We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Child a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My mission has always been to inform and inspire my community with locally grown flowers. The positive impact growing regeneratively and/or supporting local growers has on our shared environment is empowering. The therapeutic benefits we reap as a society are a welcome side effect.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When we were just starting our family, we knew we wouldn’t be able to afford childcare, so I stayed home to care for our two little ones. My goal when I set out growing flowers was to provide an income for my family. It quickly became a therapeutic outlet for a young, busy mom such as myself. I started out offering a Floral CSA, tried pop-up markets around Charlotte and really anything to see what would stick. I’m proud of all the work I put into this business over these last 5+ years. Some of it I would leave behind if I could, but I learned many lessons from doing. It is my nature to ideate, experiment and see my vision through with BIG energy.

I’m incredibly thankful for all the relationships I’ve grown with clients and business owners alike. The hardest and biggest lesson so far has been to prune and leave behind the aspects that don’t work for me, my family or where I see this endeavor headed. In my gut I know what that means, but often it is easy to overlook instinct because of all the noise. For me, right now that looks like saying good-bye to our Garden Services to focus more on Floral Design.

One thing that sets us apart is our use of garden grown flowers and foliage only. We strictly use only what we grow. If we don’t have it, we are sold out. This hurts us in some ways(sometimes financially), but in other ways like sticking to our mission and holding fast to our vision it enables creativity to flourish. I know that if I made an exception to supplement store bought flowers, it would be a slippery slope that could lead me further away from my mission. In turn, I also realize that this means this business needs to stay seasonal and not one that I force into a full-time arrangement. What a relief that is for my creative mind!

I want people to know that flowers don’t have to be seen as a luxury. They hold so much room for playfulness whether when growing or arranging them. There are numerous therapeutic benefits to having flowers around. The floral industry is very dirty and unsustainable, but it doesn’t have to be. Seeking out your local growers or asking your local florist about local farms is a step in creating a stronger local economy AND environment. Your choices matter and they do make a difference.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

Gosh there are so many metaphors in the garden. Our best year in sales was during covid – 2020. Growth has happened since, but it has been very slow. When you are only looking at numbers it can be disheartening. It is hard to measure growth in the form of relationships and environmental impact, but in those terms we are wealthy. It is important not to forget those riches in the process of growing a side hustle, passion project or business. Sometimes a side hustle stays a side hustle and that is more than ok. I hope people reading this will find reassurance and permission to accept that for themselves, especially if they are incredibly passionate about their work.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Do I have a list of books? Oh me, it is a long one! I am actually working on a blog post on this very topic.

What first inspired me to grow in a regenerative way was Eliot Coleman’s book The Four Season Farm. I found old video footage on youtube of he and his partner Barbara Damrosch from an old tv series they did. This was back when I was fresh out of the hospital with my newborn, bound to the couch to breastfeed. I was so inspired and hungry to learn more. From there I learned of market gardening, no till methods and regenerative agriculture.

Jennie Love from the No-Till Flowers podcast informed much of the way I grow flowers and inspired me to grow my ingredients when it comes to floral design.

The Living Homegrown podcast was a big game changer on road trips to see family, I’d listen to farmer after farmer share their story while my babies napped in the backseat.

Of course I cannot not mention Growing a Greener World, a show on PBS. They share how many people just like you and I are making a difference in the way we shop for groceries and flowers. It’s all about making a difference in our communities.

Contact Info:

• Website: yourbackyardflorist.com + gardenlikeaflowerchild.com
• Instagram: @flowerchildheirlooms, @yourbackyardflorist
• Facebook: facebook.com/flowerchildheirlooms
• Youtube: youtube.com/gardenlikeaflowerchild

Image Credits
Kara Perry Photography