11/07/2025
To know the story of Mermaid City Flowers is to know and understand that this is a legacy project. This is my maternal grandmother, Teresa Hall. She would’ve been 95 today. She remains the most influential horticultural figure in my life.
Mama (Ma Hall) was a florist, a dancer, a teacher, and an environmentalist before those words ever carried titles (or funding!) . I learned so much by observation and osmosis, including the lesson that growth isn’t just about plants, it’s about people, too.
As the founder of the National Dress Festival in St. Lucia, she explained her philosophy: “If you want things to grow, you don’t compete, because people don’t really like competition.”
My granny had lines, ok?! Lines that still guide me. Collaboration over competition. Community over ego. Her hands planted more than gardens, they planted a way of life.
Happy birthday, Mama. Your work is still blooming.
