The death of a loved one and a life-threatening illness many years ago led me on a slow journey to deepen my relationship to the beauty of the natural world.
In 2008, after buying a farm in the Pacific Northwest with my husband and his son, I started growing flowers for what would go on to become a thriving part-time floral design business for weddings and events.
Starting my own cutting garden was one of the best business decisions I ever made.
Cultivating my own cutting garden has given me access to some of the most beautiful material possible, and let me stand out in a crowded market. And I’ve found that my clients value their investment so much more when they can connect with the story of how their flowers were grown.
When I started, I knew I only wanted to do it if I could leave as little impact as possible on the earth. But despite having apprenticed with several amazing organic farmers, and having had years of experience with a kitchen garden, very little of what I knew applied to growing cut flowers.
And there were very few resources available for aspiring gardeners like me who wanted to create a thriving and diverse cutting garden using the best organic techniques possible.
So I set out to create it.
Garden to Vase is a digital course in
cultivating cut flowers.
When it came time to create this course, I knew I wanted it to be the best possible digital experience. I wanted it to be a place where flower growers could gather, connect with other passionate gardeners, learn via a blend of text, video, images, and downloadable exercises, all while being able to study at their own pace. From anywhere in the world.
I wish I had Garden to Vase when I was just starting out.
I made so many mistakes when I first started growing flowers. Since then I’ve set out to learn everything I can about how to grow the best flowers and how to do it by using the best organic gardening methods. Along the way I’ve worked behind the scenes to help some extraordinary brands to advance their educational content and digital strategies, including Jeff Walker, Dr. Gabor Maté, and OnceWed & Joy Thigpen, where I managed the design and launch of Wedding Styling 101 – a digital course in styling. After seeing first-hand the demand and excitement for digital learning, and being frustrated by the lack of resources available to cut flower gardeners, the idea of creating Garden to Vase was born.
The good news is that you don’t have to learn by trial and error like I did.
I’ve poured my heart, soul, knowledge and experience into this course and am so excited to share it with you.
If you are growing flowers for a business enterprise, or if you’ve growing flowers for your own pursuit of beauty, the Garden to Vase curriculum will give you everything you need to know.
Registration for the course opens up several times a year. Hop on the list via the homepage to be the first to hear when enrolment opens.
xo
Clare
Clare Monica Day is a floral designer, master gardener and the creator of Garden to Vase. You can learn more about her and see her portfolio at www.claremonicaday.com.