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:YouTubeInstagramFacebookTikTok   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!     Follow Maria and Growing Joy: Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants)by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha Leung Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle) Support Growing Joy with Maria by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon! Instagram: @growingjoywithmaria Tiktok: @growingjoywithmaria Subscribe to the Growing Joy YouTube channel! /growingjoywithmaria Website: www.growingjoywithmaria.com Pinterest: @growingjoywithmaria Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.