How One Woman Built a Cut Flower Farm in New York From a Rented Blueberry Plot
I’m sitting at my desk, headphones on, listening to Jenny Rae Swan talk about shoveling manure after work and dreaming about a life that smelled like cosmos instead of cubicles. And I’m thinking about all the women listening to this podcast right now who have that same itch. That pull toward something they can’t quite explain yet.
Jenny Rae is the founder of Flower Well, a cut flower farm in New York’s Rochester countryside that has grown from a tiny rented plot into a multi-acre operation with a full team, a thriving wholesale business, and a wedding design studio. But ten years ago, she was living in an apartment with as many flower pots as she could fit on her back patio, telling anyone who would listen that she was going to be a flower farmer.
Most of them thought she was a little bit crazy.
The Moment Everything Changed
Jenny Rae grew up gardening with her mother. Every summer, her mom would grow a raised bed of zinnias and cherry tomatoes, and the two of them would walk the road delivering jars of flowers and bowls of tomatoes to their neighbors.
That simple ritual stayed with her long after she left home.
When her mother passed away, Jenny Rae found herself gutted with grief and deeply unhappy in her career in higher education. The only thing that brought her peace was growing something. Anything. Even in an apartment, she filled every inch of outdoor space with pots and plants.
And then she made a decision that changed everything. She decided she would rather eat Cheerios for the rest of her life and be happy than sit at a desk with a state pension and feel empty inside.
Starting a Cut Flower Farm in New York With Nothing
Jenny Rae started Flower Well in 2015 by renting a small plot at a local blueberry farm. She had no land of her own. She had very little capital. She funded her first season by selling antiques on Etsy.
That first year was full of mistakes. She thought flower farming meant buying a packet of seeds and sprinkling them in the ground, the way her mom had done with zinnias. She spent her evenings weeding because she didn’t know any other way to farm.
But even with all the mistakes, two things became clear.
First, people were stunned by her flowers. At pop-up shops, customers would ask, “Wait, these are real?” Even basic cutting flowers from a first-year farm stopped people in their tracks.
Second, she was happier than she had been in years. She would rather shovel manure at night and grow flowers than sit at her desk for one more day.
By fall, she quit her job.
Telling Everyone Before She Was Ready
Here is the part of Jenny Rae’s story that really stuck with me.
Before she had land, before she had a plan, she started telling everyone she knew that she was going to be a flower farmer. Friends. Colleagues. Random acquaintances. Most of them looked at her like she had lost her mind.
But she kept saying it.
And by saying it over and over, she built up enough accountability that she couldn’t talk herself out of it anymore. She had pitched her dream to so many people that backing down felt harder than jumping in.
She thought about waiting until she was 30, until she had a house and land and kids and everything looked right. But she realized she could not wait any longer. She needed to do it for herself. And if it failed, at least she would know she tried.
That is something I think about a lot. How many of us are waiting for everything to line up before we take the first step? Jenny Rae didn’t have any of those things lined up. She just started telling people who she was becoming.
Why She Couldn’t Be a Farmer Without Being a Florist
One of the most interesting things about Flower Well is that it operates as both a farm and a design studio. Jenny Rae grows flowers for wholesale and designs for weddings, and she is clear that she needs both to feel fulfilled.
Growing the flowers without designing with them felt like giving away something she had dreamed about all winter. And designing without growing felt disconnected from the dirt, the sweat, and the creative process of choosing varieties and watching them unfold.
Her design philosophy is rooted in gardens. She thinks about movement, height, clustering, texture, and the way plants interact with each other in nature. When she finishes a bouquet, she shakes it to see how it moves. Because no garden is stiff. No garden is perfectly round. No garden is all one variety.
She calls the stems that float up high and dance in the breeze “tiny dancers.” And that might be the most perfect description of garden-style design I have ever heard.
Scaling a Cut Flower Farm in New York
Building a team was one of the scariest parts of growing the business. But Jenny Rae is honest about the fact that farming is not a one-person job.
She started by leaning on family, friends, and neighbors. As demand grew, she brought on people who showed interest and who she could tell loved being outside as much as she did. Each person brought something to the table that she didn’t have. And she learned to let go and let them run with their strengths.
Today, Flower Well has a farm team focused on wholesale and a wedding team focused on events. They all come together for the big moments like planting season, dahlia harvest, and digging roots.
It took about five years before she could keep employees year-round. That meant building the business into a four-season operation with wreath classes, dahlia tuber sales, and other revenue streams beyond summer flowers.
Her advice for farmers who are ready to scale? Accept help. Be brave enough to know you will make mistakes. And remember that the positive aspects of having a team far outweigh the scary parts.
What Flowers Have Given Her
When I asked Jenny Rae what flowers have given her beyond the blooms, her answer was simple.
Joy. Peace. A filled cup.
On the hardest days, she takes an evening walk through the farm during golden hour. She smells a flower. She watches bees humming on a blossom. She notices dahlia colors she hasn’t been paying attention to. And it brings her back.
“My soul needs them,” she said. “Even if this business fails tomorrow, I will always be growing flowers.”
And that might be the truest thing anyone has ever said on this podcast.
Your Invitation
If Jenny Rae’s story stirred something in you, I want you to sit with it for a minute. What is the thing you keep telling everyone you want to do? What is the Cheerios decision you have been putting off?
You don’t need the perfect plan. You don’t need the land or the money or the right time. You just need to start.
Listen to the full episode with Jenny Rae Swan on The Backyard Bouquet Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
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Guest Bio
Jenny Rae Swan is the owner and founder of Flower Well, a cut flower farm and floral design studio in the countryside of Rochester, New York. A first-generation farmer florist, Jenny Rae started Flower Well in 2015 on a rented plot at a neighboring blueberry farm. Her work is known for its garden-inspired design, focus on color and texture, heirloom varieties, and the way her arrangements move. She recently welcomed her second son and celebrated 10 years of growing flowers.
Resources & Links Mentioned
- Flower Well: flowerwellny.com
- Flower Well on Instagram: @flowerwellny
Key Takeaways
- You don’t need land, money, or a perfect plan to begin. Jenny Rae started on a rented plot with savings from selling antiques on Etsy.
- Telling people your dream out loud builds accountability. Jenny Rae told everyone she was going to be a flower farmer before she had any idea how.
- Farming and floristry feed different parts of the creative soul. Jenny Rae needs both to feel fulfilled.
- Hiring help is scary but essential. Your team members will bring strengths you don’t have.
- The real cost of flower farming is far beyond what most people expect. Tractors, delivery vehicles, equipment, land preparation. It adds up fast.
- Gardens are the greatest design teacher. Jenny Rae designs by thinking about how a garden moves, clusters, and breathes.
- Joy is the through-line. On the hardest days, an evening walk through the flowers brings everything back.
