Meet the Farmer Florist
Hello! I’m Lindsay Richard.
I am the creator, the farmer and the everything behind Lucia Rising Flowers. Originally from Westmoreland, NH, but a Vermonter for the last 10 years, I’m a New Englander through and through. I earned a BFA in Photography from Massachusetts College of Art & Design in Boston MA in 2014. It was there that I nurtured a love for film capture, the magic of the darkroom and explored themes of vulnerability and memory. Shortly after graduating and leaving the city I fell into my first career doing textile design and product development for a couple different global contract companies in the hospitality and retail marketplaces. I enjoyed taking a client’s vision and seeing it all the way through testing and the manufacturing floor, but something was missing.
My attraction to flowers as a greater path grew over a period of a couple years where I began assisting farmer-florists for weddings on the weekends. I began to reflect a lot more often on my childhood Summer job spent harvesting blueberries and raspberries for an apple orchard and berry farm a mile up the road from where I grew up. I desired the honesty and authenticity of that work, as well as the knowledge that I was contributing to something I valued. Like many people, I have Covid times to thank for breaking down the conditions and beliefs that kept me from following the growing attraction I had in my heart to the natural joy of working with flowers.
As a firm believer in pursuing dreams no matter the cost, in the Fall of 2020 while working simultaneously for a food shelf and veggie farm stand, I decided it was time to begin on my own independent farmer florist journey. The name ‘Lucia Rising’ is a nod to the positive impact of my reparative ethos of living as much as it is an image that encapsulates the magical optimism contained in a sunrise, and the incredible potential of a seed. In many origins, the name ‘Lucia’ translates to ‘light’. Light Rising as a title to this work expresses my relationship to accepting difficult truths and starting anew on a soul deep level. It’s about pursuing meaning, having hope and sharing love. Flowers are my ally in that mission.
I enjoy being able to integrate my body in the physical work of farming, and ultimately getting to flex my intuitive command of color and sculptural building skills in the floral design process. I am continually inspired by all the ways in which farming demands daily problem solving and a vast amalgam of knowledge. If I had to sum up in a few words what you will learn in the process of raising perishable material, it would be a willingness to trust, let go and adapt. I grow and change alongside the flowers. The most exciting moment for me is when flowers reach the pinnacle of their life cycle and become a vehicle for connection and healing. Whether it be expressing joy or easing sorrow, I am honored to be able to participate in the major emotional moments of other people’s lives in a caring and soft way.
When I am not watering plant babies, processing stems, or arranging a bouquet you can find me binging true crime dramas, snuggling my sweet pup Karma or assisting students in the School Store at The Putney School. Vermont is truly a paradise of small intentional farmers and makers. I am thrilled to be a part of a community that supports one other in their quest to thrive!
Portrait by Josh Steele Photography. April 2024.
