I’m glad you are here following along on this flower journey and I thought it was time to say hello and let you know a bit about me and my business.
Rosalind’s Garden Blooms is based in my suburban garden in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. At the moment it is deep into winter and covered in snow.
The Early Years
This is totally different to the gardening conditions that I grew up with! I was born and raised in Kent in England and our garden there had perfect loam soil. Both sets of grandparents were skilled keen gardeners and my love of nature and gardening started while I was young. One of my earliest memories is of sitting on a stool in my grandfather’s greenhouse pricking out tomato seedlings. I probably didn’t do a very good job!
I have always loved being outside and working with my hands. Playing with sticks and mud, climbing trees and watching birds and insects have continued to be favourite pastimes. My first plant collection was a treasured group of cacti I was allowed to keep in my parent’s greenhouse. I was thrilled the first time they flowered and I remember taking a lot of photos with my first camera – a black and white Polaroid Instamatic! I still love taking photos of flowers and gardens but have fortunately moved on to much better cameras.
Over the years I have had many gardens, with many different climates and growing conditions so I have experience of a wide range of plants and problems! My aim is always to leave the gardens in better condition than when I arrived.
Young or old I’m always at my happiest in the garden!
While living in Victoria, BC, I had the privilege of spending a year studying Horticulture at The Horticultural Centre of the Pacific and working in their gardens. One of my placements was at a small scale flower farm where my love of locally grown flowers continued to blossom. After I spent time working in a garden centre and a couple of florist shops we moved to a totally different gardening climate where there can be snow on the ground from December to April. Hello Ottawa!
I have always enjoyed the changing seasons and the differences in nature throughout the year. Working in step with the seasons is important to me and it guides and inspires all I do here. During the spring, summer and fall you can find me out in the garden as I only use my homegrown flowers and foliage in everything I make…and I’ll be there pretty much until the snow falls and the ground freezes.
My Love of Dried Flowers
In the winter you’ll only see dried flowers in my feed as nothing is growing outside then! So I’ll be inside making pretty things with flowers that I have grown, harvested and dried the previous summer. This is my way of continuing my connection with nature and my garden. All my flowers, foliage and seed heads are naturally dried without the use of chemicals, bleaches, dyes or artificial heat.
Many frames and containers I use are all up-cycled from things I find or have been given. I try to do my best to avoid wasting anything and love making wreath frames from vines and sticks pruned from my garden. Anything I cannot reuse is chipped up and composted or goes in to my ‘dead hedge’ to provide habitat for insects and other garden friends.
I do not use floral foam, harmful chemicals or pesticides and everything is either reused or composted. This year I’m going to continue to be as waste free as possible. I’m always trying to reduce my plastic use so I am also going to be trying soil blocking for starting some seeds.
Natural Dyeing
I have also become interested in using many of the plants from my garden for making natural dyes and eco printing on both fabric and paper. Here too, I do not use any toxic chemicals or fixatives. This does mean that I cannot guarantee the colours will not eventually fade but for me this is part of the charm of using only natural methods.
It also means you are not exposing your skin to anything harmful when you wear the scarf or clothing that I have dyed. And I do not have to come in to contact with harmful chemicals and find a way of disposing of them after use. If the garment does fade it can easily be redyed or reprinted.
Sustainability
So much of what I do in my garden is about protecting and encouraging wildlife. I am constantly learning and improving especially when it comes to reducing my impact on the environment around me. I feel I have been fortunate to be able to have a small piece of land under my care and stewardship, and I take that responsibility seriously. Caring for the soil and composting are two of my favourite things to do in the garden.
Starting My Business
I started selling fresh flowers from my garden back in 2018 when I had a stall for the first Canadian Flowers Week celebration. From there I set up The Ottawa Flower Market with other local growers and we got together once a month to promote locally grown flowers and sell what we had grown. Slowly my interest shifted to drying more flowers and using those to make bouquets, wreaths, art work and gifts. I now sell mainly dried flowers via my website, 613flea markets and through Morning Owl Parkdale coffee shop. I love the fact that I can provide people with beautifully dried local flowers all through the winter.
My business name explains what I grow (garden flowers) where I grow (an average suburban garden plot) and how my garden grows (it’s bursting with blooms, bees and butterflies ) as well as how it affects me as a person (it helps me flourish)
So if you love natural, locally grown, seasonal flowers that have been nurtured in a wildlife friendly, sustainable garden then stay tuned for what I have planned for this year.
In Part 2 I will talk more about how I have achieved that in this garden and share some before and after photos with you as I explain the transformation and reasons behind it. You will also get some ideas on how to achieve this in your own garden.
I hope you have enjoyed learning a little more about me and my business! Please feel free to contact me with questions or comments on what you’d like me to include.
Rosalind's Garden Blooms 