Description

Aren't flowers just the perfect little pockets of joy? I have been following Claudia from In the Garden with Claudia on Instagram for over a year now, and I live for her cut flower garden stories! I’ve been feeling a little humbled by my own garden setbacks in South Florida recently. So when I finally got her on the podcast, I thought we were going to do a straight-up how-to on growing flowers. And we did, kind of. But this conversation turned into what flowers can actually do for you! Claudia has turned her space into a garden with thousands of blooms that make me excited for my next garden season. I hope this helps you find your own smile as big as the one Claudia put on my face! Let's jump in!

In this episode, we learn:

• [03:40] Meet Claudia, the queen of backyard cut flower joy!
• [04:56] How she turned her backyard into a cut flower garden
• [07:31] She was a pre-dental student!? (a career pivot)
• [09:49] What her first couple of seasons gardening looked like
• [14:08] Why Claudia chose a production-style layout over traditional garden design
• [15:29] Fuel your garden mornings with the caramel-tasting bioactives in Manukora Honey!
• [17:15] Building her dream garden on a budget!
• [19:53] Claudia’s experience from disliking to growing dahlias
• [22:38] How to seed start indoors (Claudia grows 4000+ seeds!)
• [26:09] My biggest pain point right now
• [28:21] What is Claudia’s cut flower planting strategy for dahlias?
• [31:03] How she spaces and organizes her dahlia beds
• [32:08] Our favorite Espoma Organic products!
• [34:27] How and when to fertilize dahlias throughout the growing season
• [35:46] How to set up irrigation for cut flowers
• [36:38] Daily maintenance routines for better airflow and pest defense
• [38:28] Why you should deadhead your flowers for more blooms
• [39:50] How to manage and share excess flowers?
• [42:18] Selling her first massive bouquets at the office!
• [44:41] How to structure a flower CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)
• [48:03] What are Claudia’s joyful practices in her garden?
• [50:59] How the ‘In the Garden with Claudia’ YouTube channel started
• [54:52] Claudia’s dream of scaling up to a Washington flower farm
• [56:58] Where to find Claudia’s social media and upcoming resources!

Mentioned in our conversation:

• Growing Joy 258: Budget Friendly Ways to Elevate Your Garden with Robbie of Visit Our Garden
• Growing Joy 253: 5 Tips for Growing in Hot Climates with Janey of Dig Plant Water Repeat
• Flower Farming Workshop
• Espoma Organic Bio-tone Starter Plus
• Espoma Organic Land & Sea Gourmet Compost
• Espoma Organic Mushroom Compost Blend
• Espoma Organic Indoor!
• Alaska Morbloom Fertilizer
• Dan's Dahlias | Oakville WA

For Claudia's tried and tested methods of growing cut flowers,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

Follow Claudia:
YouTube
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

Manukora

Go to manukora.com/bloom to get up to 31% off the starter kit that includes their 850+ Manukora honey jar, 5 honey travel sticks, a wooden spoon, and a guidebook, PLUS $25 worth of free gifts!

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Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung

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Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria

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