About Backyard Blooms

I launched Backyard Blooms in the summer of 2022 on a bit of a whim. I had just finished my first full year of teachers college and had decided to take the summer off to recharge. I set to expanding the garden in the backyard of my family home that I had already been tending to for many years. What I didn't realize at the time was the joy this brought me!  I ended up getting a bit carried away and the garden was soon overflowing with blooms. Having arranged and gifted bouquets the previous summer, I decided to soft launch my business venture on Instagram, marketing to family and friends. I was pleasantly surprised by both the interest and the hyper local, small scale flower community I found online. 

The 2023 growing season was full of surprises including: my first bridal shower order, buckets of my blooms being used for weddings, my first subscription customer, and a few markets! 

The 2024 season saw me take a small step back from the garden to focus on my teaching career. Summer school kept me busy during July but it was still a successful season with the launch of summer flower subscriptions. I also had the immense priveledge of arranging one my oldest friends bridal bouquet in late September. While I had to supplement my gardens blooms with some wholesale roses it was still amazing knowing flowers I grew from seed were involved in such an important milestone. 

My hopes for the 2025 season? More time in the garden, more orders, and even more blooms! 

About me

Hi! my name is Stephanie, the face behind Backyard Blooms Ottawa. I'm also the accountant, social media manager, photographer, and the delivery driver. I wear many hats!

I've had a love of gardening since I was a kid and have fond memories helping my dad plant annuals in our front garden. I begged and begged for raised garden beds so I could start a vegetable garden and one summer, he finally relented and we built them together which I continue to use today. After my dad passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2015, I took over the gardening duties for my family home - planting annuals every spring and tending to the perennials we had added over the years. 

As a self-taught gardener, I tend to plant first and think later. My very sad hydrangea that I planted too close to a tree is a testament to my sometimes rash attitude! At the end of the day, one of the biggest advantages to gardening is you can learn by doing. I've always loved flowers, and I've been making arrangements from grocery store blooms for years. Turning one of my biggest passions into a business has been such a rewarding experience. In recent years I've also expanded my gardening and floral background by participating in workshops and pick-your own's throughout the Ottawa area. 

I recently completed the teacher education program at the University of Ottawa and have begun my teaching journey in the OCDSB teaching English at the High School level. I'm passionate about history, heritage, politics, and education. I love reading - specifically fantasy and murder mysteries, watching hockey, embroidery, watercolour painting, and cooking. My partner in crime is my 11 year old Australian Shepperd, Todd.