Her gardens are like a poem that whispers the beauty of the seasons. At the beginning of June, there were quiet rose bushes and a few peony buds. "We call them marshmallows," smiles the one who is also nicknamed Lilou, while her son Hazel runs to join us barefoot. "And that's all we're going to see, because they are intended for our customers who will see them bloom."

Enfants Sauvages is more than just flowers. Tell me more!

“It is first and foremost an ecological and responsible farm. The pond is used in our irrigation system, and for our mulch, we collect dead leaves and cardboard from a nearby bike shop. We cultivate by hand and produce without herbicides, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.

We do floral design, for direct sales to individuals or for rituals, weddings or funerals. We are also a place of awareness with an educational mission. I am the one who leads workshops on making flower crowns and tasting mead. My partner Thierry Bisaillon-Roy, a graduate in organic agricultural business management, is the man in the field.

Our dynamic is family-oriented. We work on a small scale, which doesn't stop me from combining the roles of mother, apprentice midwife and communications manager!

Slow flowers , what does that mean?

“It’s the farm-to-table concept. There are no middlemen. You should know that between 80 and 90% of flowers come from far away. Between the harvest, the storage, the flight, the waiting time and the transport in trucks, they definitely no longer have the same brightness, or even any scent. That’s why the ones from here are of better quality and have a longer lifespan. Local producers can also grow specialty varieties, like parrot tulips, without them costing a fortune. And they are so pretty with their feathery petals! At a florist who imports them, you have to pay more than a hundred dollars for a very small bouquet, that’s three times the price!”

Buying local flowers: does it really make a difference?

“Obviously, we reduce the carbon footprint, but we are also responsible. The social and ecological impact of flower production abroad is distressing. The concentration of pesticides is even higher than in food. Those who work in the fields have no protection and it has been proven that the use of the chemical DDT is carcinogenic and an endocrine disruptor. In Canada, it is prohibited, but we still import treated flowers.”

Local flowers… a strictly summer production?

“The first bouquets are those of Mother’s Day, with the sweet corollas of apple trees, the essential tulips, anemones and sweet pussy willows. There is a time for everything, like with the strawberry season. We have flowers until the first frost. The last to show the tip of their noses are the dahlias and zinnias. Making an arrangement with peonies is not possible here! We respect the temporality of each species.”

How do you ensure sufficient income for the business?

“For the first year, in addition to individual orders , we decided to set up subscriptions , a bit like organic vegetable baskets. People buy on the site and we drop off the bouquets at our drop-off points. This ensures regularity. We have planned two options: ten bouquets for the peak season from May to October, on a bi-monthly basis, or five for spring or summer.

Bouquets every two weeks on my table?

“What a joy! It’s a way of taking care of yourself with something beautiful. Among my 100 subscribed customers, none of them had treated themselves to fresh seasonal flowers so often. Once in a while at most, for special occasions. Today, we are in a wellness trend. Urban design has understood this: in the city, they strengthen the social fabric. In business, they create a sense of belonging. At home, it’s a little pleasure that’s almost gourmet.”

And what about the rest of the year?

"We also decided that we would produce amaryllis, which are the only ones that bloom during Christmas time. For Valentine's Day, we will offer either dried bouquets or summer subscriptions."

Isabelle tells the story of Wild Children…

In the greenhouses, wallflowers are growing and rows of harvested tulips are empty; buttercups, overwhelmed by the early heatwave, are dormant.

In the cold room, a converted barn, apricot-coloured poppies and purple sweet peas are cooling before being put into bouquets.

On the table, vases of comfrey and lupins are under observation, “to see how long the different varieties remain in bloom.”

This is just a glimpse of the meticulous work and precise knowledge that is required: not everyone can become a farmer-florist, and even less so when it comes to slow flowers .