written by Janet Harrold

Tajah  how long have you worked at Cedar Grove Gardens?  I stumbled upon Cedar Grove in May of 2013. I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown! At that time I was three months into my relocation, starting to look for work. We stopped in to get flowers for the house. Little did I know that my Rachel intended that trip to result in an application. Lisa made that happen! I started in June 2013. I guess that’s just a little over two years.

Where did you work prior to CGG and what position did you hold? I was lucky enough to work at Ballard Blossom in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Wa. I was there for nearly ten years. Before relocating to Boston, I was both the assistant store manager and a wedding designer. But, like most family run shops, you never are just one thing. I answered phones, took orders, cleaned and conditioned flowers, ran last minute delivers and even cleaned buckets.

I know you wear many hats, what overall position bests sums it up? I think my role is considered “design room manager”, but again that never covers it. Yesterday I was cleaning buckets, creating designs for funeral work, and working on the next months schedule. I feel that my job is designing and managing for customer service. Whether there’s a client that comes through the door, a bride that calls with questions, or tasks that need doing around the shop; all roads lead to customer care.

What are your interests outside of work? I love creating. Being creative is one of the outlets that led me to floral work. I knit and crochet for Pay-It-Forward projects. I was a creative writing major before finding floral, so books and free writing are still a part of who I am. I carry a journal or legal pad with me where ever I go. We have a garden this year that makes me very happy. I make pickles from my Cedar Grove bought cucumber plants. To be honest, I’ll pickle anything and see how it goes. We collect vinyl on any trip we can. Finding Matt Costa on green vynil was a score!

A little birdie told me that you are engaged to be married and your wedding is coming up quickly in October! Where are you getting married? We found the most beautiful place in Bristol, Rhode Island. The venue is called Mount Hope Farm. It is a non-profit farm that hosts farm to table dinners, farmer’s market, and some of the produce for our food will come from the farm itself.

Can you give us a glimpse of the the flowers that an accomplished floral designer like yourself will have at your own wedding? Well, of course, the Cedar Grove Gardens team will be handling the floral. Much of it I am leaving to their capable hands (I’m typically a control freak with the wedding work I do). I envision lush greenery garland draped down the table mixed with deep wine colored dahlias, pee gee hydrangea, garden roses, pommegranites and figs, grape clusters and fall leaves. Our wedding has a wine theme in color. Rich burgundy, soft pink/rose, and champagne gold tones set against the fall tones in the garden and rich wood in the barn will make me happy.

black & white photo credit Cass Red at Redstone Pictures Seattle