PROVISIONING SPOTLIGHT: HARMON'S FLORAL COMPANY

To kick off our Provisioning Spotlight series, our Guest Experience Manager, Katherine Meservier, took an afternoon to visit one of our favorite provisioners, Harmon’s Floral Company. She interviewed Elaura about working with yacht clients - and learned they even put together a few arrangements for others that were inspired by past marina client orders. They love working closely with our clients, and even outfit the marina office with bouquets to brighten our day and showcase their skills.

Coral and purple arrangement - A unique bohemian design style reflective of what you might see in an old oil painting. Bold complimentary colors make this piece pop! Be sure to ask for a whimsical garden style arrangement if you're looking for something different! We love these free spirit roses and springtime poppies!

What is your role with Harmon's?

I, (Elaura) am a floral designer, and I run our social media and marketing platforms!

What services do you offer?

At Harmon's, we do flowers for walk-ins and deliveries, weddings, special events, memorials and funerals... pretty much anything you could need flowers for, we do it. We are also, of course, a gift shop, so you can come in and shop, or we can put together beautiful gift baskets full of products for relaxing, such as bath products, candles, etc. for you to pick up or have delivered, as well as potted plants and dish gardens.

How long have you been working with clients in the yachting industry?

The owner, Dan, has been doing yacht arrangements for 20 years!

What is one thing you wish clients knew before booking with you?

The more advanced notice we have, the more options there are for what we can create for you

What are the most commonly requested service/item you receive from yacht clients?

Primarily something tropical, long lasting, and of course, things in stable containers (haha). We get a lot of requests for long and low arrangements since they don't tip over easily.

What is the most obscure item that you needed to procure for yachts?

Higher end, difficult to obtain tropicals. These kinds of flowers don't grow in this area, so we have to ship them from outside of the country at times.

How long does it take to put together arrangements for yachts, and how far in advance would you suggest making inquiries?

We always prefer as much notice as you can give us. A week or more of notice is great for us, especially for larger orders, or orders that call for any sort of specifications. We want to be able to fill your arrangements with gorgeous things and have time to execute them skillfully!

What is the #1 piece of advice that you would give to all of your clients?

Trust your designer!

What is your favorite flower, and why?

I seriously can't pick. I think I come up with a solid answer, and then our suppliers come in with something new and amazing. Specialty tulips, poppies, and amaranthus are high on my list.

How did the pandemic cause you to pivot your services?

We got really busy with deliveries, especially on holidays when people weren't able to get together with family as they usually would. They'd send flowers in their absence. Sending flowers was an easy way of sending something physical, something cheery to brighten up these spaces that people were kind of stuck in.

For Fun: If you had a superpower, what would it be and why?

Oh I love this one. Definitely time travel. I'm so inspired by art, design, clothing and music of the past.

Pink arrangement- Long and low arrangements make for fantastic dining table arrangements. In this arrangement, we used a lot of very fragrant florals so you can wake up and smell the flowers, even if you're on the ocean! This one is very feminine and includes elements of both tropical, and Maine garden florals, much like the blue arrangement, but are displayed in a different style. The peach anthurium and the lilacs are the show stealers in this one.

To book your floral consultation with the Harmon’s team, contact Elaura here or stop by their shop located at 584 Congress St, Portland, ME 04101

All photography is from Katherine Meservier.