what was flower house?

during the third weekend of october 2015, cutting edge florists from michigan and across the country filled the walls and ceilings of an abandoned detroit house with american-grown fresh flowers and living plants for a weekend installation friday, october 16th through sunday october 18th, with an estimated 3,000+ visitors.

after the october installation weekend passed, the house that held the exhibition was responsibly deconstructed and its materials repurposed. in fall 2018, the land was converted into a public park for the neighborhood on their formerly neglected properties. 

the first weekend of may 2015, the flower house team hosted a preview event in a neighboring vacant house to whet the whistles of interested florists, curious visitors, and potential sponsors. the project has been featured in local, national, and worldwide media for innovation in floral design and repurposing forgotten structures in the city of detroit.

the spirit of flower house lives on in the pages of project photographer heather saunders' book. 

what is flower house now?

the flower house instagram is now a platform for the work and visions of Black floral designers and Black plant people, cross-pollinating a healthier ecosystem than the isolated one in which flower house existed. more about this initiative here.

the land is in the process of becoming a children’s sensory garden. more on that in the link above, and much more on the garden in late march.

welcome to flower house park

the flower house exhibition ticket sales provided the revenue needed to responsibly deconstruct the house to make way for a flower farm, as was the original plan. but after reflecting on the project, creator lisa waud had a different idea: to design a extraordinary park—with plants well-suited for cut floral design.

from lisa: bringing flower house to life was a truly life-changing experience—and expensive! i spent the year following the deconstruction of the house disappointed that there was no budget to design and plant the flower farm that i envisioned during the exhibition. it wasn’t until a (re)visit to the high line in new york in 2017 that i realized i had a unique and urgent opportunity to create something beautiful for the community that made flower house happen. while a flower farm would obviously be a stunning scene, i wanted to offer a place of solace for the neighbors to enjoy. and for yet another year after i was struck with my vision for a park, i could only daydream about how it might come to fruition.

in august 2018, i was invited to speak at the grand hotel garden show on mackinaw island, hosted by proven winners. i hadn’t given my presentation about the project in quite a while, and it was a particularly moving experience when i did that day for over 750 guests in the audience. after i told the flower house story, i connected with so many new friends about the power of beauty and community, and the spirit of the city of detroit. and then, just a week later, i found myself reading an email from proven winners telling me they would love to support the creation of the park. i thought my heart was about to shine out of my chest!

so, it is with much joy to announce that on saturday, october 6th, 2018, we planted the flower house park—with thanks to proven winners and their regional growers at spring meadow nursery, walters gardens, and four star greenhouse for supplying the shrubs, perennials, and annuals.

please visit the park anytime at 11751 dequindre, in hamtramck, michigan.