A behind-the-scenes look at my own unfiltered shenanigans from the marketing trenches. A real-life, no BS view of what it's really like to market a small business and ideas to make it all feel a whole lot easier!

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I have a vivid memory of picking raspberries with my grandpa as a little kid.

I remember running across his lawn to the garden and plucking the big red berries, rinsing them in the hose water, and sneaking a few before putting the rest into a bucket.

I always thought I must’ve been four or five. But recently, I found a photo of that exact moment - date-stamped when I was just two and a half.

So that might just be my very first memory.

Maybe that’s why gardening has always fascinated me.

Growing up, my mom kept a garden. My sister and I helped pick snap peas, strawberries, and beans. We pulled weeds, screamed at garter snakes, and stole strawberries off the vine before they could ever make it to the fridge.

Today, my mom’s garden is in McCall, and now it’s my kids helping grandma pick snap peas and monster zucchini.

(And mom, if you're reading this, please stop dropping off so much lettuce. We're drowning in greens. Love you 💛)

About five years ago, I decided to start my own garden (hello COVID lockdown!). I grew snap peas, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, zucchini…and zinnias.

One season was all it took for me to realize that vegetables were taking up valuable space where flowers could be growing. The carrots had to go!

So I swapped the veggies for stock, snapdragons, dahlias, carnations, tulips, daffodils, cosmos, lilacs, hydrangeas, roses, and (of course) zinnias.

And that was that. I became a full-blown flower nerd 🤓

I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it’s the short growing season that makes every bloom feel special. From crocus pushing through the snow to snapdragons blooming until the first big frost, these flowers bring me an absurd amount of happiness.

They say gardeners are eternal optimists.

You put a seed in the ground and believe something beautiful will come out. Maybe that’s what makes it so addictive.

I don’t expect everyone to start a cut flower garden - but hey, a girl can dream.

If you do decide to jump in and join my obsession with growing flowers, here are a few hard-earned (read: have had full melt down crying learning some of these) tips:

1. Plant way closer together than you think.​
Ignore the spacing instructions. Stuff it in. It’ll grow.

2. Stake, support, or trellis early.​
Don’t wait until it’s too late - I’m still mourning a snapdragon collapse of 2021.

3. Add nasturtiums to trap aphids.​
Since planting them, I’ve had zero aphid issues on my blooms.

4. Install drip irrigation on a timer.​
Annoying to set up, but a total game-changer. (Pro tip: swear words help the installation process)

And a few of my favorite varieties:

My go-to sources are Johnny’s Seeds, Colorblends and Dutch Grown for bulbs, Floret for fun new varieties, and Triple Wren Farms for dahlia tubers.

Tulips: Foxy Foxtrot, Tulip Peony Party (double blooms that look like peonies!)

Daffodils: Sir Winston Churchill, Delnashaugh, White Lion (also doubles)

Stock: Iron Pastel Mix, Champagne, Antique Rose

Snapdragons: Potomac Appleblossom, Cannes Orange, Madame Butterfly Bronze

Zinnias: Ballerina, Queeny Red Lime, Zinderella Peach, Precious Metals (from Floret)

Dahlias: I love growing them from seed every year—cheap, fun surprises!

Violas: Imperial Antique Shades, Frizzle Sizzle

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Um, so absolutely nothing to do with marketing. But thanks for letting me geek out on my other love...dirt and the flowers that grow out of it 🌻

Happy Tuesday!

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PO Box 322, McCall, ID 83638
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