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How I came around to flowersNo one was more surprised than I when I started a flower business. Even though I'm a long time gardener and I have a degree in botany, I never expected to fall for cut flowers. As someone who studied and permaculture and taught Environmental science for over a decade, flowers seemed wasteful and indulgent. I was very secure in this opinion until I grew my first dahlia. That flower stopped me in my tracks and my life has never been the same!
I completed the Floret Flower Farming course in 2018 and have been a member of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers and continued my education in flowers ever since. I've studied floral design at LA Flower School and online with Tulipina. I now have a several seasons under my belt with my micro farm and sell flowers to all sorts of customers. Flowers are harbingers of beauty and help people slow down and be present. Who couldn't use a little more of that in their lives? Want to learn more?
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My business |
Mamabotanica Blooms is my attempt to work out how to make small scale growing economically viable. Research suggests that our quality of life depends on the quality of our relationships. Small local businesses depend on relationships to survive. Growing my business means growing my community. I believe that in the future we will be grateful for networks of mutual benefit like those that are derived from economic exchange. Creating economic opportunities based on home-scale businesses is the way to go! I believe it and am working my little slice of land to develop a model that I hope can be applied more broadly.
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Two Suns "Farm" |
Our family of four includes two sons who are my shining stars (hence "Two Suns"). Sometimes they help in the garden. They love to tell people that we are urban farmers. I call our space an "experimental micro farm". Very few people would consider our suburban home in Pasadena to be anything remotely resembling a farm. Most of our neighbors have pools or grass in their yards. Our yard has 300 sq. ft of flower beds and we are slowly filling all available space (even the driveway!) with edibles and cut flowers. The most important part of any farm is the soil and the same is true for our farm. We are avid composters and also advocates for using cardboard and leaf mulch to maintain soil moisture and fertility. We grow organically and are always looking for ways to reduce inputs and recycle the waste we produce in our landscape. Since we are growing two boys as well as lots of flowers things are usually a bit chaotic. On the table you will often see an overflowing bouquet next to several dissassembled lego creations in various stages of demolition. I struggle with my ideas of how things "should" be. I find that growing a family is a HUGE lesson in letting go. My boys run through the flower beds and trample stems. My youngest son might "help" by clipping a flower with a 2" stem. My eldest son is quite vocal about letting me know when he's tired of me being in the garden. Part of our experiment is how to manage the land for our family as well as try to raise a crop. Some days we do a great job and other days not so much. It's a process more than a destination.
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