It’s Monday night, and you’re rounding out the produce section in the grocery store when you see the cooler of fresh flowers. There are your usual carnations and roses. Maybe there are some peonies if you’re the luckiest customer at Trader Joe’s. There’s probably an overwhelming amount of Baby’s Breath. So you throw some in your cart, put them in a vase at home, and they look pretty nice.

But then you go to your friend’s house for wine night, and they have the same flowers in their vase. You joke about getting lucky at Trader Joe’s.

Then you go to work the next day and see the same arrangement on your co-worker’s desk. And then you show up at your yoga studio, and, sure thing, they also have the same flowers.

I mean, enough already, am I right?

This precise conundrum is why we do things differently at Charleston Flower Market. Our bouquets are fresh and pretty, but mainly, they’re unlike anything else found locally. We believe in the weird and the different, and arranging all of those things to create something truly beautiful.

So what do we mean by weird and unique? Aren’t we just a florist arranging flowers? No way, José. It’s summer time! And sure, that means Peonies and Tulips. But for us, it also means getting the best of the best from our farmers everywhere from Oregon and Washington to right here in Charleston. These days, we are getting deliveries of everything from wheat, barley, and woodland sea oats to herbs that make your bouquet smell like the best combination of long summer days and happiness. Mint, Rosemary, Lavender, Scented Geranium, and Oregano are some of our personal favorites to include. (Side note: This is also done selfishly to make sure our shop continues to be the best smelling place in town. Come by and give it a sniff.)

But before you think, “Oh cool, so they just add herbs…” we kindly ask you to stop right there. In the summer months particularly, we also decorate bouquets with things like Artichokes on their stems, Olive branches, Figs, Pomegranates, Raspberries, and Blueberries. Because what feels more like summer than having beautiful flowers accented by fruit-bearing branches? We also use fresh Okra, Pumpkin Tree (a type of eggplant), and mini pineapples. I mean, can you imagine having a summer party and your centerpiece has actual pineapples incorporated in it? Hold on tight to your unicorn pool float because that feels just like the best of all things summer!

Basically, whatever our farmers say looks amazing at the moment, we say send it over so we can use it to make your arrangement truly unique. We may even throw some hops in there (yep, the kind used to make beer!) along with red, green, or yellow peppers on the stem. You really never know what we’ll be adding next, but we can guarantee it will be fresh, beautiful, and seasonal.