It is five in the afternoon on a weekend at the beginning of spring in lofriu , a municipality near Begur, in the heart of the Costa Brava. A path between orchards takes us to Horta de la Viola.
The field welcomes us . In its surroundings horses and sheep graze peacefully, everything is calm, and in the distance we see an old mill and a small wooden house. We have arrived.
In this peaceful place we are welcomed with a smile Maren Termens , owner of it together with her husband Raimon, environmentalologist and agroecological farmer, from Horta de la Viola, a project that was born as agroecological vegetable garden in 2001 , but little by little it was drifting into what it is today, an organic flower cultivation garden . And something else: a small paradise on the Costa Brava dedicated to flowers and a place of reference in Spain (and internationally) for all lovers of the profession and fans of floriculture.
This afternoon, 12 fans met to hold a special workshop, one of the many that Maren carries out in Horta de la Viola throughout the year; although, as she points out, spring marks the beginning of the flower season, the most important of all.
Together with Sonia, from Passage Flowers , perform a spring floral art workshop . Sonia is also passionate about her craft. She left the legal profession after many years for the flowers, and here, on the Costa Brava, she met Maren and convinced her to “download” her flowers to Barcelona. Now you can buy flowers from the Horta in the city, one of the points of sale is the florist Passage Flowers (Trafalgar Street, 26).
Maren making a flower arrangement.
The special thing about the occasion is that we ourselves will be able to cut them from the garden, something unusual because normally in this type of workshop the flowers are already cut and prepared.
Maren gives us some indications, above all, do not step on the land where flowers are born , because it is a 100% organic crop and we can spoil it, cut it without damaging the irrigation and let ourselves be carried away by a field full of tulips, zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, buttercups… And, despite the fact that the garden has yet to be in full splendor, you can already see a small blanket of orange, pink, white, red, burgundy colors. Coming here has been worth it.
Sonia and Maren teach us how to arrange the flower arrangement, which will be the closest thing to what we can find in the wild. A bouquet where the flowers are not perfectly aligned, where the colors combine happily and where each flower grows in its own time. The arrangement will not be made in floral sponge , a resource widely used by florists, but very little ecological. Instead we will use a mesh that we can use many more times.
Between laughter, flowers and advice, Maren and Sonia have prepared a small snack : a yogurt cake, fruit water and mint, chocolate, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries… A delight to end a day that we hope to repeat soon, because returning to Horta de la Viola has become, from the first second, a travel obsession. There is something here that inspires you, that makes you happy.
Horta de la Viola, floral paradise on the Costa Brava.
A PROJECT THAT IS BORN FROM LOVE FOR FLOWERS
We talked to Maren to understand much more about her and her project. This technical architect left the city of Barcelona 20 years ago to see the Horta grow and also her daughter, Violeta. “The project is called Horta de la Viola because it is located in Paratge de la Viola, in Llofriu, which belongs to Palafrugell (Girona). We are located 4km from the Mediterranean Sea, so the climate is mild in winter and hot in summer”, she explains.
The farm has two hectares, although currently they only cultivate one. “ We produce our own stock and grow, especially annual flowers , although we also have some perennials and bulbs”.
The land belonged to Raimon's uncle; when he told them about it, they decided to buy it. “We didn't think too much, it seemed practical to us, being close to the town and the land was of quality. The only problem is that 20 years later the water table has dropped many meters , leaving us several summers without water. On December 31, 2020 we decided to stop growing vegetables and dedicate ourselves exclusively to flowers”, she explains to Traveler.es.
But all this is not born out of nowhere, Maren was cultivating her passion and training in the best schools: floret (USA) and Green & Gorgeous (Great Britain), to gradually shape the project that we know today.
“Our work philosophy is linked to our lifestyle. It is a small family project, which does not want to grow -but to improve- in order to be able to continue taking care of our land, diversity, having a healthy and caring contact with our environment, without pesticides, farming in a sustainable way and having a close relationship with our clients. We seek balance in being able to live from flowers , trying to return everything that the earth has offered us, seeking a balance and not depleting resources. We are looking for local sale , the link with our clients and we avoid plastic packaging, single-use waste that the agro-industrial world of floriculture produces. We try to be as consistent as possible, whenever we can”.
Violeta, Maren's daughter, among flowers.
A PASSION MADE WORK
Maren explains that he never thought he would be able to grow and sell flowers, but life always holds surprises. Her passion for her seeds led her to investigate and plant, and with this trial and error, she understood that she could do it. Today Horta de la Viola is more than a garden.
“The project is sustained thanks to the sale of bouquets with our own flowers and that our clients can pick up at the farm or even -due to COVID- we started sending bouquets by courier, obtaining good results. When we have surpluses, we offer our flowers to a small group of florists who share our philosophy and who value local and ecological products. As the main purpose is to be able to have special flowers to create our own arrangements, We also dedicate ourselves to the floral decoration of weddings and other events. ”, she adds.
Another of her strong points are the floral art and floriculture workshops , which she also confesses she loves. “It gives us time to share a good time with clients, create wonderful arrangements and chat about flowers. These small projects need a lot of support to be able to survive , and for this reason, we also rent the farm to photographers or carry out small workshops or training tours to schools, etc. We are very versatile, on the one hand because what is new motivates us and we like it and, on the other hand, it helps not to depend solely on one source of income, which can cause problems when inconveniences arise”, she underlines.
Maren in the Horta de la Viola.
A DAY BY DAY AMONG FLOWERS
Being a florist is not an easy task, although it may seem very bucolic, the land is a lot of work . The routines in the Horta de la Viola vary according to the season. “A typical summer day starts at six in the morning, when it is cool for both flowers and humans. We only try to work abroad in the mornings and I take care of all the paperwork in the afternoon. In summer we usually concentrate on the harvest, the sale, workshops and weddings”.
Planting, weeding, harvesting, treating pests, setting up irrigation systems or micro-tunnels , removing crops, preparing the land, assembling bouquets, doing transport and many more jobs are what he carries out on a daily basis. Sometimes alone, other times accompanied. In the afternoons he dedicates them to online work, from the management of the workshops to the didactic materials of his Floriculture online course.
“In winter everything changes. The working hours start at 8:00 and we plant the winter bulbs and make the campus that will be for the spring, but essentially we dedicate ourselves to cleaning the orchard, and above all, to the maintenance of the infrastructure” .
Already in the spring is when the season begins , it is in these five months when the garden explodes in endless colors, they offer workshops and experiences. “This spring I am very excited because the chef Iolanda Busts she is going to present her new book also in the garden”, she tells us. There will be walks and homegrown harvests, which are the main novelties of the season.
How to be aware of everything? We must not lose sight of her Instagram, not only because Maren announces the news, but because she also gives us fantastic writings and reflections on the day-to-day life of a flower grower, florist and agroecological farmer.
Important note: the Horta de la Viola is a private orchard , so it is always necessary to ask permission to visit it. The best way to do this is by signing up for one of the activities they carry out throughout the year.