Fall has always competed with spring as my favorite season. This year, there’s a little more excitement in the air. I’m in the home stretch; less than 2 weeks left at Bates Nursery before I can claim full-time status as a flower farmer and florist. I upped my departure by a week because an incredible opportunity fell in my lap a couple of months ago. I’ve booked my first event and it’s a big one. I’ll be providing 30-40 centerpieces for a fundraiser dinner and concert in just a couple of weeks. EEK! I was first approached about this in July after a chance encounter at the farmer’s market. The next day, I ransacked my seed box for all things with a short maturity date and threw them out into the garden with hope and a prayer, without even knowing if I’d actually gotten the gig. I now have new crops of sunflowers and zinnias about to burst with color along with the ageratum, marigolds, celosia, and gomphrena that are still going strong. I’m praying for a late first frost, as the fundraiser happens on October 24th. My dahlias are having their best year ever and are loaded with blooms, as are the dozens of chrysanthemums I planted this spring. I’ve been collecting hydrangea stems all over town, looking for aged blooms that are the perfect combo of antique green and mauve. I’m saving grasses and seed pods. And yet, I’m so scared of not being able to pull this off that I placed an order with Import Flowers (a wholesale flower supplier here in Nashville) for 100 sunflowers just for extra insurance. It’s not something I want to do on a regular basis, but failure is not an option. I will provide what I’ve promised. Pray for me, y’all.  

My decision to be a flower farmer has been met with excitement but also puzzlement. “So, what are you going to do exactly?” This is a question I’ve gotten more than once. I thought it might be helpful to outline my calendar for the next few months. My season will mostly end with frost, meaning I won’t have fresh flowers to sell until next spring. Since it is my mission to only design with flowers and foliage I grow myself or source from other local growers, I won’t be taking special orders during the winter. 

What will I be doing between October and March? For now, I’ll be keeping a close eye on the weather. I am prepared to cover things or move container crops indoors in case we get an early frost. After the fundraiser, I’ll pull out the last of my summer annuals and dress beds with compost to get them ready for spring. If I have any spare time (HA!), I’d like to attempt to make dried flower wreaths and find out how marketable they are. November will be a busy month full of planting: fall bulbs, hardy annuals, perennials, and shrubs. I’ll also be digging up and dividing 180 clumps of dahlias and breaking ground on a new dahlia garden. I want to have it prepped before winter takes hold. In December, I will try to restore order to my workshop, make a few hundred soil blocks so I’ll be ready to plant as soon as I return from sabbatical, work on an irrigation plan, and plant tulips. 

I still intend to spend January and February in Mexico where I’ll have plenty of time and solitude to concentrate on my 2024 crop/business plan. I should have plenty of daffodils and maybe some tulips to sell in March. I sell only those flowers that are in season, meaning I can’t use dahlias to design a bridal bouquet in March. If you’re curious about which flowers and foliage are available in a particular season, I’ve created this spreadsheet that I hope will be helpful.

Flowers/Fillers By Season

I hoped to have lots of subscriptions to fill next spring and summer so I wouldn’t have to do multiple farmer’s markets to sell my flowers. That has not happened. Like, I’ve only sold one subscription. I don’t think the general public understands that the planning and work it takes to make those beautiful bouquets begin months before the flowers are actually delivered. I’m not giving up on the concept, because I know it’s a model that’s worked for hundreds of other flower farmers. But I will also be looking at the many different options out there for flower sales including selling wholesale to local florists. And of course, I anticipate special orders for birthdays, anniversaries, and events. 

I’d love to start a monthly (maybe eventually weekly?) newsletter for those who want to know what’s going on behind the scenes at Melmac Florals. Please send me your email address so I can add you to my mailing list! You can DM me or go to my website and fill out the contact form.