Andover Blooms

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day 🤍🌸

Just for kicks, pick your favorite dahlia bouquet and see what it says about you 😂 I’m convinced flower preferences are basically personality types at this point. Which one are you choosing?👇

05/09/2026

I’m determined to have my best dahlia crop ever this year… and honestly, it all starts before the plants even go in the ground. 🌱✨ Healthy plants start with healthy soil, so I’m really focusing on building up my beds before tubers & cuttings evn go into the ground.

Here’s my process right now:

1. Mix equal parts granular chicken manure + powdered molasses
2. Sprinkle the mixture over the soil surface
3. Roughly work it into the beds
4. Dig my planting holes
5. Add bone meal & worm castings and gently mix in
6. Plant the tuber or cutting and let the season begin 🌸

* Chicken poo → slow-releases the 3 major macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus & potassium) for strong healthy growth
* Powdered molasses → feeds beneficial microbes and supports healthier soil
* Bone meal → high in phosphorus + calcium to support strong roots and better blooms, plus it slowly releases nutrients over time
* Worm castings → gentle slow-release nutrients + beneficial microbes that help support healthy soil and strong plant growth

I love using granular amendments because they slowly release nutrients over time instead of overwhelming the plants all at once. Nothing super complicated over here — just trying to build healthy, living soil little by little and give these dahlias the best start possible.

Links to everything are in my Amazon storefront in my profile :)

05/08/2026

05/08/2026

I only get a limited amount of time each week to garden without kids, so when I do, I try to be as productive as possible. And as much as I love my kids, I also genuinely love gardening alone sometimes. It’s one of the only times my brain gets a little quiet. Our neighbors were kind enough to let me start growing in their old garden space a couple years ago, and ever since, I’ve just wanted to turn it into something beautiful for them to look at from their back porch. So today we’re cleaning things up, getting the beds ready again, and making the most of the few uninterrupted hours I’ve got.

05/07/2026

Somewhere along the way, a lot of us were taught that slowing down was laziness. That hobbies had to be productive. That being constantly available, constantly online, and constantly overstimulated was just normal life.

And then some of us found gardening.

And the funny thing is… I’m still busy out there. There’s always something to do. Watering, planting, weeding, harvesting, hauling things around. But it’s a quiet kind of busy. The kind where my mind finally gets to go somewhere softer for a little while.

Not because life suddenly becomes perfect, but because flowers don’t care about algorithms, notifications, or how productive you were that day. They just ask you to slow down for a minute. To step outside. To pay attention to something beautiful and alive.

I really do think more women need this, so join me in embracing the garden in this season of life 🌸💗🌿

05/07/2026

Cut Flowers 101 🌱✨
This week we’re going back to the basics with direct sowing — one of the easiest ways to grow beautiful cut flowers from seed. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by seed starting trays, grow lights, or all the “rules” online, this is your reminder that it really can be simple. A lot of flowers actually do best when they’re sown straight into the garden, and it’s such an easy, low-stress way to fill your space with blooms this season. Soil, a little water, and some patience go a long way. I truly think direct sowing is one of the best ways for beginners to build confidence in the garden. 🌸

05/06/2026

Three hills I will absolutely die on as a backyard cut flower grower who wants to show you how to grow beautiful flowers this season: you do not need to spend a ton of money to have a gorgeous cut flower garden, you do not need a huge fancy setup or acres of land to grow armfuls of blooms, and you definitely do not need to wait until you “know what you’re doing” to get started. Buy the seed packets. Plant the flowers. Make the mistakes. Learn as you go. I promise growing beautiful flowers is way more possible than people make it seem.