The Fairfax Girl Team 
Fresh flowers can be part of the weekly routine thanks to Quince Blossom Ridge’s Stem Share program. This flower farm offers seasonal bouquet subscriptions with locally grown blooms, including specialty varieties that may never make it to the farmers’ market. With pickup locations around the DMV, the program is designed for flower lovers who want farm-fresh stems on a regular basis without having to plan a weekend market trip. Read on to learn more about Quince Blossom Ridge’s Stem Share program + how to get locally-grown flowers throughout the season.
Photo of Alex, credit: Jodi + Kurt Photography
About the Stem Share Program
Quince Blossom Ridge’s Stem Share is a seasonal flower subscription that gives customers regular access to bouquets grown right on the farm. Founder Alex Mudry-Till created the program as a way to make the farm’s flowers more accessible to people who might not be able to visit one of its farmers markets each week.
“It’s like a little way of getting those flowers before the weekend gets crazy,” Alex told The Fairfax Girl. “If you can’t make it to market, it’s a guarantee that you’re going to get something beautiful.” The bouquets change throughout the season based on what is blooming at the farm, meaning each pickup can look a little different from the last.
One of the biggest perks of the Stem Share is access to some of Quince Blossom Ridge’s most limited flowers. Alex said the farm intentionally reserves certain specialty stems for subscribers before bringing the remaining flowers to its farmers markets. “We always reserve really special stems, especially if we only have a small amount of a certain variety,” she said. That might include specialty peonies, dahlias, or other varieties that the farm only has a few plants of during a particular season.
Farm-Fresh Flowers Without the Farmers Market Trip
Quince Blossom Ridge currently participates in three farmers markets around the D.C. Metro area, but Alex knows a weekend market visit does not always fit into everyone’s schedule.
The Stem Share gives customers another option. “It also gives our customers who are in Alexandria or D.C. or other areas of Northern Virginia, and they just can’t make it to our farmers markets, another opportunity to get the most beautiful farm-fresh bouquets,” Alex said.
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Pickups are typically held on Thursdays at several small businesses throughout the DMV, allowing subscribers to grab their flowers before the weekend.
Quince Blossom Ridge has offered pickup options in Alexandria, Arlington, Washington, D.C., + Waldorf.
What’s Growing at Quince Blossom Ridge
The flowers included in each Stem Share come directly from Quince Blossom Ridge, which Alex + her husband, Dan Till, started in 2021. They both have a background in the hospitality industry – they met on the first day of classes at the Culinary Institute of America and have worked in kitchens, bakeries, restaurants, and venues in the NYC and DC area since 2010. Alex’s interest in growing flowers developed during the COVID-19 pandemic while she + her husband were landscaping their home. Quince Blossom Ridge later grew from that interest in flowers, hospitality, + events. The property also functions as a wedding venue. The farm’s name reflects those influences. Alex said she was inspired by British gardens and liked that the quince is both a fruit + a flower.
Photo credit: Jodi + Kurt Photography
“I loved the idea of, because we come from that hospitality background, incorporating something that is both beautiful and edible,” she said. The farm began with a relatively small growing operation, around 100 roses, 200 peonies, + a handful of annuals in its first year. Since then, Alex said the growing space has doubled or tripled each year. Today, the farm grows both annuals + perennials, with different varieties coming into bloom throughout the season.
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“We are constantly seeding and cropping and working with different crops,” Alex said. That seasonal growing cycle is what shapes the Stem Share. Rather than offering the exact same bouquet each week, subscribers receive flowers based on what is thriving on the farm at that moment.
Why Locally-Grown Flowers Matter
Alex also sees the Stem Share as a way to introduce more people to locally-grown flowers. She noted that a large portion of flowers sold in the United States are imported, often traveling significant distances before reaching grocery stores, florists, + customers.
For Alex, buying from a local flower farm gives customers another option while also creating a closer connection to the season. “We want everybody to know how passionate we are about getting people excited about nature, about having that connection, even if it’s just in their vase,” she said.
The Fall Fling mini subscription and September Stem Share subscription signups end on August 27th. The actual subscription pickups begin in September. The October Stem Share subscription signups are available now through September 24th. The pickups begin on October 1st.
In addition to the Stem Share, the farm offers seasonal bouquets, workshops, farmers market pop-ups, + special offerings throughout the year, including floral pumpkins made with pressed + dried flowers in the fall and wreaths during the winter. Pickup locations, current subscriptions, farmers market dates, + additional details can be found on the Quince Blossom Ridge website.
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