Hi, Lancaster. I’m Kristin.

I’m the artist, florist, forager, and general flower-obsessed human behind ALTERNA FLORA, a floral design studio now based here in Lancaster, PA.

I’m originally from Palmyra, Pennsylvania, where I was born and raised surrounded by the beauty of Lebanon County. So while Lancaster is a new home for ALTERNA FLORA, this part of Pennsylvania has always felt familiar to me.

If you’re new to me, welcome. If you’ve followed along since my Philadelphia days, hi again. We’ve moved.

ALTERNA FLORA started in 2020 in my one-bedroom apartment in West Philadelphia. What began with flowers, an Instagram account, and a whole lot of figuring things out eventually grew into weddings, events, installations, brand projects, collaborations, Flower Show adventures, and more strange and beautiful floral experiments than I could count.

Now ALTERNA FLORA has a new home in Lancaster, and I’m really excited about what comes next!

Same Flowers. New Ground.

Moving to Lancaster doesn’t mean becoming a different florist.

I’m still drawn to saturated color, strange pairings, dramatic shapes, unruly textures, and flowers that take up space. I still don’t want every wedding to look like the wedding before it. I still think flowers can completely change how a room feels.

What has changed is the landscape around me, and I could not be happier about that.

Lancaster County has an incredible agricultural tradition, a strong creative community, beautiful venues, and access to growers that make this a pretty exciting place to be a floral designer. I’m looking forward to getting to know more local flower farms, growers, venues, artists, planners, businesses, and fellow weirdos.

And yes, I will absolutely be wandering around looking at plants.

Weddings + Events, but Make Them Yours

ALTERNA FLORA creates custom floral design for weddings and events throughout Lancaster and Southeastern Pennsylvania.

My work tends to be expressive, architectural, layered, and full of movement. Sometimes that means flowers climbing through a ceremony structure. Sometimes it’s a table filled with unusual forms and saturated color. Sometimes it’s one enormous arrangement doing exactly what it needs to do in a room.

I want to know about the space, what you’re wearing, what you want people to feel when they walk in, the colors you can’t stop thinking about, and the ideas you’re not sure are even possible yet.

That’s usually where the interesting stuff starts.

I’m Also Very Interested in Your Business

One of the things I’m especially excited to grow in Lancaster is ALTERNA FLORA’s work with businesses, brands, and hospitality/retail spaces.

That could mean weekly or bi-weekly flowers for a hotel, restaurant, boutique, office, or retail space. It could mean a floral installation for an opening, event, photoshoot, dinner, launch, or something that does not fit neatly into any of those categories.

I’ve worked with brands and organizations throughout ALTERNA FLORA’s life, and I love projects where flowers become part of a larger visual world.

If you have a space that could use something alive, seasonal, sculptural, colorful, strange, beautiful, or all of the above, I would very much like to hear about it.

Still Connected to Philadelphia

Lancaster is home now, but Philadelphia is still very much part of ALTERNA FLORA’s story.

I built this business there. I met incredible people there. I got opportunities there that changed the direction of my work, and I’m still working throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia, Harrisburg, York, Lebanon, Reading, and the places in between.

So this isn’t goodbye, Philly.

It’s more like the map got bigger.

A Little Backstory, If You Want It

I’ve been building ALTERNA FLORA since 2020, and somehow other people have occasionally wanted to write or talk about it.

If you’re curious about where all of this came from, here are a few pieces from along the way:

Kristin Horst: The People’s Florist | Philadelphia Gay News

Kristin Horst on the Philadelphia Flower Show | CBS Philadelphia

FLOWER SHOP!!! PHL on FYI Philly | 6abc

Florists’ Review 40 Over 40

18 Queer Florists to Follow on Instagram | Autostraddle

So, Lancaster. Let’s Make Some Things.

I’m excited to be here.

I’m excited about new spaces, new growers, local farms, new collaborators, new clients, and all the friends and flowers I haven’t met yet.

If you’re planning a wedding or event, building something interesting with a brand, or looking for recurring florals for a Lancaster-area business, come say hello.

Bring your ideas. I’ll bring mine. Let’s see what we can make.