It's a Blooming Business!

Grant and Cindy Henderson are a couple of very personable, high energy people. Many people know them from their hospital and police work. Now they have started a nursery! Redwood Roadside Bouquets on Lake Earl Drive at Redhawk Lane in Ft Dick. I visited them and got the full tour, which was such a treat. Stepping into a garden full of bright flowers set among giant redwood trees takes one’s breath away. Sunlight filters through the limbed-up trees, giving a strong and yet ethereal feeling to the whole scene.

Cindy specializes in Proven Winners (mostly annuals), which are known for healthy, large plants. It is obvious when you see the amazing baskets full of petunias around the property. She also teams up with companies all over the country, and locally too, making sure she passes savings on to their customers.

They say Grant is the brawn and Cindy is the brains of the operation, but I just saw a great working and personal relationship. It is amazing how much they’ve done!

Obviously, bouquets and baskets are the main part of their business, but there are also wreaths and sales of individual plants. In order to make sure these flowers actually get planted Cindy and Grant will sometimes have a big sale. Such great deals!

Check out their website for more info at redwoodroadsidebouquets.com. Cindy designed this really wonderful webpage, where you’ll find hours, directions, subscription and workshop information as well as photos and the whole story behind this huge project.

But wait, there’s more! Besides the little roadside flower shop, they are going to add an adorable flower buggy and more garden rooms where they’ll have concrete garden pieces, and some native plants. And that is in addition to all the tulips, sweet peas, pin cushion flowers, stock, dahlias, peonies, campanulas (Grant’s favorite), etc.

Advice from the experts: If you are thinking of trying a venture like this yourself, do your research, because there are always expenses and things you’ll have to address that may come as a surprise. Also, if you are in the redwoods, banana slugs are an issue! Cindy keeps Sluggo at hand. I didn’t glimpse a single slug!

Visit Redwood Roadside Bouquets through September on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9am to 3pm. Enjoy the beauty of the place and notice the hummingbirds chattering and zipping happily from bloom to bloom.