Meet Glory Warner | Farmer Florist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Glory Warner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Glory, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
It’s been a long and ongoing process for me to establish a healthy work life balance. As the saying goes, “If we don’t take care of ourselves, how can we take care of others” In this sense, the “other” is not just other people but the business itself. As a farmer an floral designer, working in the field is me stepping out my back door, and working from the office is often from the kitchen table where I currently write this. Because my daily tasks are so deeply interwoven with my home life, it can be a challenge to create proper boundaries for myself, taking intentional time to relax at home even though my tasks are all around me. When I first started Laurel Botanicals, I dove in head first. I said yes to a lot more things than I said no to. My father instilled in me an incredibly strong work ethic which has been both a blessing and a curse. I used to think that my value as both a person and a business owner was directly related to how much I could accomplish and how efficient and productive I could be. Society likes us to believe this. After several years of working multiple farmer’s markets in a week, taking on lots of weddings and commissions and saying yes to almost every opportunity that arose, I kind of hit rock bottom. My adrenals were shot and I got so used to the go, go, go mentality that my mental and physical health began to suffer. Piling that on to being my father’s full time care giver as his health declined was a recipe for disaster. I realized that the way I was living/working was not sustainable. I had to make some big changes in order to stay in business by taking the emphasis off productivity and maximum profit and putting it onto my well being. I dropped out of all markets but The Vineyard Farmer’s Market which my family has vended at for over 25 years, I decided to take a 2 month winter hiatus every year, and I stopped saying yes so often. When I make decisions about what work to do and who to do it with, I have to really feel that it’s right for me both personally and professionally. I want to make sure that I take on projects that are meaningful and resonant which means that now I’m not afraid to say no.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think of my farm/garden as a canvas. It’s a living and ever-changing artistic expression. Growing up on the farm and learning about caring for plants from an early age has made me quite confident in that arena. Once I took over the business, I started exploring floral design as apposed to just wholesale, it was intimidating at first. I never though of myself as much of an artist even given my history of farming. Once I started to view my garden as an art form and trust my intuition with design, I became more confident. I’ve never had any formal training in floral design and have mostly been inspired by nature. I just started making floral arrangements over and over just for the fun of it. My style, therefore, kind of took on a mind of its own. I never know 100% how a piece is going to turn out until I create it and it’s in those moments of loosing my sense of time and letting the flowers speak for themselves that I find the most gratification and frankly, make the most beautiful pieces. Floral design can be intimidating to a lot of folks at first. I’ve taught some classes on intuitive flower arranging and like to emphasize to my students that there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to create art with flowers. Letting go a bit of the desire to control the outcome is how my art has developed. Not only is it a beautiful way to create art, but it’s a much more feminine way of going about life and can be quite therapeutic to relinquish control.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

Although you have to look for it, Fresno has so much amazing food, art, and community. Being in such close proximity to the Sierra is also a mega perk for all sorts of adventures. We love it here and want to share with you some of our favorite spots! We are closest to North Fresno which has a lot of great food options. But the Tower and Downtown neighborhoods are where we like to hang when we go to town.

Dining:

$”Al’s Cafe” on Olive Street just west of Highway 99. An outstanding greasy spoon breakfast with American and Mexican options. This was recommended by our friends Natalie and Christian at their wedding, and we liked it so much we want to put it here too!

$$”Heirloom” North Fresno. Lunch and dinner. Great pub and grub with a farm to table seasonal menu.

$$”Little Fat Dumpling” North Fresno. Our favorite spot for Chinese! Great soup dumplings along with all the classics. Their spicy soup (shui zhi, sliced beef or fish) is the bomb.

$ Central Fish Company, Downtown Fresno. A small Japanese market and counter service restaurant that has been in the same location for over 50 years. Really fresh Japanese food. Think poke salad and fried fish in a basket.

$$ West Coast Fish and Chips, on Gettysburg Street just east of Blackstone Street. Honestly some of the best fish and chips in California. They make their own sauces and there are several fish/seafood options.

$$$ “Ovidio’s” Central West Fresno. This is our “feeling fancy” Italian favorite. House made pastas, with actual Boletus edulis (porcini) in the wild mushroom agnolotti! Everything we’ve tried has been amazing.

$$ “Southgate Brewing Company” Oakhurst off of Highway 41 (on the way to Yosemite). A great local brew pub with amazing food. Their burgers are some of the best in the area.

$$ “Libelula” in downtown Fresno. Modern California cuisine with Mediterranean/Southern influence.

$”Mega Texas Barbecue” Just north of Downtown. Located in an Arco gas station on the corner of McKinley and First. Don’t be mislead, if Alija learned anything living in the south, it was that some of the very best barbecue was served from a roadside stand or in gas station.

Drinking:

“Tioga Sequoia Brewing Company” Downtown Fresno. Fresno’s Biggest Brewery. They have an outdoor taproom and are frequented by taco trucks.

“Goldstein’s Mortuary and Delicatessen” Tower District Fresno. Hip bar with lots of outdoor space and often live music.

“Spokeasy” Tower District. Bicycle themed and Bicycle friendly bar with great community vibes!

“Full Circle Brewing Co” Downtown Fresno. A warehouse microbrewery with outstanding live music. If you go drinking in one place in Fresno, make it here! This place has very unique beer that you won’t find far from Fresno. Also, a black-owned business.

Recreation Fresno:

Woodward Park

Roeding Park

Forestier Underground Gardens

Clovis bike trail

Foothills:

Pincushion Peak trail (starting at South Finegold Recreation Area on Millerton Lake). (20 minutes)

Millerton Lake (20 minutes)

San Joaquin River Gorge (45 minutes)

Hensley Reservoir (Disc Golf and Mountain biking) (30 minutes)

King’s River above Pine Flat Reservoir (2 hours)

The Mountains:

Yosemite National Park (1 Hour)

Sequoia and King’s Canyon National Park (1.5 Hours)

Angel Falls (45 minutes) starting at Bass Lake

Lewis Creek Trail (45 minutes) starting at Bass Lake

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be farming if it wasn’t for my Father John Oat Warner who stated the farm I currently work on some 25 years ago. He instilled in me the passion for sustainability, and all things botanical, while giving me the encouragement and love it takes to do the job. My brother True who got me into herbalism, Permaculture, and land regeneration practices. Also, I can’t forget to thank all the other small business in Fresno who’ve collaborated and supported me, and all my long term and returning clients who continue to make this possible.

Website: laurelbotanicals.com

Instagram: laurelbotanicals