We are committed to doing right by the earth - and right by you - at every step, every time.
From the way we grow, harvest, package, and ship our flowers...to every ingredient we use in our candles...you can trust that you (and those you care about) are receiving only the healthiest, most sustainable products.
We wouldn't have it any other way.
Continue reading below to learn more about Songwood's Standards.
Grown Using Only The Good Stuff
The flowers you receive from Songwood are grown using a few key ingredients: Sunshine + Rainwater + Healthy Soil
That's it. Only the good stuff.
We never grow using synthetic or chemical anything. In fact, we don't utilize pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides (or any other -icide) on our farm at any time - even those labeled organic.
We promote the health of our blooms using natural farming methods like companion planting, crop rotation, and employing beneficial bugs to create a balanced ecosystem (we love ladybugs around here).
We are strictly no-till, which means we disturb our soil as little as possible (just getting out a shovel is a big deal around here).
Building up our soil rather than disturbing it allows us to sequester carbon from the atmosphere and store it under our feet, making it available to Songwood's biology as well as keeping it out of the air.
We manage our farm without the use of any heavy gas-guzzling equipment. By working the land with mainly the use of our two sets of hands and feet, we prevent soil compaction (and get our steps in every day).
Our goal is always to get Songwood flowers from the field to your door as quickly as possible, so we don't have large storage areas requiring a lot of power, energy, or electricity to maintain. We like to harvest in the field, arrange and package your blooms with care, and get them into the seasoned hands of our shipping partner and on their way to you as quickly as possible.
Truly farm-fresh.
If for any reason our flowers don't meet our very high quality standards then they are composted and we use the opportunity to take a step back, listen to what nature is telling us, learn, and improve for next time.
At Songwood we are always working with nature, and never against. You can rest assured that the flowers you're enjoying (or have gifted to someone you care about) are grown with the utmost respect for nature and with the health of the earth, and you, in mind at all times.
Shipped Responsibly
One of the most unique aspects about Songwood is our ability to ship naturally grown, fresh flowers directly from our farm in east-central Illinois. For folks who don't have the option to buy organically grown bouquets locally, we are proud to be able to send our beautiful blooms to you (or someone you care about). However, if you have a local flower farmer who is doing things the right way, we encourage you to support them!
But if you don't have that option, we are here for you.
When we ship Songwood flowers we do so in sustainably sourced and recyclable shipping boxes using compostable water-activated paper tape and compostable flower wraps and bags (which keep the stems hydrated in transit). Everything you receive from us - from the shipping label to our postcards, and everything in between - can be either reused, composted, or recycled.
Good for you and good for the planet.
All-Natural Candles, Really.
When we set out to make a Songwood candle, we did so knowing we wanted to provide a 100% natural option or we wouldn't offer candles at all.
After months of trial and error, testing and re-testing, tweaking small details, and even going back to the drawing board a few times, we have produced an all-natural candle you can trust - and we think you'll love them.
At the core of all candles on the market today are a few key components: vessel, wax, fragrance (optional), and wick. Every chandler (or candle-maker, not Chandler Bing...though could that BE any more fun?!) has important decisions to make when establishing their specific formulation.
Unfortunately many candles on the market today are made with paraffin wax (or wax blends which include paraffin), which is made from petroleum, oil shale, or coal (yes, you read all that right). And they often use synthetic fragrances and dyes which give off dangerous VOCs including formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, limonene, alcohol, and esters.
At Songwood, we do things differently:
We use beautiful glass vessels reminiscent of Songwood itself and each can be recycled or re-used.
Our wax is 100% natural and biodegradable. It is primarily made from ethically sourced beeswax and also contains renewable soy, coconut and RSPO palm oils. That's it. It does not contain any paraffin. Our wax is also non-toxic (no reproductive, acute, or organ toxins), free of phthalates (scent carriers found to affect the reproductive system of laboratory animals), mutagen-free (no chemicals or physical agents that can change our genetic makeup in a way that contributes to disease), gluten-free, cruelty-free, and carcinogen-free (free of any and all ingredients known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm) and therefore does not require Prop 65 labeling.
All our fragrances are also 100% natural and are ISO 9235 Certified, which means they only contain ingredients from nature - no synthetic additives anywhere.
Our wicks are made from all-natural and untreated USA-native wood. No metals, no toxins, no animal products or testing...just nature. The wood is also sourced from Forest-Stewardship Council (FSC) approved mills, which means the wood is produced using only the highest standards in ethical and earth-friendly milling. The sound they produce is reminicient of our winter evenings at Songwood, sitting in front of the fireplace listening to the sound of the logs crackling and watching the flames dance.
And just like our flowers, our candles are shipped responsibly - using sustainably sourced and recyclable shipping boxes and compostable water-activated paper tape. Everything you receive from us - from the shipping labels to our postcards, and everything in-between - can be either reused, composted, or recycled.
Good for you and good for the planet. We wouldn't have it any other way.
