I first heard of Jaiden a few weeks ago after seeing her business shared on a local Dripping Springs instagram account. I loved that she followed her passions right after high school and started a business!
I felt like we were kindred spirits right away!
I did the same thing when I was a senior in high school and started a photography business instead of getting a college degree.
Tell us more about yourself…
I’m Jaiden and I’m a flower loving 20 year old.
I started this business when I was 19. I didn’t love college, and I was unhappy with the field I was going into. I felt guilty for dropping out of college because like many kids are told it’s the “right” thing to do. I couldn’t be happier now with my decision to start my own business. I worked part time and took Floret’s workshop in 2020.
I spent as much time as I could learning about flowers by reading, listening to podcasts, and taking classes. My parents were always super supportive and encouraged me to do something I would be happy doing.
What advice would you give others who are thinking about going the non-traditional route and pursuing their passions right out of high school?
The advice I would give someone who wanted to leave the traditional route to pursue their dreams would be to just do it.
For a long time I let fear hold me back from so many opportunities.
Once I let go of fear of “what if I fail” “what if people make fun of me”… that’s when my business really started to grow because I didn’t allow the fear of what other people thought hold me back from showing my real self through my business.
I think the world would be a better place if people followed their passions and just didn’t choose the “stable” job and played it safe.
Make the jump and go for what you love.
There is no “right” way to live your life, or route to go in life.
What made you love working in the garden?
What made me love working in the garden is actually the ecosystem I saw I created within it. Where my garden is now there was nothing it was just plain grass. There was barely an activity up there besides deer of course.
Once I planted flowers, I had brought in so many pollinators and insects it was so fascinating to see.
I have earthworms, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, hummingbirds, frogs, lizards, spiders, ladybugs and tons of bees.
Don’t get me wrong I also have the bad insects that I have to deal with but it’s all apart of this wonderful ecosystem. I only use organic sprays on my flowers in order to keep this wonderful ecosystem alive.
Tell us more about the process of starting a fresh cut flower garden from scratch…
Having to start a cut flower garden from scratch is a lot of work.
The most important thing to start with is your soil. Your soil is what makes your plants healthy, and remember feed your soil not your plants. I have very heavy clay soil, and it was lacking many nutrients and had barley any microbial activity.
First we had to scratch the soil up because it was so compacted. Then we had trailers of compost hauled in, and spread. I did cover crops to add green manure back into the soil as well.
I use landscape fabric to cut down on the weeds for now but I’m hoping to get more help to eliminate it in the future to be more plastic free. Then it’s seed starting that has to be planned months to a year in advance, planting so either direct seeding, transplanting, or planting bulbs or perennials. Then it’s keeping everything weeded, and watered, keeping everything harvested, and harvested at the proper stage. Finally, it’s replacing that crop and starting all over again.
What is your favorite flower to grow?
What is my favorite flower to grow… oh that is a tough one. This changes every week I swear.
I’ll do my top 5.
My top 5 picks are Sweet Peas because they have such a nostalgic, cottage feel and smell amazing. Zinnias because they’re super easy to grow, and super productive. Ranunculus are stunning, and a customer favorite.
I am loving Larkspur this year, it has dramatic spike shaped flowers that come in such a wide range of colors. Lastly, I love Celosia it is such a heat lover which I appreciate in Texas and it adds so much texture to a bouquet.
What inspires you when you are gardening?
I am inspired when gardening that I am working with the earth. I am inspired by helping pollinators, growing my own food, and spreading that same joy with others. I am also inspired and motivated to keep doing what I’m doing by bringing local flowers in the US.
Where your flowers come from matters just as it does with your food. Being able to sell to retail customers, and florists is a fulfilling job that we are cutting down on the amount of imported flowers.
Creating a fresh flower bouquet for others is such a heart warming job. It makes all of the shoveling compost, weeding, and seaweed spraying worth it. The look on someone’s face when they ordered or were surprised with flowers is the best thing ever.
No one is usually mad to get flowers so it is such a nice job spreading the joy around.
I love being able to brighten someone’s day.
What do you love most about owning a business in Dripping Springs?
I love having my business in Dripping Springs it is the perfect atmosphere.
Local products are very important to the residents, and that is my whole business model is bringing local flowers to our community. It is also the perfect place for weddings, and wineries which both pair very well with flowers.
I love the community here, and all of my fellow flower and plant lovers I have met. My customers here are truly amazing, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Are fresh cut flower bouquets all you sell?
I also sell rainbow eggs. I was bit by the chicken bug. I started out with 10 chickens now we have 26 and ones hatching as we speak.
I was introduced to the chicken side of Instagram and now am obsessed with rainbow eggs, and getting the most variety in colors of the eggs. They are super popular too, which helps feed my addiction😂.
I have also been selling vegetable and herb starts for peoples personal gardens. I plan to do this yearly, and hopefully have cut flower kits and perennial packages in the future. I love seeding, and caring for plants so this is really fun for me. I will also be selling merch very soon so be on the lookout!
What other places can flower lovers go in this area?
Local flower lovers need to check out Arnosky farms in Blanco they are such an inspiration and their flower farm is amazing.
If they’re in the need for upscale arrangements or wedding work The Flower Girl, and Kismet Flowers are amazing florists in Dripping and I am happy to work with both of them!
Solstice Gardens is a small local plant nursery that has great perennials, and gardening supplies in Dripping Springs.
I also love the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin, they have such great resources, and it is gorgeous.
Where can we find you on social media?
You can find me on Instagram and Facebook @drippinginpetals. I also have a YouTube Channel that I post informational videos, or day in the life’s on when I have time. I am hoping to do this more to help our other beginning flower farmers, or those who are just curious what it is like.
I have a website that I do my retail single orders or bouquet subscriptions through: drippinginpetals.com .
I am at the Dripping Springs Farmers Market on Wednesdays 3-6 come see me!! I am also going to be hosting flower arranging workshops at Bell Springs Winery once a month.
Tickets can be found on their website
If you are in the area looking for interesting things to do or want to buy or sell a home in Dripping Springs or surrounding areas then reach out to me!
I love meeting new people and connecting them with the local culture and cool places to go!
