In this beloved 2018 story, we shared the story behind Lisa Luna Elizarraras’ clever succulent pairings for Flora Luna Designs.
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Story by Pamela Price
We first encountered her as @Rasheika on Instagram. Her real name, however, is Lisa Luna Elizarraras.
And at 16 she fell in love with “all things floral” at her first job, in a flower shop.
“It’s a skill that I have often fallen back on thankfully, having held the title of ‘florist’ many times in my life,” said Elizarraras. Today she owns Flora Luna Designs in Dripping Springs, but the path to shopkeeper was a winding one.
“I journeyed through life as a mom, but always came back to flowers if ever a friend was getting married or whenever I had a chance to visit a flower farm and create an arrangement for someone.”
Like many of seasoned parents, Elizarraras is finding her brood’s transition from early childhood to empty nest allows room for personal creativity to blossom.
“I am the mother of two beautiful daughters, and I am finding since they are older now that the things I used to spend time teaching them about when they were young–botany, birds and insects–have turned Into my passion. I keep bees now and love adding to my pollinator garden. We also raise chickens and my daughter sells fresh eggs. I have always loved nature study and looking at the connections within the plant world. Being outside working in my little garden workshop my husband built me creating something for someone is my happy.
At some point along the way, she found that gardening held as much of an appeal as the bouquets she made.
“Old roses, sweet peas, dahlias–I couldn’t get enough! Then I found succulents.”
Elizarraras began to collect the hardy plants, placing them in imaginative containers.
“I read, visited garden sales, took classes, and made all the mistakes I needed to to find my way with succulents. I was in love with their texture, colors and the fact that they could almost always recreate themselves. The first time I saw a succulent pumpkin I was hooked. I wait all year to create them in the fall. It’s the ultimate design prize combining floristry and succulents!”
Her work is noteworthy for the clever, colorful containers she uses in her designs.
“I started collecting and planting in vintage tins for my arrangements. I love all things vintage, and my husband is pretty good at finding these for me. I have a quite a collection of these coffee cans–because I’m coffee obsessed, but I collect anything tin! I also love old poultry feeders or anything rusty I can put in my garden . . . . Working with succulents is a little more forgiving [than with cut flowers] and can be worked with at a more relaxed pace. I have been incorporating succulents into weddings which has been a fun new trend.”
Elizarraras and her family are new the the Hill Country region, having moved to Drippin’ just two years ago. A fan of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, she’s learning the ropes of cultivating beautiful things in what can be at times a hardscrabble growing environment.
“The springtime wildflowers have my heart. I am learning about gardening the challenges living in the Hill Country, but I also see endless possibilities with more options for growing seasons, and my succulents seem to be happy here.”
And so, it seems, is Elizarraras.
“I love the community here! People have been so supportive of my creations and have been so positive. My dear friend who owns Vintage Soul TX right here in town, sometimes lets me put my container gardens and succulent pumpkins in her sweet store so that is fun for me. I would love to be able to offer more classes in the future, because I love being with plant people.”
You can find Lisa Luna Elizarraras and her Flora Luna Designs on Facebook and Instagram.
