Kara Jamison
Blooming Joy Flower Company
Spreading Joy with flowers has always been my mission since day one of developing my flower business. What started out as a way to bring Joy to others, has in turn brought Joy to me after a painful loss. This is my story of the journey I’ve traveled to build Blooming Joy Flower Company.
In 2007, I graduated college and became a Registered Nurse. I spent the next 8 years working at a Nashville hospital in the Oncology Unit. I was largely inspired to work in Oncology because I had lost my dad to lung cancer in 2006. Seeing what he went through, I wanted to help others like him.
In 2015, I lost my mother, Joy, to breast cancer. We were as close as a Mother and daughter could be. We did everything together and without her, my world was rocked. After my profound loss, my husband, Robert, and I decided to make a big life change. We decided to move from suburbia to farm life. Neither of us had grown up in a farming lifestyle but we knew this was how we wanted to raise our kids. Fast forward to 2016, we bought a raw piece of land in Christiana, Tennessee to start our dream of growing big gardens and raising livestock. We had been growing small backyard vegetable gardens the 10 years prior but we wanted to do more. In order to build our house, we needed to live on our land because my husband was doing a lot of the finish work himself (while I cooked, homeschooled and kept the kids!) For nearly a year, the six of us lived in an RV beside our house that was being built. That was a journey, let me tell you!
In 2017, we moved into our new house. That winter, a seed was planted in my heart that I needed to learn how to grow cut flowers so I could bring others Joy. My mother’s name was Joy so it was only fitting that I named my business after her, Blooming Joy Flower Company. I already had the knowledge of how to grow vegetables but growing cut flowers was totally new to me. I dove head first into learning the world of cut flowers and how to grow them.
In 2018, I spent my first summer as a cut flower grower. Zinnias, Cosmos, Sunflowers and Dahlias were my training wheels of getting my feet wet in the floral world. There is a lot to learn- how to grow, when to harvest, what to do after harvesting, floral designing and how to sell all the flowers! I loved it though and word started to spread about my fresh flowers!
At the start of my business, I had a calling to share my entire flower growing journey on social media. For the past two and a half years, I have consistently taken videos and shared all about the growing and designing process with all of my “Flower Friends”, as I lovingly say every day on Instagram stories. In turn, I have built a loyal following and made some great connections with other flower farmers, home gardeners, plant businesses and flower lovers across the world.
In the process of growing flowers, I fell in love with designing with them. A large portion of my business is creating vase arrangements for customers homes, intimate weddings/events and special occasions deliveries. I am in the process of building my floral studio, The Flowerhouse, where I will be having workshops and small events in this space. I’ve also had the pleasure of forming great relationships with local retail stores in my area that I bring bouquets and fresh winter wreaths too. I am excited for what my business has accomplished in the past 2 years and I am very much looking forward to the flower future of Blooming Joy Flower Company!
Show Notes
Walter’s Gardens is a great source for bare root perennials. Kara recommended the Fashionably Early Phlox series and the Onyx and Pearl Penstemon.
Kara prefers soil blocking for germination and planting. Like many farmers, Kara has gained much information from books and also from courses offered by The Gardener’s Workshop.
When working with Instagram, consistency is important.
She likes to use at least 4 words when replying to comments on posts.
Stories on Instagram seem to have better traction when there’s face to face contact.
This is your life, and it’s ok to cater to your needs. Give grace to yourself and most importantly stop comparing yourself to others.