When Adriana Satizabal speaks about flowers, she does it the way someone talks about something that has shaped their entire life. There’s no performance in her voice, no push to romanticize anything. She talks about work, people, and the way flowers have carried her from childhood in Colombia to three decades of weddings, installations, and now, preserved floristry with Verdissimo's incredible assortment of preserved products. Join this interview with her to learn more about her trajectory in the world of preserved flowers.
A Childhood for Adriana Satizabal That Began With Small Petals and Big Ideas
During Proflora 2025, the Thursd team met Adriana, who told her story about growing up surrounded by flowers, thanks largely to her mother. She recalls school projects where she and her classmates recycled materials to raise money just to buy flowers.
She shared:
“It sounds small now, but it taught me early that flowers aren’t accessories. They change how people behave, how a room feels. They carry emotion.”
By the time she was finishing school and entering university, she had already started selling arrangements on her own. She bought A2 and B-grade flowers – whatever she could afford. Orders went missing, payments never arrived on time, and sometimes materials were stolen. One thing's for sure, she never stopped. Not once. It was the only thing that made sense to her. That stubbornness turned into a 30-year career designing weddings and events across Cartagena and Bogotá. Along the way, she signed her name to collections inspired by chapters of her own life: Cortapalos, Amélie, María Antonieta, and others that regular clients still mention.
A More Intimate Talk With Adriana
For all her accomplishments, Adriana Satizabal talks most proudly about the people who have worked with her. She recalls team members seeing the ocean for the first time on an event trip, flying on a plane for the first time, and even buying their first car. That’s the real impact of flowers in Colombia. It’s not only beauty. It’s employment, dignity, and opportunity.
She was recently named an ambassador for Flowers of Colombia. The role matters to her, not for recognition but because she wants people to remember the social side of floriculture in a country often spoken about only in terms of exports.
She said:
“We forget that entire communities rely on this industry. Flowers have changed thousands of families.”
Now on to more of the interview and her recent involvement with Verdissimo, keep reading to learn more about her floral life!
Adriana at this year's edition of Proflora
Q: Thirty years is a long time in any industry. What kept you going?
Adriana:
"The emotion. Flowers create reactions immediatelyiles, silence, peace. You see it happen, and it never gets old. Florists carry responsibility. We’re the link between growers, wholesalers, and the final experience. A grower can produce the most beautiful stems, but if the design doesn’t convey feeling, the connection is lost."
Why Preserved Flowers Became the Next Logical Step in Her Career
After decades of designing and working with fresh flowers, Adriana reached a moment of clarity: her work needed to travel. It needed to last – not just a week, but long enough to hold its meaning across borders and time zones. That is when preserved flowers entered her practice.
“They still have the energy of real flowers. But they don’t disappear after a few days. You can enjoy them for years. If you’re investing in a piece, it should stay with you.”
A fresh bouquet that costs $50 lasts eight to ten days. A preserved piece valued at $200 stays exactly as it is. For hotels, restaurants, destination events, and clients abroad, this shift wasn’t aesthetic – it was practical.
The Verdissimo Chapter
When Verdissimo reached out, Adriana's creativity instantly lit up. She sent a list – colors, shapes, textures she needed for her designs. Timing was tight due to a trade show, so she received what was available and built from there. The result was her 'table of love', designed with lilac-violet tones for acceptance and respect, and red tones for chemistry and passion.
She shares:
“I didn’t hide the structure. I use wires and rods openly. It’s part of the design. Flowers don’t need camouflage.”
She emphasizes that the preserved flowers she uses are grown in Colombia and processed by Verdissimo, a detail she cares about deeply.
“If I’m going to work with preserved flowers, they should be ours.”
Her upcoming preserved collection in shades of blue takes inspiration from the “sea of seven colors” in San Andrés – memories of snorkeling and the shifting blues of the Caribbean.
Mastering the Science of Preservation
Verdissimo’s process requires patience: dry-freezing, decolorizing, re-hydrating with natural solutions, then tinting. Colors can be requested by Pantone, allowing Adriana to work with precise, intentional palettes, giving her freedom and consistency for her work.
She also refuses the idea of sending arrangements loose in a box. Every piece must arrive in a protective, with scent, labels, and a message card.
Adriana:
"If the person doesn’t smile when they open it, I failed.”
One of her favorite phrases – printed in her cards – is simple:
“Todo lo que hagas con amor, siempre será perfecto.", which means: "Everything you do with love will always be perfect."
Adriana is in her element at Proflora
This line, she says, will stay in every collection.
Looking Forward With Preserved Flowers
Preservation is a process that allows us to create a unique product that combines the best of both worlds: the natural beauty of a living plant and the lasting durability of an enduring object. Adriana’s next chapter blends her past with her future when it comes to the emotional weight of fresh flowers with the longevity of preserved ones. The storytelling of her event years with the precision of Verdissimo makes it possible.
For the Spanish company, time is paused to preserve the value of every unique and special moment. The brand believes that everything truly special in life deserves to last forever. Its fields and greenhouses of preserved flowers and plants stretch across the world, capturing nature at its most beautiful expression. To this, Adriana says:
“Flowers have always been my language. Verdissimo lets that language last."
