The Fertilizer Framework: How Growth in Business Mirrors Growth in the Garden

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in both life and business, it’s that growth is rarely linear. Just like in the garden, where roots tangle, stems lean, and flowers bloom in their own time, the same is true for how our businesses evolve. In this week’s episode of Rooted Agritourism, I shared something close to my heart—a concept I call the Fertilizer Framework.

It’s a way of looking at business growth not as a straight line or checklist, but as an interconnected ecosystem. Each part—your products, services, and relationships—feeds and strengthens the others.

A Non-Linear Path to Growth

When I started Sunny Mary Meadow, I never imagined it would become what it is today: a flower farm, a retail shop, a place for workshops and education, and a platform for speaking and writing. None of that was part of a grand business plan—it was the result of letting one thing grow into another naturally.

For instance, I began with bouquets. Then came workshops, because people wanted to learn how to arrange flowers themselves. From there, the retail space grew organically, giving visitors a way to experience the farm even outside of bloom season. And speaking opportunities followed, which in turn brought new people to the shop and farm.

Each new branch of my business didn’t just “add on” to the others—it nourished them. That’s the essence of the Fertilizer Framework: understanding that the health of your business depends on how its pieces feed each other, not how many separate ventures you can juggle.

Rooted in Real Life

The truth is, my business—and this framework—grew out of some very personal soil. Losing my first husband changed everything about how I see life, time, and purpose. When you experience loss like that, it gives you perspective. You start asking, What am I cultivating?

For me, it wasn’t just flowers. It was community. It was connection. It was creating spaces where people could slow down, breathe, and remember that beauty and healing can exist side by side. That belief became my foundation for everything that came after—the retail shop, the workshops, the speaking, and even my book.

The Fertilizer Framework in Action

In practical terms, here’s what this framework looks like in my business today:

• The flower farm grounds me in the tangible work of growing—literally cultivating beauty from the earth.

• The retail shop connects that beauty to people’s everyday lives, giving them a piece of the farm to take home.

• Workshops and speaking engagements nourish others by teaching and inspiring them to find their own form of growth.

• The upcoming book, Flowers Bloom Anyway, captures these lessons for a wider audience—because even in the hardest seasons, growth is possible.

All of these pieces overlap. They don’t compete for time or attention—they strengthen one another. When a workshop sells out, those attendees often come back to buy flowers or visit the shop. When someone hears me speak, they discover the podcast or preorder the book. Each branch of the business acts as fertilizer for the others.

Looking Toward What’s Next

As I shared in the episode, I’m also deep in planning for the 2026 Flower Farmer Forum Conference. This event will bring together flower farmers, growers, and agritourism entrepreneurs to connect, learn, and grow together. Because the Fertilizer Framework isn’t just about individual growth—it’s about collective growth.

When one of us learns something new, tries something different, or finds a better way to sustain our work, that knowledge helps the whole community thrive.

Cultivating Growth That Lasts

If you take one thing from this episode, let it be this: your business doesn’t need to grow in a straight line. It just needs to grow well. Look for the overlaps. Look for the connections. See where your energy and your audience intersect, and pour your fertilizer there.

Because just like flowers, businesses—and people—don’t always bloom the way we expect. But with the right care and attention, they’ll bloom anyway.

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