Dirk Sure tried to retire, but after two years his passion for creating with flowers took hold and he told her husband, Denis Peters, that he wanted to get back to work and open a new boutique – his first since moving from Brussels to the Coachella Valley. .

“I told Denis, I need my flowers,” said Sure, a German native and master florist. “It’s my passion” since the age of 14, living with her family in a small town about 13 miles east of Cologne, making deliveries for a nearby florist.

He becomes the owner of his own shop, sells it in 2008 to settle in Brussels and join Peters, with whom he has had a long-distance relationship for several years.

The pandemic delayed Sure’s plan to open a store locally for about a year.

The wait came to an end last month, when he opened European Flower Power Floral Design & Boutique at 44720 San Pablo Ave., in the heart of new downtown Palm Desert – a multi-million dollar project reconfiguring the route. to make it more user-friendly for pedestrians and cyclists.

Scouring the valley in search of the perfect spot, Sure chose Avenida San Pablo, saying he was impressed with the recent “regeneration” of Palm Desert Street, seeing it as a promising place.

“Now is the right time now and the right season now too to start,” he said, standing at the back of his shop, surrounded by some of his creations.

Just outside the store entrance, guests are greeted by one of Sure’s many concrete creations: this one with legs, seemingly those of a man, sitting on a chair draped in a coat and a planter resting on his legs.

Inside, guests will find a mix of potted plants, succulents, fresh flowers and orchids – all fresh from Ecuador – and more concrete planters of varying sizes, including a large one with a waterfall, all of them designed by Sure.

A meeting that changes life

Sure and Peters met 27 and a half years ago in the Canary Islands.

“We were both on vacation and we met at a bar, where Dirk offered me a drink,” recalls Peters, who was living and working in Paris at the time.

“I didn’t want a boyfriend at all,” said Sure, who celebrated his 31st birthday that fateful night and was only looking to have some fun while on vacation. “It was the first night of my vacation,” he said.

Soon they were spending weekends with Sure, traveling five hours by train or Peters flying from Paris to Dortmund, so they could be together.

“About a year later I found a new job in Brussels and it’s still… around 150 miles and we commuted between Brussels and its city in Germany for 13 years” to spend time together, said Peters.

In 2008 Sure sold his floral business and moved to Brussels to be with Peters, then about three years ago they both retired and moved to the United States together – a lifelong dream for Safe.

“I love it here,” Sure said. “Now my dream has come true to have a flower shop in the United States. I’m really proud, ”he said.

They found a home in Rancho Mirage and volunteered at a Revivals thrift store, but Sure missed working with flowers and decided it was time to open a new boutique and return to what he loves. .

“There’s no question he’s the talent,” said Peters of Sure, who chuckled back that Peters is his “finance minister.”

Sure then pointed out that all of the store furniture he had purchased from Revivals.

“It’s all recycled,” he said.

Unique touches to her floral creations

The store is open and airy, and Sure likes that people can easily see what he’s doing in the design studio. This is where he makes all of his creations and plans to organize workshops, including one for making floral arrangements and Christmas wreaths.

For some arrangements, he soaks the flowers in wax, which makes them last longer without watering, but thanks to his technique, they still retain a smooth texture and aroma.

” It’s not false. It’s a real flower but waxed, ”he said, and can last“ up to two years easily ”.

European floral designs are different from others, he said, but not easy to explain in words.

Sure makes arrangements and bouquets for all occasions, including centerpieces for large social events.

He uses greenery to complement the floral designs, said Peters, more than other florists.

“When you see my bouquets, it’s different,” Sure said. “The color arrangement is different – a little more color in color.”

European Flower Power is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. For more information call (760) 565-1630 or visit the website, Europeanflowerpower.com

Desert Sun reporter Sherry Barkas covers the towns of La Quinta, Indian Wells, Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert. She can be reached at sherry.barkas@thedesertsun.com. Follow her on Twitter @TDSsherryBarkas