As the coronavirus pandemic progresses into its sixth month with no end in sight, a group of florists from Beach Plum Farm have been creating large flower displays around Cape May in hopes to brighten up the day of locals and tourists.
But there is one catch. You won't know when or where these displays will pop up but that's just part of the beauty of it.
“The whole concept is you’re down here taking a walk and all of a sudden you’re like, wait where did all these flowers come from, they don’t belong here,” said Krystina Kennedy, general manager of the farm.
It’s called a Flower Flash, inspired by New York City floral designer Lewis Miller who is the creator of the surprise flower displays.
Christina Albert, Beach Plum Farm director of agriculture, who follows Miller on Instagram, said that she thought that bringing the same concept to Cape May would provide an uplifting response to people in these difficult times when they least expect it.
Passersby look at a Flower Flash display, created by Beach Plum Farm, in front of the ACME in Cape May, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
"We wanted to do it for the community to brighten up the day," Albert said. "You can walk by and you can forget about COVID for a minute and you can forget about all the storm damage that we just suffered for a minute and just take in something breathtaking."
“It’s whimsical.”
Wednesday morning, just after sunrise, the “Flash Flower Team” began working on their most recent display at the entrance of the ACME on Ocean Street after spending hours the night before at the farm harvesting and organizing the pieces.
As the sun began to creep over the Victorian homes, Albert and her four-person all-woman team discussed flower placement as they hurriedly assembled the arrangement while dodging automobiles going in and out of the parking lot.
Beach Plum Farm’s Flower Flash display in Cape May, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
“It looks beautiful” and “amazing” were just a few of the compliments that the team received from passersby during the one-and-a-half-hour installation.
The design included sunflowers, black-eyed Susans, celosia and greens all either grown or foraged from the farm. Also incorporated in the design were a trash can and a shopping cart because “we’re at the ACME, it’s a grocery store,” said Albert with a laugh.
When choosing where to have the pop-up displays, Albert said they wanted to provide beautification to municipal or utilitarian spaces.
“We did this one (ACME) because they’ve been doing construction here and it’s not as aesthetically pleasing so we wanted to help beautify the space,” said Kennedy.
The ACME display was the second the team has assembled over the past few weeks, the first being on a lamp post by Congress Hall which is a direct path for people walking to the beach.
“We stood back for the first 15 minutes and just watched every person walk past and smile, and that made us feel really great about what we decided to do, putting a little bit of sunshine and cheer in a really weird time,” Kennedy said.
Other than an emotional response they hope to bring out from the people, Kennedy said that they also want to spread the beauty of Beach Plum Farm out into the city of Cape May.
Beach Plum Farm Director of Agriculture Christina Albert, left, and Wendy Guiles, procurement, event and programming design for Cape Resorts, take a step back and look at their Flower Flash display in front of the ACME in Cape May, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Beach Plum is a 62-acre sustainable farm in West Cape May that provides food to several Cape May restaurants and delivers a true farm-to-table experience. They host dinners three nights a week and provide farm-fresh produce. Five cottages are also available to rent out.
Albert said that people have been very inspired by the displays that there will be one last unannounced Flower Flash closer to fall.
A lot of time and effort goes into each display, which is only up for the day, but that does not deter the team, Kennedy said.
“It’s not like it’s a laborious task that we all hate. We’re doing it because it’s something that we think is fun.”
Beach Plum Farm General Manager Krystina Kennedy works on a Flower Flash display in front of the ACME in Cape May, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Beach Plum Farm Director of Agriculture Christina Albert works on a Flower Flash display in front of the ACME in Cape May, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Beach Plum Farm General Manager Krystina Kennedy works on a Flower Flash display in front of the ACME in Cape May, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020.Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Beach Plum Farm's Flash Flower Team takes a selfie after finishing a pop up display in front of the ACME in Cape May, Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. Tim Hawk | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
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The Link LonkAugust 16, 2020 at 04:06AM
https://www.nj.com/cape-may-county/2020/08/pop-up-flash-flower-displays-in-this-jersey-shore-town-are-sure-to-brighten-your-day.html
Pop-up ‘Flower Flash’ displays in this Jersey Shore town are sure to brighten your day - NJ.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Flower&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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