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Photo by Michelle Aiello
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Photo Furnished
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Photo by Michelle Aiello
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Photo Furnished
Patrick Howard has spent most of his life working with flowers. What began as a summer job in his family’s flower shop has evolved into P.G. Howard Designs, a busy floral-design and event-planning business that he operates along with his wife, Whitney; his 91-year-old father, Julian J. Howard Jr.; and a handful of local creatives, including mixed-media artist Robert Morgan.
In 1925, Howard’s grandfather and great-aunt, Margaret Heafey and Julian J. Howard Sr., opened Howard & Heafey floral shop on Winchester Road.
“Back then, Winchester Road was the country, and New Circle Road didn’t exist,” said Howard. “My family had greenhouses and several acres, where they grew much of the product they used and sold.”
When Howard was growing up, his father managed the greenhouse, and his uncle, John Howard, ran the cut-flower business. Howard started working in the greenhouse as a young man but quickly realized the sweltering environment was not his cup of tea.
“I wanted to be where the action was,” he said. At the age of 16, Howard began driving the delivery truck, which exposed him to the art of floral arrangement in a rather roundabout way.
“Since I was a teenager, I had a heavy foot,” he explained. “Oftentimes, I would crush or knock over the arrangements, so I learned how to put them back together before delivering them to customers. I got a lot of practice that way.”
Over time, business at the shop began to wane as the floral industry changed. Grocery stores began selling fresh flowers, reducing the demand for customized arrangements. Then, during the energy crisis of the 1970s, the family was forced to make the expensive conversion from a gas boiler to fuel oil to heat their greenhouses. As time went on, it became easier to import fresh flowers, and sales at Howard & Heafey continued to decline.
In 1994, Howard made a decision that changed his life: stepping away from the family business to start his own floral-design company. He admits that at first the decision created some tension among his family members, especially when it came to high-profile clients such as Keeneland. Since someone from Howard & Heafey had always done flowers for Lexington’s iconic racetrack, his Uncle John immediately visited the racetrack to make sure Howard wasn’t soliciting any of their business. But Howard was determined to handle the split diplomatically. “I told [my uncle], ‘we may have our differences, but we’re still family. I’m not going to take business from you. But if customers come to me, I’m not going to turn them away.’”
Howard also spoke with Alma Haggin (daughter of Keeneland’s co-founder and first president, Hal Price Headley, and wife of Keeneland’s second president, Louis Lee Haggin II), to let her know that while he was leaving Howard & Heafey, he also knew his family would always do whatever they could to make sure Keeneland looks the best that it can look.
“I also said that I knew I would have my time in the future, and when that time came, I’d be ready to take over,” he said. “I think everybody appreciated that.”
Howard & Heafey closed three years later, and soon after, Howard got a call from Keeneland. It didn’t take long for word to spread, and former Howard & Heafey customers began calling him, as well.
Howard has no regrets about going out on his own; in fact, he says it’s the best thing he has ever done.
“When you work for family, you’re either really successful, or you’re not, and I wanted something better for myself,” he said. “I’ve never looked back. No guts, no glory.”
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Today, he’s happy to have the opportunity to work once again alongside his father, who joined P.G. Howard team about a year after Howard & Heafey closed. Howard and his team are responsible for every flower arrangement displayed at Keeneland – from planter boxes on each floor to large floral pieces in the club’s main lobby, the second-floor dining room, the club tavern, the women’s restrooms, the Keeneland Room and the outdoor terraces. Planning begins a month and a half in advance of opening day, and during meets, Howard is at the track every day, refreshing and replacing the arrangements as necessary. While Keeneland is steeped in tradition, his goal is to bring in current colors, styles and design elements where he can.
Howard gets much of his inspiration from shopping and looking through magazines. He fondly remembers the era of professionally decorated department store windows, which was a great influence as well. This year, he’s seeing a departure from the customary oranges, purples and golds of fall arrangements. Instead, this October, Keeneland’s floral pieces will feature greens, silvers, and creams. “It will be subtle, but it will complement their new décor beautifully. As each meet comes along, they will upgrade their interior here and there, and we’ll keep up the pace.”
In addition to Keeneland, Howard handles floral design for a number of local horse farms and country clubs, as well as a steady stream of individuals ordering flowers for birthdays, anniversaries, funerals and other occasions.
“The first thing I do each morning is read the obituaries, because that gives me an idea of how busy I’ll be,” he said.
Industry changes don’t seem to bother Howard; in fact, he welcomes the fact that most grocery stores sell fresh flowers.
“I think buying flowers is a lot like buying wine,” he explained. “Many people start with inexpensive wines, and as their palates develop, they become more sophisticated in their tastes. After buying grocery store flowers, a lot of people will eventually want something nicer, and that’s when I hope they’ll give me a call.”
The key to creating a great floral arrangement, Howard said, is to “picture what you want it to look like and try to make it as close as possible to that vision. At first, it might not look exactly how you pictured, but if you finish what you started, nine times out of 10, it ends up being pretty special.”
Any color combination can be beautiful, but one of Howard’s favorites is orange and purple. “I think orange looks great in everything, and I use a little in almost every piece,” he said. “My mother always said that every floral piece should have a touch of black – like the centers of sunflowers. Dark browns and deep purples will also add depth and richness to your floral design.”
He acknowledges and appreciates that each piece is unique. Just like in nature, he believes those subtle differences add to the eye appeal.
“We have an event at one of the country clubs each Christmas, where we have about 30 women, and we provide the same exact container and product for everyone. I create a sample, and it quickly turns into me going from table to table, helping each person make an arrangement,” he said. “The fun thing is, you’ll get 30 women working with the exact same product, and you’ll get 30 different arrangements. All of them are great in their own right, but they never look identical.”
Working with color, texture and design has always been an artistic outlet for Howard, and he appreciates being able to spend his days creating things that bring joy to others. “I think this was a natural transition for me, and I can’t imagine doing anything else,” he said. “I do look at floral pieces as art. Every arrangement has an expiration date, as opposed to other art forms that are timeless. That intrigues me and keeps me moving.”