We have been offering scholarships for our Flower Farming Workshop since the very early days of Floret. What started as a single scholarship for each of our in-person workshop sessions has evolved into a full-fledged program 14 years later—it’s amazing to look back and see how many aspiring growers we’ve been able to help by paying it forward in this small way.
When we began the application process in September, we intended to offer 20 scholarships. Since then, two generous donors stepped forward, allowing us to increase the number of scholarships to 22. Each one of our scholarship recipients will receive full tuition for the 2027 Flower Farming Workshop, which kicks off in January.
Getting to hear stories from people all over the world about their lives and their hopes and dreams for the future is such an honor for all of us and is something we don’t take for granted.
This year in particular, the applications were especially rich. In total, we received 3,129 applications from 72 countries and territories, including Algeria, Kazakhstan, Uruguay, Uganda, Botswana, and the small islands of Antigua and Barbuda, and each one was an absolute joy to read.
Folks didn’t hold back—they put a lot of effort into their essays and communicated openly and honestly, not only about their successes but also about the struggles and hurdles they faced in taking the next steps to reach their dreams.
Each year as our review team reads through the applications, key themes emerge. Here are some takeaways and some inspiring words from this year’s essays.
There were so many compelling applications this year, and these quotes are only a small sampling of the messages we received.
Healing through flowers
About a quarter of the applicants described flowers as a way to heal from the grief of losing a loved one or as a way to cope with their own recent diagnosis or illness.
Others expressed that flowers had helped them through postpartum depression, offered relief in the midst of being a full-time caregiver, or provided respite from severe burnout due to physically and emotionally taxing jobs in health care. Many now want to offer that same healing experience to others.
“Every time people come out, they always say ‘Thank you’ or ‘This is exactly what I needed.’ There is so much healing being outside and purposefully looking for beauty.”
“This experience and the grief that followed broke something open—a realization that I had spent much of my life racing toward some imagined future when I would finally have time to live the life I actually wanted. Somewhere along the way, the present had become merely a means to any end . . . the flowers I was growing in my garden became a re-entry into my own life.”
“I experienced some challenging times with postpartum depression, and having to go outside to weed and water my garden ended up being the most healing outlet for me to recover and be well again.”
“The social impact of my farm cannot be understated, the bouquets bring joy to so many. The reality is that I end up gifting a lot of bouquets to people who have long-term illnesses and poor quality of life as a token to spark a bit of joy. There are widows whose husbands never gave them flowers (that was not the culture) but after receiving flowers from our farm have kept the spent blooms for more than six months as a treasured memory.”
“Flowers seemed the opposite of darkness, kind of like the embodiment of joy.”
Working outside the 9 to 5
Many applicants are building their gardens and farms around full-time jobs, fitting in what they can in the evenings and on weekends. While they have the passion and the desire, they need mentorship and knowledge in order to feel comfortable leaving their day jobs.
So many times, we heard people express the need for structure and a road map to follow so they could successfully turn their dreams into reality. One applicant wrote, “Growing flowers and building a business are two very different skills.”
Many working parents expressed wanting or needing to leave their traditional jobs to care for small children, or for children or young adults who are unable to attend school or work because of challenges faced due to illness, mental health needs, or neurodivergence, such as autism or ADHD, and several are navigating the opposite end of the age band in caring for an aging parent or relative.
“More than anything, I want to create a life where I can be more present for my children. I also want them to see that it’s okay to change direction, take risks, follow something you love, and build a life that brings you joy.”
“Each week we deliver food and flowers from our garden with a smile and the joy only found within people with an extra chromosome. . . . We would love to expand our business. I would love to provide a living way for my daughters that is almost impossible out in the real world.”
Inspiring the next generation
About one in six applicants were teachers, advisors for Future Farmers of America (FFA) or 4-H, homeschool parents, garden program leaders, or mentors working with at-risk youth.
Many of these programs are no longer receiving support, leaving educators and volunteers to provide funding out of their own pockets. They see flowers as a pathway for careers in agriculture, as a way to engage kids who are disconnected from the outside world, and as an opportunity for them to escape the difficulties of daily life and feel at home in nature.
“The students grew 450 tulips in their prom colors and they harvested them, they arranged them, it was awesome. Then in 2025 I lost my teaching job and my prom project disappeared. . . . I would love an opportunity to start this again.”
“The teaching and the farming are more connected than they look. The kids I work with spend most of the school day struggling with the thing school is built around. A garden doesn’t work that way. A child that can’t read a paragraph can grow a sunflower taller than she is, and she knows it’s hers. I’ve watched what it does for a kid who is behind all day to be good at something with their hands.”
“Many of the kids and teens she worked with were experiencing extremely difficult home lives including abuse, poverty, and neglect. Nature has a unique way of pulling closed-off teens out of their shell, something I have seen for myself since joining the journey with her. Flowers were healing. She knew that the more time they spent with her, the more time they would be able to rest and feel loved.”
“I believe that if we can make whatever space we are blessed with beautiful, we are happier and spread that joy to others.”
Building something meaningful
So many applicants feel called to make a change in their own lives, to take a step back from the fast-paced world and choose a different path, something that is meaningful and fulfilling and can offer connection and hope to others.
“I don’t dream about creating something huge. I just want to create something meaningful.”
“The most meaningful part would be knowing that what I learn doesn’t stop with me.”
“People want to connect, but sometimes there is a reason why they can’t reach out. Flowers have always been a very tangible way to bridge that gap.”
Gratitude for the encouragement to follow a dream
Finally, we saw overwhelming gratitude for the simple encouragement to follow a dream, and so many people noted that just the act of putting their hopes in writing helped to further ignite their passion or renew their desire to live a life filled with flowers.
“Heartfelt thanks to you reading this application. Just the opportunity is giving me hope today.”
“Just applying has awakened the dream inside of me again.”
“I’ve had various growers tell me not to bother, and that a flower farm could never be viable. But I can see that it can work because I’ve seen you make it work.”
“Flower farming has changed me tremendously. I don’t know if you will read this, and I don’t know if I will be accepted or denied, but I wanted you to know that flower farming has changed my life.”
I’m so happy to announce this year’s scholarship winners. The team and I are thrilled that this group will be joining our 2027 class.
Brie Britta, Little Bunches Lincoln, Lincoln, Selwyn District, New Zealand
Brittany Eilert, Topeka, Kansas, U.S.
Carolina Escobar, Fundo el Renuevo , Frutillar, Llanquihue, Chile
Claudia Escudero, Saint-lazare, Québec, Canada
Mallory Faix, Giddy Goose Flower Co., Appomattox, Virginia, U.S.
Zachariah Fissel, Blaine, Washington, U.S.
Lauren Glomson, Bear River High School Agriculture Department, Grass Valley, California, U.S.
Kimberly Hadley, Hadley Heritage Farm, Americus, Kansas, U.S.
Sonja Hoyt, Alderbrook Flowers, Tillamook, Oregon, U.S.
Adrienne Lambing, Painted Petal Gardens, Newberg, Oregon, U.S.
Mandi Lynn, Natural Leaders, Upper Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand
Christopher McGowan, Better Days Ahead Flower Farm, Brecksville, Ohio, U.S.
Sarah Miller, Acta Non Verba: Youth Urban Farm Project, Oakland, California, U.S.
Wagma, Gul Shireen Gardens, Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Judith O., Achel, Limburg, Belgium
Rebekah Ratza, Rustic Ridge Flowers, Fenton, Michigan, U.S.
Rushelle Reid, Eden Rose Farms, Plymouth, Brades, Montserrat
Emily Smith-Lundberg, Emily’s Peony Farm & Cut Flowers, Lake Shore, Minnesota, U.S.
Claudia Vasquez, Azalea Field Flowers, Rapidan, Virginia, U.S.
Ashley Vipond, Sprout and Bloom KY, Crestwood, Kentucky, U.S.
Carin Vogelzang, The Can Do Kitchen and Farm, Rockford, Michigan, U.S.
Zarek Wynn, Corn & Goose, Yanceyville, North Carolina, U.S.
Finally, a massive thank you to our scholarship review team. Becca, Susan, Jess, Ana, Allison, Erika, Hana, Angela, Katie, and Melissa—thank you all so much for your many, many hours of reading and thoughtful consideration. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Please join me in congratulating the scholarship recipients for the class of 2027 by leaving a comment below. If you’d like to learn more about the Floret Flower Farming Workshop, be sure to visit our workshop page.
Registration for the 2027 class will be open October 19–26, 2026. Just a reminder that this will be the last year we go through the fully immersive course with students, so if you’ve had your heart set on taking it, we’d love to have you join us!
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Selal Legesse from Elegant Gardens(A dream of delivering joy) on
Congratulations to this years award recipients!!! By judging from the mini course delivery, i can only imagine what a fully immersive workshop could be. I applied this year…didn’t get in. But the email you wrote me was so warm, specially the bonus video. You were right Erin and Jill the application process did something significant and the bonus videos added to gave me a stepping stone closer to my dreams. I encourage all applicants even the ones you are awarded the scholarship to watch the video. Thank you for everything you have done floret. I bet there is nothing as rewarding as paying it forward. Stubbornly waiting for my chance to make it through flower farming and paying it forward. God bless you.