Flower Farm News: Taking Root in 2016

Happy belated New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and are settling into some of your favorite and most comforting winter routines. Speaking of routines, you may ( or may not) have noticed my month long blogging break. After 5 years of consistent blogging, I guess I was due for a little holiday. My little break from the blogisphere allowed me some time to focus on where I truly want to focus my creative energy and resources in 2016.

Winter is a great time for slowing down and reflecting on the previous year and planning ahead.

The highlight of 2015 for me was launching Dandelion House Flower Farm. With little expectations about how the first year would go I placed an add in our local Edible South Shore magazine and signed up for a few spots at our local farmers market.

 Based on my previous years growing season I knew I'd have enough flowers to introduce at the market and hopefully do a few small weddings.

DIY Flowers for this lovely couple.

 The add generated some calls for wedding work as did the Farmers Market Website. I was over the moon that there was some local interest in sustainably grown flowers here in the northeast.

We were well received at the Farmers Market.

 I fell in love with having couples out to the farm and showing them where their flowers are grown. And well, I kind of fell in love with the whole process from consulting with couples to the design work.

Small bridal bouquet for an intimate backyard woodland wedding.

 The beautiful and talented, Shawna from Beach Plum Floral

  I even had the opportunity to sell see some of my flowers worked into a big beautiful bridal bouquet created by to some fellow floral designers in my area who are planning to source more local flowers for their work this year which truly excites me.

 Another highlight was becoming a part of the editorial team at Field To Vase. An online collaborative resource of farmer/florists to help the public understand the growing domestic flower movement. It's a wonderfully inspiring community of flower farmers spread out all over the United States who share their flower farming stories, lessons, beautiful photos and passion for growing and designing with American grown flowers. Field to Vase is sponsored by the creator of Farmgirl Flowers, Christina Stembel. She's gained rock start status after being written up in the San Francisco Chronicle, Forbes Magazine, and most recently The New York Times.

I also joined Debra Prinzing's ( author of The 50 Mile Bouquet  and Slow Flowers)
 Slow Flowers Directory. Slow Flowers is a free, nationwide online directory to help consumers find florists, shops, studios and farmers who grow and source domestic, American flowers. Farmer/florists can advertise in the directory at various price points. All proceeds help with the costs of operating the website. Both of Debra's books played a big part in my starting my flower farm experiment in 2012. If you want to be even more inspired listen to Debra's Podcast shows featuring some of the most pioneering farmer/florists leading the slow flowers movement today! I try to listen to one or two a week and I always get a new idea to apply to my flower farm business.
 
I'm so encouraged and grateful for how the first year went. I'm looking forward to more new experiences and lessons this season and I hope it encourages some of you who might be thinking about starting your own little backyard flower farm to go ahead and plant those dream seeds.

  Plans for 2016 are taking root. Seed catalogs are here and I'm making lists, drawing up a planting chart and expanding my collection and growing space. We are also designing a backyard floral studio where I can start some seeds, condition and design flowers, and host workshops. It won't be huge, but it's a start.

And that my friends is where all dreams begin... at the start.

I have so much to learn but, if I can do it you sure can too.



 Put down some roots and BLOOM!

 Deb