My Story
I come from a line of botanists, gardeners, and flower enthusiasts. From a young age, I was taught the importance of respecting Mother Nature. My dad had a special talent for breeding iris’, nurturing roses, and his dahlias stole the stage every fall. The backyard was always in bloom, and he brought us along through the cycle of planting, caring for, and picking the most beautiful blooms. Now that I have my own yard, I’ve followed in his footsteps, growing some of the same breeds and bulbs that were passed down from my grandfather. 

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Over the years, flowers have meant so many things in my life. 

• Family: I spent many hours out in the yard with my dad, learning names of plants and their preferences for water and sunlight. I’ll never forget my mom washing my mouth out with soap when I ate a marigold. It was just so pretty, ya know?

• Tradition: in elementary school, I brought a small bouquet for my teacher on the first day of school. My dad taught me how to wrap the stems in a wet paper town and a plastic bag so they’d stay fresh on the bus ride. 

• Self-care: When I lived far from my family in my early 20s, I’d save up to buy myself flowers from the corner Le Bouquet Flower Shop right by my bus stop

• Wellness: In an age when everything is digital, I retreat to my flower gardens or the local nursery when I need to reset my mental health. 

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Having a bouquet of fresh flowers on my kitchen table just feels like home. 

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Building the Business
“Florist” feels too general. Gardener doesn’t fit just right. Plant lady? Yes, but not as kitschy and modern as it looks on instagram. Maybe it’s “creative nature artist”? It’s a work in progress. For now, I’ll call myself a florist.

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I have one of those resumes that reads “wow she’s all over the place”... I’ve been a guidance counselor, an ESL teacher, an event producer for a traveling yoga festival, and an HR manager. And while holding all of those different job titles, I’ve always been a florist. 

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Nature, or some iteration of the word, has always been on my list of core values. It’s looked different as I’ve evolved through the many versions of myself: digging my toes in the sand after a long beach run, leaving the city in search of a fresh cut Christmas tree, taking my son on a long walk through the windy New Hampshire backroads. The reality is that I don’t always have the ability to stick my nose in a Fraser Fir, or let the ocean wash over my toes. And so a bouquet of flowers has become my most constant and efficient way to come back home to myself. 

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Over the years, I’ve unknowingly built the Ford Farm Floral brand. At family events or gatherings, I love to show up with a beautifully crafted bouquet of seasonal blooms from my garden. When we have visitors, I put a bud vase on the nightstand in the guest room, and then hunt the yard for the prettiest blooms. When my sisters got married, I offered to do all the table arrangements and bridal bouquets. Next thing you know I’m learning corsages and boutonnieres. Word of mouth helped me get my first paying clients. 

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And somewhere along the way, I became a florist.