OUR STORY

In 2021, on a vacation down to Big Sur, I picked up a packet of calendula seeds from the Mother Botanical Shop. I had never grown anything before, but when I got home, I planted the seeds in a $9 pot from Tuesday Morning. I still remember the feeling of pure excitement when I saw little green seedlings popping out for the first time, knowing that I had grown something, created something. The seedlings would eventually grow to be large, beautiful flowers that I cared for like they were my children. They sparked a love of growing in me that I didn't know was there. Three years later, after growing a variety of flowers as a hobby, I decided to expand my growing operation to multiple raised beds on a quaint 1/4 acre lot, and begin offering flower arrangements to the local community. My love for farming is inspired not only by my obsession with flowers, but by my desire for reparations for my ancestors, who weren't given the option to own and cultivate their own land. Who were forced to farm as a means of punishment, and lack of humanity. My love for farming comes from a desire to diversify spaces that need Black and Brown voices and representation. Farming, to me, is more than just growing. It's a connection to those who came before me, and those who will come after me. The name Wild Iris, is in honor of my late grandma Iris - with whom I share my birthday, my wit and my tenacity.