Not only is Audrey a beloved staff member, she is also my sister. How lucky am I that I get to see my sister so often and work with her? She is one of the most beautiful people I know– inside and out.
A – Audrey Henschell, Floral Designer and Sales Lead @ OTL Q – Bridgett Blough, Co-Owner @ OTL
What is your favorite animal?
I never could have a favorite animal. But I do love butterflies, especially the monarch butterfly. I find them fascinating because of the way that they live; their life cycle. They are a testament to adaptation and perseverance. But that is a bug, not an animal.
What are you most proud of with your work at Of The Land?
I love to watch our clients enjoy the flowers that we have tended and planned for months. Watching our clients be in awe of the beautiful flower arrangements that I deliver the day before they get married is my favorite moment.
What do you like about working here?
I love that there is always something blooming in all of the garden beds. It gives pollinators resources– birds, bees, butterflies. The diversity of plants that we have supports individual pollinators all throughout the year.
What did you think you would do for a job?
A veterinarian, as a kid especially I loved taking care of animals. Especially hurt and abandoned animals. In the woods I’ve found a dead possum, racoon, and pheasant each with babies and I saved the babies because the mother was dead. I found the pheasant with 18 little babies and I carried them in my shirt and brought them to the nature center. I still stop for turtles when they cross the road.
What have plants taught you that nothing else could?
It has brought me closer to the Earth, the seasons, and the animals and the bugs. I love feeling connected to all of it.
What do you want people to know about the plants?
If they (people) planted more of them at their homes, it would help butterflies, bees, and birds to be healthier and have bigger populations.
Is there any advice you’d give to a beginning gardener or someone who wants to learn about plants?
Growing plants is a way to learn something new every day. I’d suggest finding someone who is a lot older than them, an old lady, and be friends and work in the garden together.
What is your favorite thing to bake or cook?
My favorite thing to do is holiday baking– gingerbread houses, peanut butter balls, meringue mushrooms, buche noel, quince paste, dried persimmons.
What do you love about working with flowers?
I love being outside. I love to tell my seeds good luck and wish them well on their journey when I plant them.
Photos by Raelani Stockwell Photography
