Hannah Anderson’s home near the end of a dead-end street in Lonoke looks like a commonplace dwelling from the outside, but its pink-painted brick and cherry red door contain a world where disco balls and butterflies hang from the ceiling, a giant upright bass demands attention in the corner and the walls are decked out in unique art from top to bottom. There’s hardly an inch that isn’t covered with something special. Even before speaking to Anderson, her home hints at her cultural interests, music tastes and striking personality. This is the place where she makes floral masterpieces for her business, Petal to the Metal Floristry.
Anderson and her partner, Jordan, live on family land with their dog, Spud — an adorable, plump dachshund mix. In a small room at the rear of the house and in a studio out back, Anderson becomes a magician, combining luxurious silks with freshly trimmed magnolia and nandina. This year, she’s slated to work a total of 30 weddings in the spring and fall while also waitressing at a local cafe and occasionally killing it on the flute in the band Tempus Terra. She’s well-versed in her craft, a foliage expert and an overall delight of a human.
“I learned traditional American floristry through the trade for about four years and then I just went rogue and started doing whatever I wanted,” Anderson, 31, said. “I am 10 employees in one.”
A charming “I stop for flowers” sticker is slapped to the bumper of her car and a variety of blooming tattoos cascade down her arms. Anderson wasn’t initially drawn to floristry, but she landed in the field after her mom suggested she try a front desk position at a local flower shop about a decade ago. Though the clerical position meant that she was separated from the work of arranging flowers, she was eventually introduced to a dusty binder that held all of the tips and tricks to floristry. It changed the trajectory of Anderson’s career.
“That is what opened up the floodgates,” she said.
Brian ChilsonIn the years since, Anderson has powered her business through great times and devastating situations. Petal to the Metal survived the COVID-19 pandemic, and Anderson has worked through deaths in her family, fights, a broken foot and a miscarriage. At this point, her body is on autopilot to get the work done, she said.
Anderson speculates that in a past life, she was a prominent figure in a church, bank or politics — and she believes it informs her work today.
“In my last life, I learned how to combine [those skills],” she said. “And in this life, it’s my free ride to do whatever I want. I’m doing that exact thing of combining arts and finance and being able to make a living off my art, which is very rare. … I am aware of the power that I possess.”
Making a floral arrangement is a surprisingly physical activity. While arranging, Anderson is standing up, stepping back, adjusting dried palm fans, trimming branches and tying bows, all in a constant state of motion. The trimmers and snips become an extension of herself. Branches and leaves fly everywhere.
Brian Chilson“I let the branches tell me what to do and create the shape,” Anderson said as she placed fresh magnolia into a bulbous green vase. “I want to keep it very natural-looking. Once I get the greenery down, that gives me my basic roadmap.”
Anderson said she often pulls from an event site’s natural foliage to add to a design, and she isn’t afraid to think outside the box. Flowers can pop out of guitars or be accented with ribbon. They can be delicate or make a whole room go silent with their sheer size and impeccable composition. At her own wedding, Anderson and her partner both sported outfits covered in flowers — hers, a daring black gown covered in floral appliques with a deep V neckline, underbust corset and high-leg split, and his, a crisp white suit with embroidered orange florals and guitars on the shoulders.
Anderson brings edge to floristry. With a name like Petal to the Metal — inspired by her mom’s wild, California-native driving — and an unapologetic spirit, she’s breaking down barriers around how people think of flowers.
Brian Chilson“[I think] I’ve made some sort of difference in changing the narrative of asking for things,” Anderson said. “It’s OK to ask for flowers, it’s OK to say, ‘I want flowers,’ and it’s OK to buy flowers for boys.”
Anderson also curates flowers for funerals; she calls it “good grief.”
Beyond being a badass florist, Anderson said she also acts as the behind-the-scenes rock star at weddings who will do just about anything for a bride to make them shine. She’s laid down to cover a puddle for a bride and isn’t afraid to be the sweatiest person in the room if it means things go smoothly.
“My career is not flowers,” Anderson said. “It never will be. My career is customer service.”
Brian Chilson
