For our next garden tour, I’m excited to share with you Bub’s Bees and Blooms. I first met owner Allison Cates at her lovely booth at the Cape Riverfront Farmer’s Market, which was adorned with jars of honeycomb, flowering tobacco, snapdragons and foraged details. Awkwardly, I introduced myself and promptly asked if I could buy her amazing flowers by the bunch. What a relief she said yes! Since that day, I have sourced from Allison continually throughout both of her epic growing seasons.

I so admire what Allison has accomplished in her two years of farming. She inspired me to try my hand at seed starting and we both jumped into growing specialty tulips last winter. More than just growing the most beautiful (and organic!) flowers and foliage, Allison has become such a true friend to me. Owning a small business can be lonely sometimes, and meeting Allison has been one of the best parts of our CLEMENTINE journey. We have felt like kindred spirits from the very start.

We interviewed Allison earlier this month, with the farm at the height of late summer glory. We hope you follow along with Allison’s journey at her website, Bub’s Bees and Blooms. We love receiving her email newsletter and reading her flower farm updates.

Allison, thank you so much for sharing your garden with us today! I'd first like to ask you, what are you most excited about that is blooming in your garden right now?

I am especially excited about dahlias at present. They are 100% the star of the show right now! Every time I go out to look at them, my jaw drops in absolute awe. I increased the amount of dahlia tubers I planted this year, and have been so pleased with their production this year.

I agree—your dahlias are stunning! I adore all the varieties you chose. When did you begin gardening on your current land and how has it evolved since you started?

In 2020, I started flower farming on an acre of land that another farmer allowed me to use. It started out as a big, wild dream and really took hold during Easter of 2020. I was full-time teaching fourth grade at that point, and everything was being done remotely due to the pandemic. Looking back over my first growing season, it truly was an incredible gift to have that unusual period of respite to get my business off the ground. My friend Corie was also teaching remotely and was able to help me during the spring season to prep the land for planting. My first growing season was filled with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. There was a lot of trial and error. Yet, every failure provided an opportunity for growth and has refined how I've done things during my second growing season. This year we added early spring flowers to kick off the season, including specialty tulips and daffodils, as well as peonies! My main goal was to trial a wide variety of summer and fall flowers in a plethora of colors. It's allowed me to discover which ones do well in our climate and the types of flowers that I simply can't live without. I have a "must grow" list now that I will utilize in future growing seasons. Some of those include zinnias, celosia, cosmos, sunflowers, and so many more!

Has a love of gardening been present throughout your whole life or did you discover your passion later on?

As a child, I was always mesmerized by nature. I remember my mama always planting a wide variety of flowers on our front porch every spring. Truly, my love and passion for flowers began when I was choosing which varieties I wanted to have in my wedding. At that point, I knew very little about the seasonality of flowers or the floral categories of focal, supporting, greenery, airy, etc. Throughout the wedding preparation, I fell in love with flowers. When my husband and I moved to Missouri from Ohio for his job, I happened upon a flower truck in STL outside my favorite bakery. I saw it and it was like a light switch went off inside me. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to do something with flowers for the rest of my life. There is a deep satisfaction in cultivating beauty and sharing it with others to bring them joy. The concept of our business began when we became beekeepers. There is a beautiful partnership between the bees and flowers, and to be able to be a tiny part of fostering that relationship, brings me tremendous joy.

I love that—and your honey is amazing too! What has worked out well for you with your garden? Have you had any happy surprises with your plantings?

We have found great success with the flowers we've grown due to working in tandem with the seasons. I was SO pumped when my tulips and daffodils popped up first thing during the spring. I was worried that the voles would eat my bulbs, but planting them in raised beds that were undergirded with metal meshing allowed me to be able to harvest all of them without any issues! In addition, cosmos were "out of this world" during our second growing season. I was amazed at their production and overall quality this year. Hot biscuits amaranth has been towering high above me as I harvest, which always makes me smile. I was also pleasantly surprised with how well our eucalyptus did. This was our first season to grow it, and it's most definitely a keeper! With the late frost during the spring season, we frantically covered everything with frost cloth and didn't think the eucalyptus would make it, but my babies made it! It's the small victories that keep you going.

I remember your tulips from spring! So joyful. Do you have a current garden project you are working on?

A current project we are working on is designing the landscaping at our house to become the new home for our cut flower garden. My husband built me nine raised beds, which will be where my "must grow" varieties are planted throughout spring, summer, and fall. Then, we are planning on incorporating biennials, annuals, and natives throughout our landscaping that I can cut from, but will still add beauty to our home. I am most excited about our English rose garden in the back portion of our house as well as the peony garden we are going to plant this fall!

Has gardening taught you anything that you apply to other areas of your life?

Gardening has taught me so many incredible life lessons, often times the hard way. First and foremost, it has taught me a great deal about the value of humility. When it comes to Mother Nature, you have to relinquish control. You cannot predict the weather or the pest pressure you will have from season to season. LIfe is a lot like that. There are so many twists and turns - unexpected challenges and triumphs. I am reminded daily of the importance of grounding one's self through nature and practicing mindfulness in the chaotic, disconnected world we live in. Additionally, gardening has taught me how vital community is. I could not have done my first growing season without the community that I had. Emily from Laughing Stalk provided so much insight about how to grow my flowers organically and manage pests without resorting to pesticides. Sharla from Spanish Street Farmacy was a constant source of encouragement and resource for questions I had about different varieties. Dana from CLEMENTINE became a dear friend, confidant, and inspiration, especially during the difficult parts of my first growing season. My husband, my friend Corie, Roger the farmer - I could tell you so many more. We are not meant to do it on our own, much like life. It's so incredibly important to lean on others and be honest with people about your struggles, your joys, your mistakes. No one is alone.

I am truly, so honored to be included in your list above. Do you have a favorite flower? I know when you see and grow so many plants, it is sometimes difficult to choose just one!

Dahlias are 100% my favorite flower. They take a bit more effort than the rest because they are the "diva" of flowers, but are totally worth the time and remind me why I love what I do. Peonies, snapdragons, sunflowers, and cosmos aren't far behind. Who am I kidding, can you really have a favorite? I love them all.

Thank you again, Allison for sharing your beauty with us and the world! You can order Allison’s flowers through her website and see them at the uptown Jackson and downtown Cape Girardeau Ground-A-Bout locations.

All photos are provided by Allison Cates of Bub’s Bees and Blooms; photography by Emily Christisen.

HDYGG Series: Bub's Bees and Blooms