From Empty Nest to Community Bloom

There’s something quietly magical about Floral Fox Farm. Tucked into the Kentucky landscape, the farm began not as a business plan but as a moment of wonder—Jessica’s first mums, planted with little more than instinct and curiosity.

“I didn’t dig the hole very deeply or anything,” she recalls, “but I put them in the front and I was just amazed.”

Years later, that same sense of wonder continues to guide her. What started as a front-yard experiment has grown into a thriving small farm centered on sustainability, education, and beauty—with big mums, bold colors, and a big-hearted mission. Behind that modest-sounding success was a careful, even scientific, process.

Jessica grows all her mums from “plugs”—cuttings from patented varieties obtained through brokers, not seeds.

These are legally licensed, ethically grown, and meticulously nurtured.

Planning for the next season begins in December, orders are placed by January, and the growing begins in March. She pots thousands of mums each year and usually sells out in just a few weeks.

What sets Floral Fox Farm apart isn’t just the size and variety of the mums—though they are notably bigger, brighter, and more vibrant than what you’ll find in retail stores—it’s the intentionality behind every decision.

And the colors? Not your standard bronze and burgundy. Think key lime green, electric pinks, fire engine red, and multicolored blooms with contrasting centers. “My tagline is: big mums, great price, and a wide variety of colors you don’t see anywhere else.”

But for Jessica, mums are only part of the story.

A week after visiting Floral Fox Farm, I called Jessica to continue our conversation. The day of the visit had just turned to rain, so we kept mostly indoors. Her cat sat perched on the couch at the front window, overlooking the yard, quiet and watchful.

Jessica and I shared tea and biscotti on the covered back porch, the kind of moment that settles in without needing to be named — familiar, easy, and real.

Now, over the phone, that same grounded presence came through in her voice. She might’ve been sitting in the same spot, or tucked inside with the dogs nearby and the scent of earth still lingering from earlier chores.

It didn’t feel like an interview. It felt like continuing something we’ve always known how to do — just talk.

During the pandemic, her original plan to grow fresh-cut flowers was thrown off course. What emerged instead was a surprising new focus: lavender and luffa sponges.

The luffa revelation came suddenly. “I always thought they were some kind of innocent sea creature on the bottom of the ocean floor,” she jokes. “Turns out, they’re a vegetable.” In Asia and India, they’re commonly eaten when harvested young.

In the U.S., they’ve become a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to synthetic sponges. Jessica embraced both the whimsy and utility of luffas, creating sampler kits that include lavender sachets, a luffa slice, and a bar of Bulgarian lavender soap sourced from a trusted wholesaler.

Alongside this, her micro lavender farm—200 plants across nine varieties—continues to grow. “People don’t always know it, but Bulgaria is the real lavender essential oil capital of the world,” she says. The lavender is bundled, dried, and used in everything from neck wraps to wreaths.

Her approach is deeply rooted in education. “This isn’t the Colonel’s secret recipe,” she says with a smile. “If I know it, I’ll share it.”

Jessica’s role as an educator seems to come as naturally as growing. She maintains a Facebook page devoted to helping people grow mums, lavender, and luffas—without pushing products.

She teaches people how to plant mums properly (by Labor Day or earlier), how to soak and clip luffa seeds for nearly 100% germination, and how to identify soil problems that may keep plants from thriving.

There’s a new workshop building on the farm now—a shell ready to be finished with doors and floors—where she’ll soon offer hands-on classes in gardening, seed starting, and canning.

After the isolation of COVID, Jessica saw how hungry people were for real connection. “People were disoriented. So many lines of communication had been broken,” she says. “When they come here, I want them to feel peaceful. Restored.”

Toward a Pollinator-Friendly Future

Looking ahead, Jessica is steering the farm toward native pollinator plants. She envisions a “budget backyard nursery” offering affordable, locally grown species like milkweed and pawpaw trees—plants that support Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtails, and more. Where other nurseries might charge $20 or more per plant, Jessica is building a pricing model that balances sustainability with accessibility.

She’s also designing complete pollinator garden kits—bundled selections for customers who want to create an ecosystem in their own backyards. “Plants make people happy,” she says simply. “And I want more people to have them.”

Her approach to competition? Refreshingly uncompetitive. “There are three million people in Kentucky,” she says. “I can’t grow flowers for all of them. We might as well have more people growing. The market will shake itself out.”

Growing a Life That Connects

After seven years, Jessica says she finally feels like a professional grower. She can spot diseases, identify pests, diagnose soil issues, and troubleshoot irrigation problems. She helps others do the same, including mentoring a YouTube gardener from Alabama who’d been denied help by a local grower.

In every way, Jessica’s story is one of cultivation—of skills, soil, community, and joy. What started as a mum experiment has become something much more profound.

Floral Fox Farm is not just a place to buy plants. It’s a place where people remember they can grow things—beautiful things. It’s a place where soil and soul are both tended. And in a world that often feels fragmented, Jessica reminds us that the real harvest might just be connection.

Do you know someone growing something beautiful, building something bold, or living in quiet alignment with their values? We’re always looking for voices to feature — makers, growers, dreamers, and doers who are part of the parallel economy and the heart of what we stand for.

Reach out to Alary Woods at: [email protected]