Life Lessons From The Flower Farmers

Three Hardworking Women In The Pacific Northwest Show That Running Thriving Floral Farms, With Family In Tow, Can Build A Bridge To The Next Generation.

- Thad Orr And Mike Irvine

Staying Wild

Name: Carli Spielman Kids: Daughter, Frankie, 12; son, Charlie, 9 Business: Wild Rabbit Flowers Website: wildrabbitflowers.ca Location: Hope, British Columbia Known for: Large floral installations, huge floral arches, floral chandeliers Favorite flowers: Dahlias Carli Spielman grew up in a country town close to nature and wanted the same experiences for her two children. In Hope, British Columbia, this single mom grows flowers on a quarter-acre microfarm (it’s actually the backyard of her home), so that she can grow and design beautiful flowers while being home for her children. “I was not always a gardener, but my mother is and had a garden when I was growing up. I guess a little rubbed off, and I picked it up later in life when I saw that I could provide for my family with what I grow, live closer to the wildland I grew up with, and teach my kids about nature all at the same time,” says Spielman.

LIVE your IDEAL LIFESTYLE

Spielman tried different approaches to running a business, from managing a knitting and natural-dye company to opening a traditional flower shop. “At the shop I worked myself to the bone. The work didn’t stop, and it was tough being a single parent, a single owner, and the sole employee,” says Spielman. “The hardest part, though, was being inside. I did it for a year and didn’t grow a garden that year.” Instead, she’s rightsizing her business for her family, not tailoring her family for her business. “I want to be able to work super hard for four hours, then go jump in the lake, then come back to work,” she says. “This is the life I want for me and my kids.”

GROW your THANKS