The Backyard Bouquet Podcast: Cut Flower Farming Podcast for Flower Farmers & Backyard Gardeners

Ep. 85: Growing & Breeding Dahlias at Scale: Inside Florelie Flower Farm in Australia

In this episode of The Backyard Bouquet Podcast, we’re heading south to Australia to visit Florelie, a small-scale but highly productive specialty cut flower farm near Ballarat, Victoria.Jennifer is joined by flower farmer and dahlia breeder Lorelie Merton, who shares how a gifted bunch of homegrown peonies sparked a journey that led her from speech pathology to full-time flower farming. Today, Florelie grows flowers on just 2.5 acres of a 20-acre property, with 20,000 dahlias, a robust dahlia breeding program, and a thriving tuber business serving Australian gardeners and florists.In this conversation, Lorelie opens up about breeding dahlias specifically for cut flower performance, scaling thoughtfully, rotating crops to protect soil health, and building a true family farm alongside her husband Ethan and their three children. She also shares behind-the-scenes insight into dahlia breeding timelines, seedling selection, tuber sales, and why dahlias are such a unique crop for agritourism and education.Whether you’re a backyard gardener, aspiring flower farmer, or deeply obsessed with dahlias, this episode is packed with practical insight and honest perspective.In This Episode, You’ll Learn: How Florelie grew from a hobby into a full-time flower farm Why dahlias became the farm’s primary crop What it takes to manage and evaluate thousands of dahlia seedlings How Lorelie breeds dahlias specifically for cut flower use How crop rotation and paddock rest protect long-term soil health The role Lorelie’s husband Ethan plays as farm manager and agronomist How Florelie offers workshops, tuber sales, and afternoon tea events in the dahlia fields***Just a quick note about today's episode: We had a bit of connection lag while recording from across the world, so there are just a few spots where we ended up talking at the same time as we couldn't hear one another. It’s minor, but I wanted to mention it in case you notice in this episode. The conversation is still great and I know you're going to love hearing from Lorelie!Connect with Lorelie & Florelie Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/florelieseasonalflowers/ Website: https://florelie.com.auSign up for our podcast newsletter: https://bit.ly/thefloweringfarmhousenewsletterJoin Us At The Profitable Dahlia SummitThe first-ever virtual summit focused exclusively on growing dahlias for profit is here!Join us March 3–4, 2026 to learn from experienced dahlia growers who are selling bouquets, tubers, CSA shares, event tickets, and more — and doing it profitably.You’ll walk away with real strategies to turn your passion into income, even if you're just getting started.Save your spot here: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit/

Ep. 84: Growing Cut Flowers in Small Spaces: Community, Education & Local Blooms with Fawn Rueckert

What’s possible when you start with just a small bit of earth—and a love of flowers rooted in childhood stories?In today’s episode, I’m joined by Fawn Rueckert, founder of Sego Lily Flower Farm, a thriving suburban flower farm growing on just one-third of an acre in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley.Fawn’s journey into flower farming began long before her first seed tray—from listening to The Secret Garden as a child to learning from generations of women who gardened before her. What started as a backyard cutting garden evolved into a farmers market business, a regional cut flower plug program serving over 100 growers, hands-on education for backyard gardeners, and leadership as a founding member and president of the Utah Cut Flower Farm Association.In this conversation, we talk about growing cut flowers in small spaces, knowing when to pivot as your business evolves, and why community matters so deeply in flower farming. We also dig into lisianthus—a flower many growers struggle to start from seed—including what it really needs to germinate, why it’s so slow, and when it makes sense to grow from seed versus buying plugs.Whether you’re growing on an eighth of an acre, dreaming of your first farmers market, or just trying to grow better lisianthus this season, this episode will leave you inspired to try what’s possible—right where you are.Links Sego Lily Flower FarmWebsite: https://www.segolilyflowerfarm.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/segolilyflowerfarm/ Snuck Flowers at Snuck FarmWebsite: https://snuckfarm.com/pages/snuck-flowers The Backyard Cut Flower Garden Coursehttps://snuckfarm.com/products/backyard-cut-flower-garden-course-in-collaboration-with-sego-lily-flower-farm-spring-2026 Utah Cut Flower Farm AssociationWebsite: https://www.utahflowerfarms.comSign up for our podcast newsletter: https://bit.ly/thefloweringfarmhousenewsletterJoin Us At The Profitable Dahlia SummitThe first-ever virtual summit focused exclusively on growing dahlias for profit is here!Join us March 3–4, 2026 to learn from experienced dahlia growers who are selling bouquets, tubers, CSA shares, event tickets, and more — and doing it profitably.You’ll walk away with real strategies to turn your passion into income, even if you're just getting started.Save your spot here: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit/

Ep.83: The Purposeful Gardener: Growing Food, Flowers, and Joy With Tasha Medve

What if your garden could feed your family, support pollinators, and bring more joy into your everyday life — all at the same time?In this episode of The Backyard Bouquet Podcast, Jennifer sits down with Tasha Medve, creator of The Purposeful You and author of the bestselling book The Purposeful Gardener.Tasha shares how her journey into purposeful gardening began during early motherhood, when making conscious, sustainable choices for her family became a priority. What started as a small garden and a desire to live more intentionally grew into a thriving backyard oasis — and eventually, a global community of gardeners seeking beauty, abundance, and connection.In this conversation, we explore: How to design a garden that works for real families and busy lives Why growing food and flowers together creates healthier, more resilient gardens Raised beds, vertical growing, pumpkin arches, and her famous Wall of Peas Companion planting strategies that reduce pests naturally Incorporating native plants and pollinators for long-term garden health Gardening as a source of healing, meaning, and joy — even through seasons of griefWhether you’re growing in two raised beds or dreaming of a larger backyard transformation, this episode will encourage you to start where you are, trust the process, and create a garden that truly feels like home.Connect with Tasha Medve & The Purposeful You Blog/Website: https://www.thepurposefulyou.com/ Instagram: @thepurposefulyou Facebook: The Purposeful You Join the Waitlist for Tasha’s Garden Club: https://forms.gle/u7L73xvQxw4VXmqj6Show notes: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.com/2026/01/21/the-purposeful-gardener/ Mentioned In Today’s Episode: The Dark Side to Floristry Article:https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jan/11/theres-a-dark-side-to-floristry-are-pesticides-making-workers-seriously-ill-or-worseSign up for our podcast newsletter: https://bit.ly/thefloweringfarmhousenewsletter***Join Us At The Profitable Dahlia Summit***The first-ever virtual summit focused exclusively on growing dahlias for profit is here!Join us March 3–4, 2026 to learn from experienced dahlia growers who are selling bouquets, tubers, CSA shares, event tickets, and more — and doing it profitably.You’ll walk away with real strategies to turn your passion into income, even if you're just getting started.Save your spot here: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit/

Ep. 82: How to Plan Your Most Profitable Growing Season Yet (Live 2026 Dahlia Planning Workshop Replay)

Welcome to Season 3 of The Backyard Bouquet Podcast — and to the first episode of 2026.To kick off the new year, I’m doing something a little different. In this episode, I’m sharing the full replay of a live planning workshop I hosted this past weekend called How to Plan Your Most Profitable Dahlia Season Yet.Growers joined live from all over the world — Australia, Canada, Germany, France, New Zealand, the UK, and across the U.S. — and the response made it clear this was too valuable to let disappear once the workshop ended.If you’re growing dahlias or running a flower farm and want 2026 to feel more focused, profitable, and aligned, this episode will help you step out of overwhelm and into clarity.What You’ll Learn in This EpisodeIn this live workshop replay, we walk step-by-step through how to: Reflect on your 2025 growing season — what worked, what didn’t, and what you learned Clarify what you want 2026 to look and feel like, both personally and financially Build a realistic, actionable plan instead of guessing or reacting mid-season Map your year season by season so you’re not scrambling later Choose the right revenue streams for your farm and stay laser-focusedWhile this training was created specifically for dahlia growers, the planning framework applies to all flower farmers who want to grow with intention and profit in mind.Mentioned in This Episode The Profitable Dahlia Summit (March 3–4, 2026) A 2-day virtual summit focused on real business strategies for dahlia growers — pricing, selling, marketing, tuber sales, farm events, and more.Grab your ticket here: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit/There is a free 2026 planning workbook that goes along with this episode. You can download it here and follow along at your own pace: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.myflodesk.com/2026workbookYour Next StepIf you make it through this entire workshop, I encourage you to choose one action to take next — even a small one.Whether that’s: Tracking your numbers Clarifying your revenue goals Committing to selling instead of giving your flowers awayMomentum comes from action.I’d love to hear what your next step is — you can message me on Instagram or leave a review and share what stood out for you.Let’s Make 2026 Count2026 has been declared the International Year of the Female Farmer, and I truly believe this can be your most profitable and aligned growing season yet — if you plan for it.Grab the workbook, pour yourself a cup of coffee or tea, and let’s start planning.Welcome to Season 3 of The Backyard Bouquet Podcast.

Ep. 81: Geotuning the Land: How Addressing Geopathic Stress Can Support Soil Health and Regenerative Farms

What if caring for land goes beyond soil tests, nutrients, and visible inputs?In this episode of The Backyard Bouquet Podcast, Jennifer is joined by Brittney Herrera, founder and creative director of Thunder Egg, to explore the concept of geotuning—a practice often described as acupuncture for the land.Through her work, Brittney helps harmonize land and spaces by identifying and correcting geopathic stress, subtle disruptions in the Earth’s natural field that can impact people, plants, animals, and the overall vitality of a place. Brittney recently worked with Jennifer to tune her new farm property, and after experiencing the process firsthand, Jennifer felt this was a conversation worth sharing with the flower-growing and land-stewarding community.Together, they keep the conversation grounded and practical, discussing how geopathic stress can show up on farms and gardens, how geotuning works in real spaces, and how this approach can complement regenerative agriculture and soil-first practices. They also explore the role of water, copper, frequency, and ancient land wisdom—and how listening more deeply to the land can support long-term resilience and harmony.This episode is an invitation to curiosity. Whether you’re a flower farmer, gardener, or someone who feels deeply connected to the land you care for, this conversation offers a new lens for understanding what it means to truly listen to a place.Connect with Brittney Herrera & Thunder EggThunder Egg: https://www.thunderegg.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thunder_egg_collaborative/Geotune: https://www.geotune.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/geotune_energy/Brittney Herrera: https://www.brittneyherrera.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/brittney_herrera_designer/Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Braiding Sweetgrass: by Robin Wall Kimmerer: https://amzn.to/4s5HQhwSign up for our podcast newsletter: https://bit.ly/thefloweringfarmhousenewsletter***Join Us At The Profitable Dahlia Summit***The first-ever virtual summit focused exclusively on growing dahlias for profit is here!Join us March 3–4, 2026 to learn from experienced dahlia growers who are selling bouquets, tubers, CSA shares, event tickets, and more — and doing it profitably.You’ll walk away with real strategies to turn your passion into income, even if you're just getting started.🎟️ Early bird tickets start at just $49 through January 11, 2026.Save your spot here: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit/ **This episode may contain affiliate links. If you choose to use them, it helps support the podcast at no additional cost to you.*