out to flee using their animal instincts to survive. Thousands were evacuated by sunrise and grasping for answers. The fire burned heavily for several days migrating across freeways and spreading into nearby towns. Amidst a pandemic, this fire broke us. Now reaching 341,000 acres, the second largest wildfire in California history, this still feels unbelievable in our hometown. Then through the cracks, the light shines in. Every person has a story of hope. Neighbors rescuing and housing animals, friends delivering water when wells ran dry, shelters popping up as the only home to many, hot meals for our first responders and evacuees. We’ve never been more proud of Vacaville. The selfless response has been nothing short of absolutely amazing. As Vacaville reached world news, friends and family across the planet reached out asking to help. So here we are. Sales from our fine art collaborations in 2018 & 2019 raised over $15,000 in proceeds donated to fire relief efforts in California. We never expected to be the subject of our next fire relief print. This one, quite different from the last two as it is the darkest for us. The hardest to process as the charred devastation is in full view surrounding our city as a constant reminder. Our friends and families who lost everything piled into homes seeking refuge. Through the destruction, we’ve seen the light, the hope, the ingenuity, and utter human kindness that has the ability to heal any heartbreak. Through the devastation we can see the beauty in our people. We love our hometown. We are Vacaville. 100% of proceeds go to Vacaville fire relief and victims. https://www.crystallynncollinsprintshop.com//remnants-of-h

For those asking how to help, right now monetary donations and gift cards are most helpful. Many have not been able to return to their property or even fully assess the situation. The entire city is still processing active trauma as the fire reached (updated at 9am) 1% containment only this morning with 250,000 acres burned. As good hearted as it feels to want to donate clothing, toys, etc., sorting through others discarded goods after losing everything isn’t a gift, it’s a... chore. Also, due to Covid, new, unused goods are most safe and appreciated. The shelters are still accepting and posting requests for specific goods. Valerie Stewart put together a list of Go Fund Me pages for individual families who lost their homes. If you know of additional families to add, you can direct message her or tag her in posts. If you’d like to help fund gift cards for families we know directly, feel free to Venmo me @thepollenmill. I promise to get them to families in need ASAP. We have an amazing, tight community. Many who have lived here for generations. Take good care of each other. X (PS- Adam and I, our home, our pets, and our immediate family are all safe. All of our homes are intact).

Week 21: July 24, 2020

We’ve got plants in stock! 6 pilea $30 6 hanging maranta $20 6 fish bone cactus $40 (only one left) ... 6 Crissy birds nest fern $34 6 pink & white polkadot plant $22 (one of each color) 100% of proceeds go to Tri-City NAACP. Local pick-up only. Visit our website to shop. www.thepollenmill.com

**Plants with Purpose** 100% of proceeds from this weeks’ plant sales will be donated to Child Haven, Solano County. Child Haven’s core services include mental health treatment, therapeutic assessment, early assessment intervention, and programs for parents and care givers that promote positive relationship building. Please use the website link below to browse all inventory and order online. Local curbside pick-up only.... www.thepollenmill.com #monstera #pilea #birdsnestfern #ficusginseng #angelvine #polkadotplant #maranta #prayerplant #curlycactus #fishbonecactus #thepollenmill #plantswithpurpose

***Covid Information*** Wedding Clients, Vendors, & Friends~ NY Times interviewed 511 epidemiologists. Here are the results of their findings regarding proposed estimated length of time before large gatherings and weddings resume. (The entire article is in the embedded link)... We’ve had a lot of clients looking to us vendors for answers regarding timelines. This is the most collective data I’ve found in reference for decision making. We are here to support you in these difficult decisions and provide any suggestions possible. Please know early planning helps vendors the most as we experience overlap in future bookings and in result, cancellations, loss of income, and continued restructuring of our workforce. Hope this helps! Be well. https://www.nytimes.com//when-epidemiologists-will-do-ever

Beat the Heat SALE! Wednesday (5.27.20) through Friday (5.30.20) only. All plants marked down 10% or more. We are clearing out inventory to make space for new plant babies coming in two weeks. Get ‘em while it’s hot. ... Curbside pick-up only. www.thepollenmill.com

Hey Homebodies! It’s Wednesday again, that means some sweet new plants and a restock of a few uniques that sold out quickly last week. Plus some new graphic pots. Hop on quick! Curbside pick-up only. As a reminder, I suggest waiting 2-6 weeks to repot your new plant babies. Give them time to acclimate in their new environment. If they’re showing signs of stress, do not repot! Wait until they’ve stabilized. ... Be well. https://www.thepollenmill.com/products

Just in case you need to justify your new plants to your family... (PS- There’s always room for more) #cleanairdontcare #getyourplantshere