How to Grow Cut Flowers in Small Spaces and Build Community
Ep.84: Growing Cut Flowers in Small Spaces: Community, Education & Local Blooms with Fawn Rueckert
If you think you need acres of land to grow cut flowers successfully, this story will change your mind.
In this episode of The Backyard Bouquet Podcast, I sat down with Fawn Rueckert, founder of Sego Lily Flower Farm, a thriving suburban flower farm growing on just one-third of an acre in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley. What began as a backyard cutting garden has grown into a meaningful, multi-layered business rooted in education, community, and local flowers.
This conversation is a powerful reminder that cut flower farming in small spaces is not only possible—it’s impactful.
From The Secret Garden to a Life with Flowers
Fawn’s love of flowers began long before she ever sowed her first seed tray. Like many growers, her story starts with memory and meaning. As a child, she listened to The Secret Garden read aloud by her mother, captivated by the idea of tending a hidden, magical place filled with blooms.
Surrounded by generations of women who gardened—mothers, grandmothers, and mentors—flowers became deeply connected to nostalgia, care, and connection. Those early experiences shaped not just what Fawn grows today, but why she grows.
Growing Cut Flowers in Small Spaces
When Fawn and her family moved from Southern California to Utah, she noticed something surprising: local farmers markets were full of food—but flowers were missing.
What started as a backyard garden to feed her family slowly expanded into something more. Without intending to start a business, Fawn found herself filling a local gap, becoming the flower farmer at her market. Over time, Sego Lily Flower Farm grew into a successful small-scale operation focused on:
- Unique cut flower varieties that don’t ship well
- Flowers best grown locally
- Sustainable practices that prioritize family and soil health
Fawn’s experience proves that you don’t need a large farm to grow abundantly. Many successful flower farmers operate on less than an acre, using intentional crop selection, succession planting, and strong local relationships.
When It’s Time to Pivot as a Flower Farmer
One of the most valuable lessons Fawn shares is knowing when to pivot.
After years of selling at farmers markets, Fawn realized her energy and time were better spent elsewhere. As her business evolved, new opportunities emerged—particularly in education and plant production. Stepping back from markets wasn’t easy emotionally, but it allowed her to build something even more aligned.
This is an important takeaway for small flower farms:
growth doesn’t always mean doing more—it often means doing differently.
Snuck Flowers: Supporting Backyard Growers and Farmers
Today, Fawn also runs the Snuck Flowers program at Snuck Farm, where she grows cut flower plugs for both backyard gardeners and wholesale flower farmers.
This program now supplies plugs to over 100 local growers and makes hard-to-find varieties—like lisianthus—more accessible. By keeping the program local and pickup-based, it eliminates shipping stress while strengthening regional flower systems.
This model highlights an emerging opportunity in small-scale flower farming: supporting other growers can be just as impactful as growing stems yourself.
Lisianthus: Why It’s So Hard to Grow from Seed (and What Helps)
Lisianthus is one of the most sought-after cut flowers—and one of the most intimidating to grow from seed.
In our conversation, Fawn shares why so many growers struggle and what actually helps:
- Temperature matters: Lisianthus germinates best around 68–70°F
- Patience is required: It’s slow, especially in early stages
- They’re hungry: Lisianthus seedlings need consistent feeding
- Plugs can make sense: For many growers, buying plugs saves time, space, and stress
Fawn grows over 120,000 lisianthus plants annually and emphasizes that lisianthus isn’t “hard”—it’s just slow. Understanding that alone can change a grower’s experience dramatically.
Building Community Through Flowers
Beyond flowers and farming techniques, this episode centers on community.
Fawn is a founding member and outgoing president of the Utah Cut Flower Farm Association, which now supports nearly 200 growers across the state. The association focuses on education, research, farm tours, conferences, and helping growers feel less alone.
Her advice for newer growers is simple but powerful:
- Go to the conference
- Attend the meeting
- Invest in yourself
- Be willing to feel uncomfortable
The relationships built through flowers often become the most meaningful part of the journey.
What Small-Scale Flower Farming Makes Possible
This conversation is a reminder that cut flower farming isn’t just about flowers.
It’s about:
- Growing beauty where you are
- Building relationships through local blooms
- Creating opportunity through collaboration
- Believing that small spaces can have big impact
If you’ve been wondering whether you have enough room, enough experience, or enough time to grow cut flowers—this episode offers a clear answer: start anyway.
Listen to the Full Episode
Growing Cut Flowers in Small Spaces: Community, Education & Local Blooms with Fawn Rueckert
Available wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with Fawn
- Sego Lily Flower Farm
Website: https://www.segolilyflowerfarm.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/segolilyflowerfarm/ - Snuck Flowers at Snuck Farm
Website: https://snuckfarm.com/pages/snuck-flowers - The Backyard Cut Flower Garden Course
https://snuckfarm.com/products/backyard-cut-flower-garden-course-in-collaboration-with-sego-lily-flower-farm-spring-2026 - Utah Cut Flower Farm Association
- Website:https://www.utahflowerfarms.com
Join Us At The Profitable Dahlia Summit
The first-ever virtual summit focused exclusively on growing dahlias for profit is here!
Join us March 3–4, 2026 to learn from experienced dahlia growers who are selling bouquets, tubers, CSA shares, event tickets, and more — and doing it profitably.
You’ll walk away with real strategies to turn your passion into income, even if you’re just getting started.
Save your spot here:https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit/
Discover More Episodes of The Backyard Bouquet Podcast
Growing Cut Flowers In A Vineyard
How a female flower farmer in the Columbia Gorge is growing cut flowers in a vineyard and quadrupled the value of every linear foot.
Soil Health for Flower Farmers
A soil agronomist on what’s beneath your feet, why compost isn’t the fix-all for soil health for flower farmers, and the mantra she taught me when my own land needed healing.
Graeme Corbett: Life In Bloom
Graeme Corbett left a TV career in London for a cutting garden in Kent. His story is a roadmap for anyone wondering if a career pivot to flowers is possible.
