The Art of Arranging: Floral Inspiration From Farmer Blue

Floral designer Kim Epley shares her secrets to choosing complementary blooms, creating natural movement and building centerpieces that bring the whole table together.

Story by Lance Hanlin
Photography by Michael Hrizuk

For Kim Epley, floral design is an exercise in balance: knowing when to add color, create movement and leave space. At Farmer Blue, a 12-acre sustainable flower farm in Seabrook, that philosophy guides everything from simple centerpieces to elaborate wedding installations. Her husband, Dave (aka Farmer Blue), grows flowers and works with regional growers, while Kim transforms the blooms into designs for special occasions. Photographer Michael Hrizuk visited The Studio at Farmer Blue to capture two arrangements and a tablescape created for a client’s celebration, offering a glimpse into her creative process and inspiration for gatherings at home.

A Study in Softness: A Coastal-Inspired Floral Arrangement

Soft blooms, graceful lines and a touch of the coast

Working with white, cream and soft blush blooms, Kim added blue-toned eucalyptus and greenery for depth and contrast. Rounded hydrangeas and garden roses create fullness, while sculptural calla lilies and ornamental grasses add movement inspired by the Lowcountry landscape. Many flowers were grown at Farmer Blue, with others sourced from regional growers, including dahlias from near Greenville. A vessel with a mother-of-pearl glow subtly nods to the coast. The combination of delicate petals, sculptural stems and natural textures creates a sense of effortless elegance. The result is abundant yet airy, with each bloom playing a distinct role.

In the arrangement

1. White hydrangea: A lush, rounded focal point that anchors the arrangement.
2. Calla lilies: Farm-grown blooms with sculptural curves that introduce height, direction and movement.
3. Belvidere lilies: Creamy, double-flowered blooms that add delicacy without fragrance or pollen.
4. Café au Lait dahlia: A large, layered bloom that adds softness and dimension near the top.
5. Pink ball dahlia: A compact pop of blush that breaks up the neutral palette.
6. Garden roses: Romantic, layered petals that contribute fullness and elegance.
7. Eucalyptus: Farm-grown, silvery-blue foliage that provides rounded texture and contrast.
8. Pennisetum and greenery: Airy seed heads and long leaves that create texture and coastal movement.

Color Outside the Lines: Create a Colorful Meadow

Bold blooms and free-flowing greenery create a colorful meadow

Where the white arrangement whispers, this one makes an entrance. Kim envisioned a meadow bursting with color, with flowers rising at different heights and reaching naturally beyond their containers. Shades of pink, purple, coral and burgundy create a playful palette, while glossy green foliage grounds the composition.

Dramatic purple calla lilies establish height and direction. Rounded dahlias create pockets of concentrated color, while feathery astilbe, textured celosia and delicate gomphrena fill the spaces between. Jasmine vines gathered from a neighbor’s yard extend outward, lending the flowers an almost untamed quality.

The open gold framework gives the arrangement a sense of architecture without weighing it down. Its geometric lines contrast with the wandering jasmine vines, towering calla lilies and rounded dahlias, creating a composition that feels both spontaneous and carefully considered.

“At a certain point, the arrangement speaks back to you.”

— Kim Epley

The arrangement also illustrates one of Kim’s guiding principles: empty space matters. Rather than packing flowers tightly together, she allows individual stems to stand apart, revealing their shapes and encouraging the eye to travel through the design.

The same approach works on a smaller scale. A few carefully placed stems at different heights can create more interest than a vase filled to capacity.

In the arrangement

1. Purple calla lilies: Dramatic height, sculptural curves and bold color.
2. Dahlias: Rounded focal blooms that establish rhythm throughout the design.
3. Pale pink lisianthus: Farm-grown, ruffled blooms that balance stronger colors.
4. Celosia: Rich texture and vibrant shades of pink, rose and burgundy.
5. Astilbe: Feathery stems that add lightness and airy movement.
6. Gomphrena: Small, farm-grown flowers that create playful accents.
7. Gardenia foliage: Glossy green leaves that provide structure and contrast.
8. Jasmine vines: Trailing greenery that extends the meadow-inspired silhouette.

Set the Scene: Style a Welcoming Tablescape

Thoughtful details make every gathering memorable

A thoughtfully designed table invites guests to settle in, enjoy the moment and stay awhile. For Kim that experience begins not with the centerpiece or place settings, but with a simple question: How should the gathering feel?

For this design the goal was an atmosphere that felt casual, comfortable and welcoming, with the natural beauty of a meadow as its inspiration. Kim and her team assembled the entire setting in their studio, allowing them to see how the flowers, linens, dishes and candlelight worked together before the client’s celebration.

The botanical tablecloth establishes the garden-inspired foundation. Woven green place mats and soft green napkins repeat its colors and textures, while simple white dishes provide a visual pause between patterns. Gold accents add warmth, and small candles introduce a welcoming glow.

The centerpiece makes the strongest statement, but the smaller details give the table its personality. Bud vases filled with individual flowers extend the arrangement along the table, allowing guests to appreciate the character of each stem. One pairs a soft pink dahlia with Greendrops grown in Farmer Blue’s Seabrook fields. Decorative turtle napkin rings offer a playful nod to the Lowcountry’s coastal wildlife.

Nothing feels overly coordinated, yet everything belongs together. The best tables aren’t necessarily the most elaborate. They’re the ones that make guests feel welcome, encourage conversation and turn an ordinary gathering into something worth remembering.

Something New Is Blooming in Bluffton

Farmer Blue is preparing for its next chapter with a new Bluffton studio scheduled to open in December. The expanded space will give Kim and her team more room to create large-scale wedding and corporate-event designs, while offering clients a place to explore materials and experience design mock-ups, from complete tablescapes to flowering trees and suspended floral chandeliers. Plans also include workshops in growing and floral design, opportunities for creative collaboration and greater access to the farm’s seasonal flowers. The studio will serve as a distribution point, bringing locally grown blooms closer to customers who want to enjoy them at home. With the Culinary Institute of the South nearby, Kim also sees opportunities for future collaborations combining flowers, food and entertaining.