We are happy to announce the Garden’s new partnership with Postal Petals® founder and CEO Talia R. Boone, along with Abra Lee from Conquer the Soil, which will bring to life a brand new event on September 10. Music x Flowers at South Coast Botanic Garden aims to amplify African American voices in floriculture with both a daytime and nighttime event.
“As a Garden whose mission is to connect ALL to the wonders of nature and to create experiences that inspire stewardship and sustainability, Music x Flowers is just one of the many ways in which we are living our purpose and serving the Community,” says Adrienne Nakashima, the Garden’s CEO. “Talia and Abra have been leaders in advancing opportunities for African Americans in floriculture and we are excited to partner with them to create an event that is inclusive, educational and fun.”
During the day, two Wellness x Flowers programs featuring gentle yoga, guided meditations and floral arranging will allow visitors to interact with the event creators. The daytime event will also feature local artists working on five major floriculture installations that visitors can watch being created, as well as food and drink at our Pop-up Refreshment Station inside the Dorothy and Allen Lay Staghorn Fern Collection. At night, the Garden will be transformed for a 21 and over ticketed event that will merge Southern California music, fashion and floriculture in a way that’s never been done before.
Tickets for the event will be available for purchase beginning August 10. General Garden admission will grant access to the daytime activities and a separate ticket is required to attend the evening event. Though guests don’t have to come to both events, it is highly recommended.
“This event is a celebration of the very best of LA culture through the lens of music and flowers. During the day, we’ll treat guests to a floral wellness experience, then get them excited about the evening event as they watch the artists in real time build the floral installations that will serve as the centerpiece for the night,” says Talia Boone. “Both the day and evening offerings will include interactive elements, but the live music and entertainment will really be the heartbeat of the ticketed event.”
While guests will have fun and be entertained, there’s a larger meaning behind the event for both Talia and Abra, and for the Garden. The event was inspired by a quote from Bessie Weaver, a pioneer African American florist who is credited as once saying, “Be it said to the credit of our race, our people have always been lovers of music and flowers.”
Educating people on the relationship between floriculture and the African American community has been a passion of both Talia and Abra, and this event is the culmination of that passion.
“Music x Flowers is really about the uplift of women using flowers to feel economic independence, to feel wealth, to be able to have a job to take care of their children, even bring their children to work, so it’s really just centered in women’s empowerment and celebrating the uplift of beauty, flowers, blooms, color,” says Abra Lee. “That is as necessary as water, fresh food; there’s no separating that. We want every day people – all people – to know that this is as important to you as fresh air.”
Music x Flowers Details
What: A celebration and amplification of African American voices in floriculture through workshops, music, fashion and more.
Where: South Coast Botanic Garden, 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes Peninsula
When: September 10. Daytime event is 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Evening event is 6 – 10 p.m.
Tickets: Music x Flowers daytime event is included with Garden Admission (free for Members and up to $15 for non-members). The evening ticketed event is $45 for Members and $55 for non-members and includes two tastings and one drink ticket.
