Speaker Profile: Carly Jenkins

Carly Jenkins is a self-proclaimed “child of the forest” and life-long forager from the Montana woods, constantly scavenging in search of wild flowers, berries, and greenery to use in floral designs and to sell through her wholesale hub, Westside Flower Market, near Missoula.

“Growing up in rural Montana, our entertainment was in the forest,” Carly says. “I feel lucky that this was a normal lifestyle for me. It isn’t even a conscious desire, it’s just part of my existence.”

Carly pays for a $20 annual permit to forage in her local forests and bring the natural product to Westside Flower Market. She practices transparency when discussing where her product comes from and why it is helpful and environmentally conscious to forage responsibly. Five years ago, Carly and her husband Jamie also started growing and foraging from their own 14-acre property, harvesting microgreens, vegetables, and flowers. Ideally, Carly says that they wanted to get to a point where they could run and manage their own floral wholesaler, and in the meantime, they decided to make a living in floral design.