From Royal Oak Apartment 
Lavender Field to CSA Bouquets
(Crystal A. Proxmire, May 31, 2017)
Royal Oak, MI – What started as just a unique cooperative concept is blossoming into a beautiful partnership that’s bringing joy to people in Detroit and Royal Oak. Earlier this month we brought you word that Detroit based nonprofit ABloom was preparing to turn greenspace at Urbane Apartment locations into flower gardens to grow flowers for a unique bouquet-a-week program.
Supporters of Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA) can be part of a 10-week bouquet-a-week program for $200, where each week they can be surprised with a special new creation.
Flowers are grown mainly throughout Detroit on otherwise empty lots or in donated space. Urbane Apartment CEO Eric Brown fell in love with the idea and offered space at his properties. The project took root at their South Crooks location in Royal Oak, and it’s already blossoming nicely.
Brown is excited about the program. “Detroit Abloom bouquets are inspired by seasonal diversity and will connect you to the spring, summer and fall seasons in Michigan. These flowers are not your typical supermarket, generic flowers from South or Central America or 
Mexico. As the season progresses, their bouquets evolve from springs’ pastels to include a great variety of summer beauties, field foraged cuts such as Queen Ann’s Lace and Mugwort and reach a season end climax with stunning arrays of perfect dahlias.
The project is adding another unique touch to the Urbane image, a brand that often features a lime green décor, artsy features with lots of steel and chrome, and amenities targeted to working professionals and creatives who desire community spaces. Brown hopes to expand the project other properties either this year or next.
“There are a plethora of urban gardens in Detroit, most offering fruits and vegetables. When we came across Detroit Abloom and met Tom Milano, Nancy Weigandt and Julia Griffin, we quickly became friends,” Brown said in a previous article. “What we really like about Detroit 
Abloom is that they specialize in the pioneering of flower farming in Detroit as a means to transform vacant blighted land into beautiful and productive landscapes. From our meetings and talks, we have evolved a partnership between Urbane and Detroit Abloom to bring this idea of sanctuary gardens into our Urbane community. We are beyond jazz-a-rooned.” By partnering with Urbane, Detroit ABloom is doubling their lavender yield. “And our Royal Oak neighbors can enjoy the beauty and fragrance of lavender,” he said.
There are two 10 week programs available. Here are the details:
#1 Spring to Summer, June 8th through August 10th $200.00 ($20/week and a one-time $10 bucket charge),
#2 Summer to Fall, August 17th, through October 19th $200.00 ($20/week and a one-time $10 bucket charge).
Bouquets will be available weekly on Thursdays after 4pm on at these two pick-up locations:
310 West Sixth Street, Royal Oak (Urbane Underground-Downtown Royal Oak)
313 Newport Street, Detroit 48215 (Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood)
Call (248)-767-4460 to get signed up for the 2017 Detroit Abloom Flower Season and you can have Fresh Flowers each week. Or email EricBrown.Urbane@gmail.com.
Urbane Apartments is a proud advertising sponsor of locally-driven projects like Detroit Abloom and Oakland County Times.
Learn more about Urbane communities at http://www.urbaneapts.com.
Learn more about Detroit ABloom at https://www.facebook.com/detroitabloom/.
