Maybe We Don’t Need to Grow More

What a few seasons of flowers have taught me about doing less, choosing better and leaving a little space……

September does something funny to a flower farmer.

We’re still cutting flowers, filling the stand and trying to keep up with everything that comes with the end of summer. But somewhere between hauling buckets, pulling weeds and wondering how they possibly grew that tall overnight, our minds have already wandered into next year.

And if you had asked me a few years ago what next year would look like, my answer probably would have involved one word:

More.

More flowers. More varieties. More beds. More sales. More projects.

There is something about January seed catalogues that makes you completely forget what August feels like.

You sit inside with a coffee, scrolling through beautiful photos of flowers and thinking, Of course we need six varieties of that.

Then August arrives.

The weeds are winning. The flowers need cutting. Something needs watering. Something else needs deadheading. There are buckets to wash, bouquets to make and approximately 47 things you were absolutely going to get done “tomorrow.”

And suddenly “January-you” seems a little overly ambitious.

So as this season starts winding down, I’m trying something different.

Instead of only making a list of what we want to grow, build and add next year, I’m also making a list of what we don’t want to do.

We’re Not Growing Something Just Because Everyone Else Is

One of the easiest traps in flower farming is seeing a beautiful flower on Instagram and immediately deciding you need to grow it.

Someone posts an armful of an incredible new variety and five minutes later you’re searching Canadian seed suppliers.

But a flower can be beautiful and still not earn its place here.

Maybe it doesn’t produce enough stems. Maybe the harvest window is too short. Maybe customers don’t particularly care about it. Or maybe it requires far more attention than we realistically have time to give it.

I’m getting much better at asking:

Does this flower actually work for our farm?

Because there will always be another beautiful flower.

And unfortunately, there will not always be another 50-foot bed.

We’re Not Saying Yes to Everything

This one might be harder.

When you have a small business, opportunities are exciting.

Markets. Workshops. Events. Custom orders. Collaborations. New products.

And individually, most of them sound completely manageable.

The problem is that eventually all those individual yeses land on the same week.

I've learned that an opportunity can be a good opportunity and still not be the right opportunity for us.

Sometimes saying no isn't turning down growth.

Sometimes it's protecting the parts of the business that are already working.

We’re Not Trying to Make Every Corner Perfect

We have weeds…..lots and lots of weeds!

There. I said it.

There will also likely be an unfinished project somewhere, a pile of something waiting to be dealt with and at least one area (actually many areas) I would prefer you didn't look at too closely.

Flower farms are particularly deceptive on social media.

A beautiful photo can show 20 feet of perfect flowers while conveniently leaving out the chaos approximately three feet to the left.

I'm learning to be okay with that.

We want the farm to be beautiful. We want to take care of it well.

But we're also running a working farm—not creating a permanent photoshoot.

Sometimes good enough really is good enough. I am trying really hard to learn and accept this.

We’re Not Adding Something Without Asking What It Will Require

This might be the biggest lesson.

Every new idea has a hidden second half.

Planting another bed sounds simple—until you remember it needs preparing, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting and cleaning up.

Adding another product means making it, pricing it, photographing it, promoting it and keeping track of it.

Hosting an event means planning, setup, cleanup and all the little things nobody thinks about when the idea first sounds fun.

So next year, before asking:

“Could we do this?”

I want to get better at asking:

“What will this require from us in July?”

January has a habit of making everything look easy.

July tells the truth.

We’re Not Forgetting Why We Started

This may be the most important one.

Somewhere along the way, something you love can quietly turn into a very long to-do list.

Grow the flowers.

Harvest the flowers.

Sell the flowers.

Photograph the flowers.

Post the flowers.

And then hurry back outside because more flowers need cutting.

But every once in a while, there is a moment that stops me.

A perfect bucket of peonies.

The first tulips of spring.

A sunflower that was tightly closed in the morning and suddenly wide open by afternoon.

Someone stopping at The Flower Bar and getting genuinely excited about a bouquet and sending us a message letting us know.

I still find myself surprised when I see a car at the roadside….that people are interested in our little flower stand.

Those moments are still pretty special.

And I don't want to become so busy growing a flower business that I forget to actually enjoy growing flowers.

Maybe Growth Looks Different Now

I still have plenty of ideas for next year.

Probably too many.

There will be new flowers. There will be projects. There will undoubtedly be at least one seed order that gets slightly out of hand.

I'm realistic.

But I'm starting to think that growing a business isn't always about making it bigger.

Sometimes growth is knowing what works.

Knowing what doesn't.

Knowing what deserves your time.

And being willing to leave a little space.

So while we're making next year's growing lists this fall, we're making another list too.

The things we're not doing next year.

And strangely enough, that list might end up being just as important.