In 2021 my partner and I relocated to the east coast. Having move from the Mojave, I was stoked to grow anything again, and flowers (and tomatoes) seemed like a great place to start fresh!

After a year in Pennsylvania, and a summer merrily making flower beds around the apartment (rental), we moved in with his parents. As spring turned to summer, summer to fall, fall to winter, and back again, a year went by dormant from the move and re-nesting.

“I stopped gardening
because deer
will eat anything!”

A year of transition, and a year of hearing my mother-in-law, say, “we can’t grow anything here, because deer eat everything” became an invitation to new possibilities. As my desire to play in the dirt kept building, I decided to accept the inspiration (and challenge) this unfamiliar concept had presented…

Floweee time!
Start simple!

So what did I do? I put my “Swedish Chef hat” on and grew the easiest, most abundant thrive-tastic, resistant flower I could think of…

MARIGOLDS!

The first “batch” of Merries was in 2024 with a “just in the front” approach. In 2025, I sprinkled seeds EVERYWHERE in those front beds, and told myself & the flowers that, “whoever grow, grows, and whoever dies, dies!” However, what I discovered, was that I didn’t have the heart to let any of the flowers die, so instead, I created more flower beds around the house. The fun if it all, was that, each time I relocated a flower, I tended to give it more organic fertilizer…. so the blooms featured in photos are a result of lots of love, and likely, lots of yummy food to encourage all the growth!! lol!

As the season ended, I found myself not wanting to waste any of the seeds from the bounty of the blooms, and this is how Backyard Blooms was born!

Backyard Blooms was born
partially in jest, partially to
finally use hoarded art supplies,
and of course to share my
love of marigolds!

…As a result, something unique & special has come from turning my crow-like ability to collect shiny things with my love of flower magic! Some seeds were harvested from my parent’s home in Colorado, but the majority of them are from my backyard in Maryland.

PSA: I’m not a botanist & master gardener, so some of the seeds will grow, and likely some will not! Also, since I don’t know what kind they are, they’re forevermore known as:

MYSTERY MERRIES

Sizes
Super Tiny • Small • Mediumish • Larger

Colors
Yellow • Orange • Maroon • Color Combo

How Bundles Arrive
Mystery Merry Clear Tin
Floweee Bomz/Scattershot Packets

Available beginning Feb. 20th and throughout the Settle Into Stillness Roots to Wings tour. Currently only available at in-person events (assuming I bring them with). Please reach out if you’d like to purchase bundles direct. They’re $5 each + shipping, with discounts for bundles.