Our family’s journey with flowers goes back to 1905, when my great-grandfather, Otto Sander, arrived in America. Drawn to floristry, Otto opened The Bloom Box in Saint Louis, first in the Century Building in 1905, then at the Maryland Hotel after it opened in 1908. He and his wife, Maria, along with their three children, also ran a small flower stand on the corner of Kingshighway and Delmar. For four decades, Otto and Maria ran The Bloom Box, and their children learned the importance of love and celebration through flowers.
In 2021, we revived the family business as a cut flower and botanicals farm in Fredericktown and Saint Louis, Missouri. We dedicated Bloom Box Botanicals to the legacy of Otto and Maria.
Saint Louis
Our Saint Louis location spans less than 6,000 square feet across two sites in mid and north county. Here, we grow nearly all our early spring and late fall flowers. Like many urban farmers, we maximize every available space. The landscape is always changing, and it’s impressive how many flowers we can produce in such a small area.
Fredericktown
In Fredericktown, we are transforming 5 acres of former cattle pasture by installing raised beds using no-till methods. On the remaining 95 acres, we work with a forester to identify and remove invasive species, a constant work in progress. Using modern agroforestry techniques, we protect the forest while bringing it into production, planting forest-grown shade flowers and botanicals.
How We Grow
We grow fresh, local flowers using organic and sustainable practices, and we work to minimize our environmental impact. We aren’t certified organic, but we rely on organic fertilizers and pest control, grow no-till, compost, and reuse our plastics wherever we can. In Fredericktown, we use forest farming techniques to grow shade flowers and botanicals while protecting the woods.
By choosing Bloom Box Botanicals, you are supporting a family dedicated to caring for the environment and growing sustainably, so our woodlands stay healthy for generations to come.