Weddings and Special Events Are the Focus at Field of Flowers North
Christina Pfeufer’s gardens are focused on supplying her wedding and special events flower business which she located on five village lots in Northport four years ago.
She established the Northport gardens in 2015 after moving from her original location in Lake Leelanau, Michigan. A Michigan native, Christina lived and worked in New York City for many years, establishing herself as a highly creative and talented floral designer.
When she chose the Northport location, Christina began by enriching the soil with plantings of buckwheat. From there she began planting the perennial gardens that provide the basis for much of the floral design she creates.
Visitors to Field of Flowers will be able travel behind the big red gate at the entrance to the property and see a wealth of flowers including some familiar wedding favorites like the snowball viburnum and the Anna Bell and limelight hydrangeas. Adding color to the mix is a planting of sunflowers that should be in full bloom by tour day and a phlox I fell in love with while visiting her gardens – a variety named Caramel Cherry. Also in bloom now are spectacular dahlias including the Coral Ball and the Black Knight varieties which are pictured here.
In addition, tour participants will see some beautiful and unique flowers like Lisianthus and Gomphrena, lots of annuals and even a small vegetable garden and be able to ask Christina questions about the plantings. In touring the property visitors will see her small greenhouse/porch (the greenhouse converts to a screened in porch for summer) where in early spring she plants annual crops of flowers for specialty cutting.
What’s truly amazing about this garden is that on five village lots that include a house and a production space where Field of Flowers designs are created Christina’s gardens produce so bountifully – in 2018 she grew over 5,000 flowers.
Christina Pfeufer’s garden is located on Warren Street in Northport. It will be one of eight gardens on the Northport Area Heritage Association’s fundraising tour on July 31. The tour, which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is $25. Students and children are free. Tickets are available at the Pennington Collection, Tamarack Gallery and the Northport Museum or they can be purchased the day of the tour at the various gardens.
Creative and targeted programs that make an impact are the hallmark of experienced marketing professional Ruth Steele Walker. Focusing on results that improve the bottom line, she accelerates projects from conception to implementation with a mastery of writing, production, placement, budgeting and coordination.
During more than 25 years with Foremost Corporation of America, the nation's leading insurer of manufactured housing and recreational vehicles, Walker consistently produced effective communications programs that resulted in increased net written premium. Her expertise in crisis communications was a vital part of Foremost's exemplary customer service in the wake of hurricanes, floods and earthquakes. Walker specializes in communications targeting the 50+ demographic, with an emphasis in communications for the 65+ segment.
Among other achievements, Walker developed communications for the merger of Foremost and Farmers Insurance, addressing audiences including customers, employees, trade and consumer media. For Foremost's 50th anniversary, she created a celebration program of internal and external promotions, special events, recognition and a 162-page commemorative book.
Earlier in her career, Walker was a newspaper reporter, a TV and radio producer, and worked in national sales and traffic at network TV affiliates. Walker earned a BA in journalism from Michigan State University and an MS in communications from Grand Valley State University.
She and her husband Scott operate a small vineyard in Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, producing premium vinifera wine grapes. The vineyard has been the largest local supplier for Suttons Bay wine label L. Mawby, recently named one of the world's top producers of sparkling wines.
