A year in review…
2025 was a short season for us. Annuals took what felt like forever getting established. My cutting garden, which so far, has consistently contained zinnias, dahlias and annual grasses, did not reach full maturity until well into August and by then, powdery mildew was beginning to take its toll. Normally, I use an organic spray, called “Growers Ally” that does the job beautifully. With such a disappointing start to the season, however, I found myself unwilling to put the work into stopping the spread.
Conversely, in our client’s gardens, there was much to be accomplished. As landscapes change, so must we. An old oak dies and, in it’s absence, leaves a sun area where the shade canopy once existed. A low area in the backyard now floods consistently because the neighbor put a patio in and that has affected drainage in ours. Because of these changes, which were in all cases well beyond our control, and every bit our problem to solve, we experienced our biggest planting year ever. We had a lot of changes to address and while this is always the case to some degree, this entire season felt very much like THE season of responding.
We finally… and I say this accompanied with a huge sigh… we FINALLY built out a studio where we can design and produce our holiday porch pots. Designing and installing in June is a very different experience than in December. In June, we can purchase our plants under the warm awning of a nursery or walking through our grower’s fields. We can easily combine colors and textures anywhere to get an ‘eye’ on what the final outcome will be. In December, however, there are a multitude of additional factors to understand and respond to: We shop in refrigerators and cold nurseries and the soil is often frozen where we are working. Wearing gloves to keep warm, even the thinnest of them, limits our dexterity to a troubling degree and being in a hurry to escape cold chins and toes does not lend itself to the thoughtful execution of such an important creative project. As a result of building this space, we built some of our most beautiful and functional pots ever. A huge shoutout to Deborah Silver, owner of Detroit Garden Works and Deborah Silver and Co, in this regard, as her blog was an endless resource for how to address the challenges our sometimes harsh winters can bring. It feels really good to know we have a workable plan for the short term, while we work hard in other areas to establish and execute goals for the long.
This season was also the season of shifting gears, administratively. We purchased a new phone and I gave up my personal line to the business. Tami (Madame Tam), my longest employee and dear friend, took over many of the administrative duties that I have conducted up until now. She answers phones and handles scheduling. She communicates with our clients promptly and with the same friendly and outgoing energy they have become accustomed to. She tirelessly seeks out the best plants for the best price. She is currently looking for our own grower. To say this is a huge relief is a gross understatement.
We spent a good deal of time thinking about and planning how we will grow our current business, while also exploring avenues for revenue in the future that line up with our ethos and brand. Olivia (Olive Branch), our newest Basil & Blooms gardens addition, has been instrumental in this process. Her passion for growing and building is unparalleled and we intend to build upon her knowledge and skill set for our future product/service areas. Basil & Blooms Bakehouse, Basil & Blooms Atelier and Basil & Blooms Greenhouse and Farm are all possibilities. These are areas we can explore that keep us busy all season, that ensure my gals have year-round, reliable work and help limit the necessity of re-hiring every year. I spend a good deal of energy thinking about this as it feels like the most immediate need for ourselves. We are making progress. I am pleased with the direction we are going.
The end of the year rounds out for us when we finish with our holiday pots and we all try to rest. I play a LOT, creatively speaking. The gals and I meet. We dream about the future and tease out ways to make those dreams a reality, bit by little bit. I am looking forward to the 2026 season with renewed interest and the vitality only deep rest can bring and with gratitude for all of the blessings that 2025 offered us.
-Angela