First off, let me give you a little update. Last week, I shared my experience with cold-calling florists. ICYMI, this didn’t go well. I posted in a flower farmer Facebook group asking for advice. One person said she’d had better luck emailing florists an introduction and telling them she’d like to stop by on one of their least busy days to meet them in person and tell them more about her flowers. If they were interested in a meeting, she brought them samples (like one bunch of tulips), a price list, and a list of what she expected to have available each month. Nashville is HUGE; I could’ve stayed at the computer all day sending emails and still not have reached every florist in town. Instead, I sent emails to florists in Brentwood, Franklin, Nolensville, and a handful of Nashville shops. Out of the 21 florists I contacted, 3 replied that they were very interested in purchasing locally grown flowers and would love to meet me. I will be following up with them this week. I’m feeling more encouraged!

I stopped by Bates a few days ago to pick up some plants they were holding for me. I ran into my former boss and chatted with him and a couple of friends on the greenhouse crew. They all noted how happy I looked. I truly am. I’ve usually had plenty of flowers to share with someone who is sick or grieving, but no time in my schedule to deliver them. Now I have that time. Outside I listen to podcasts or audiobooks while I work. In my shop, I can blast ‘80s tunes or Justin Timberlake and dance like the awkward born-and-raised-“dancing is a sin” girl I am without fear of merciless teasing from coworkers or customers (Church of Christ brethren and sistren, I see you). I’m not overwhelmed by what needs to get done because I have the whole week instead of just 2 days off to get it accomplished. I can actually rest on my days off instead of playing catchup on laundry, errands, and appointments. I can take a few minutes to watch the bluebirds play in a puddle and no one thinks I’m slacking on the job. Yes, I am happy. But more importantly, I am full of joy.

All that said, I am feeling a little intimidated by adding florists to the mix; will I have enough flowers to supply florists and farmers markets, and still have what I need for those last-minute special orders or weddings/events? I’m wondering if I should adjust the farm plan I made during my sabbatical or stick with it and hope I have a sufficient harvest. I don’t want to overproduce and end up throwing un-purchased flowers in the compost. But this stress pales in comparison to the weight on my shoulders when I was tasked with keeping thousands of plants healthy and hundreds of customers happy while running an efficient greenhouse with well-trained staff who I hoped didn’t think of me as a tyrant. This stress doesn’t keep me up at night. As one of my former coworkers said, “It’s a good kind of stress.”

I don’t have any Flower Power Friday pictures to share. After 2 weeks of having not much to work with besides tulips and daffodils, I couldn’t get inspired to create something new and different with those same flowers. I hope your Easter weekend is full of joy, family, and life!