Welcome ~ 2026
~ Looking Way Back ~
The start of a new year has given me time to reflect on everything I have overcome personally to get to a point in my life that I can truly say I love my job. Over the past six years since being out of full-time studies, I’ve had a difficult time deciding what I’d like to pursue as a career, and where I’d like to spend my energy. Since then, I’ve spent countless hours exploring different career paths by taking part-time courses, applying to masters degrees and college programs, trying new jobs and volunteer roles, but nothing felt quite right. One thing I knew for sure is that I enjoyed being creative and always thought that I would end up owning my own business one day. My first attempt at this was in highschool when I started my own baking business, and again in my early 20s when I started a business creating macrame art.
Early in 2025 I found out about a floral design program offered by the Canadian Institute of Floral Design, and decided to take a leap of faith and return to school one last time to fully explore my interest in flowers. I am so glad I did because I learned that I absolutely LOVED floral design. With this knowledge, I applied my entrepreneurial skills to begin my journey as Huckleberry Sprig.
~ Looking Back to 2025 ~
In April of 2025 I began my new floral design journey by selling grab-and-go bouquets to customers visiting the coffee shop where I work part-time. How lucky I have been to have such a supportive employer and team of coworkers to help me through the beginning phases of my career (Shoutout Sumach Espresso!). Networking through the coffee shop offered me several business opportunities including designing for a birthday party, an engagement party and even my first wedding! Word-of-mouth soon led to even more experiences, including a baby shower, a wedding shower, and a second wedding.
As business was starting to blossom I decided I wanted to try growing some of my own flowers using my family’s property in Midland, Ontario. I planted a few low-maintenance flower varieties including cosmos, zinnias and dahlias. I was able to harvest from these at four occasions, bringing them back to the city to sell at Sumach Espresso. Over this past season, I learned that planting, caring for, harvesting and selling my own flowers was incredibly rewarding and this became my favourite part of being a florist. So, I started to research as much as I could on running a flower farm and began planning for a garden expansion in 2026. After a ton of planning for this coming year, I applied for a loan through a program for Métis women entrepreneurs. I am incredibly fortunate to have received this loan, and grateful that I can use my family’s beautiful land to grow on. This past fall, with the help of my family, I started to prepare the soil for the spring, and began planting with 96 peony roots, and over 3000 tulip and daffodil bulbs.
~ January 2026 ~
I am excited to start my first seeds of the year! This January I will be starting two varieties of foxglove seeds that I purchased from West Coast Seeds. These flowers are biennials, meaning they typically take two growing seasons to bloom. I’ve learned that by starting them this early, there is a good likelihood for first year blooms. These flowers are just so beautiful that I have to give them a try!
In January I will be hosting my first two floral design workshops, located at Sumach Espresso (118 Sumach Street, Toronto):
1. Vase Arrangement
January 9th ~ 7:00-8:30PM
2. Centerpiece Arrangement
January 23rd ~ 7:00-8:30PM
*There are still a few spots available in each class! Please send me an email if you are interested in registering.
On January 14th I will be launching my online pop-up shop for Valentine’s Day pre-ordering. This will be available for those who live in the Midland and East Gwillimbury areas, as well as customers who frequent Sumach Espresso. If you would like to be notified when pre-ordering becomes available, please join my newsletter (Link to follow!).
~ Looking Forward to 2026 ~
By April of 2026 I will be fully self-employed and will have moved to a new home in Northern GTA. My goal is to provide customers with fresh, locally, and sustainably grown flowers from April through October. My flowers will be available for purchase from a self-serve farmstand located on my family’s property in Midland, and from a weekly farmers market in or near East Gwillimbury (location coming soon!). I also plan to have bouquets and arrangements available for purchase on my website for delivery in both Midland and East Gwillimbury’s surrounding areas (Website update coming soon!). Lastly but not least, I will continue to design for weddings and events, using fresh flowers grown on my farm as much as possible.