Wildwood Resident Makes Custom Wood Flower Arrangements
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
Photo by Lydia Berglar – Cay Carroll, owner of Wildwood Roses, holds one of her recent bouquets made from wood flowers ahead of Valentine’s Day. Home decor needs, holidays, special occasions, and weddings bring customers to Carroll’s small business venture.
Although Cay Carroll has loved flowers for as long as she can remember, making arrangements out of wood flowers wasn’t part of her plan until a divorce led to a new season in her life. Now, she delights in sharing beauty with her customers through her small business, Wildwood Roses.
Carroll’s family has deep roots in Wildwood–her great-grandfather lived on the same road as Carroll’s current home. Her daughter and son-in-law (Maegan and Max Lewis) are the owners of Rosie Mae’s Alpaca Farm near Carroll’s home.
Before her divorce in 2020, Carroll had been a stay-at-home mother. With the shift in her life, she set about learning a new hobby and building a small business from it.
She had seen the wooden flowers sold online and looked into using them for gifts before deciding to try her hand as a small business owner. She said, “Right before Mother’s Day 2020, I started making arrangements as fast as I could, started Wildwood Roses on Facebook, and it took off from there.”
Carroll received numerous Mother’s Day orders, and it wasn’t long before someone asked her to make flowers for a wedding reception. That led to her entering the wedding scene, and she’s made flowers for about 15 weddings in the last four years. She also makes heart board decor pieces (with some showcasing leftover barn wood) and arrangements in boxes, watering cans, and other containers.
Carroll orders the flowers from a supplier that makes them from the root of the cassava bush, and they arrive plain and white. While Carroll has found other wooden flowers sold in stores, she likes these because they are soft to the touch and very malleable, making them feel lifelike.
Painting the flowers allows for creative freedom, meaning Carroll can create blue roses and other flower/color combinations that don’t occur naturally. Blues and purples are some of her customers’ favorite colors as well as pale blush and taupe colors. Roses, hydrangeas, peonies, and sunflowers are often in demand.
For flowers like sunflowers and daisies, Carroll uses real thistles in the center. She adds other natural elements like ferns, pinecones, and dried flowers to the arrangements, preserving and drying flowers herself.
One thing Carroll loves about her craft is the personal connection with customers. She said, “When I sit down to make a piece, I try to imagine the person I’m making it for. Whether it’s a wedding, a bouquet, or a home decor piece, I pray for them and keep in mind what we’ve talked about, what they’re going through, and why they want the piece. If it’s a wedding, I’m praying for their marriage. If it’s a hard time they’re going through, I’m praying for their situation.”
Carroll enjoys getting to play a little part in people’s lives, knowing that her creations will stay beautiful for a long time. “A part of my heart goes into each one,” she said. “I want to make sure I’m giving my best to the customer so it’s as pretty as can be and they’re getting great value for their money.”
Carroll makes heart boards with old barn wood (like the one pictured here) and some without a wood background showing.
One customer had an antique pewter pitcher and asked Carroll to fill it with pine branches. She enjoys making pieces like this for customers’ unique containers. (Otherwise, she provides vases for bouquets.) She said, “I’m willing to try to do anything, if a customer has an idea, a container, or a special memory. It’s about what they like and what’s beautiful in their eyes.”
She also works to meet customer’s budget ranges. Typically, her bouquets are $65-$75, with bridal bouquets being more expensive.
Carroll also works with customers on bouquet replicas. Customers provide a photo of their wedding bouquet or other flowers with sentimental value, and Carroll makes custom replicas using the wood flowers.
This year, Carroll has several goals for her business. She would like to dedicate more time to her work and grow the business. She’s found that “the more I post on Facebook, the higher the demand.” She is repairing a building near her home to use as a studio. Here, she’ll better be able to have consultations, and she wants to plant flowers around the building that she can preserve for the arrangements.
Carroll loves her work. She said, “It’s good for my soul. Good things can come from what you think is the end of the road. You learn new things, and you grow as a person.”
You can view photos of Carroll’s creations and contact her through her Facebook page “Wildwood Roses.” Customers can also contact her through email (wildwoodroses20@gmail.com) and phone (423-304-4339).
