From Paul Ecke and the poinsettia to the flower parade of the 70s and 80s, flowers have played a big role in the history of our small town. And we’re happy to report that the tradition of growing flowers in Encinitas is alive and well at Dramm & Echter, where they’ve been growing beautiful flowers for 45 years. Their high-quality flowers have ranked them among the top 75 of all horticultural greenhouse producers in the United States, with over 40 flower species in production at any given time in the 950,000 square feet of greenhouse space and 40 acres of open field!
We caught up with Bob Echter, a second generation flower grower, after their successful Petal It Forward Day activation, where they passed out bouquets of flowers to people around town; one for them to keep and one for them to pass on to a stranger. Read on for a quick Q+A with Bob:
L101: What made you want to run your business in Encinitas/Leucadia?
BE: The perfect climate, resources, labor availability supporting our community.
L101: Are you wholesale or can anyone stop by and shop?
BE: We are primarily wholesale but we do sell to the public with $100 minimum purchase.
L101: Where’s your go-to spot in Leucadia for eats and drinks?
BE: Too many to name, a few are Pannikin, La Especial, and Fish 101.
L101: Which flowers should we be planting right now in the fall months?
BE: Right now in our production area we are planting lily bulbs for Valentine’s Day.
L101: What inspires you to implement environmentally friendly processes in your business?
BE: A responsibility to our employees and the community — and it generally saves money. This is from use of beneficial insects, energy savings, recycling packaging, and water and fertilizer recycling.
Follow Dramm & Echter on Facebook and Instagram for more gorgeous photos from their farm.
