HOPE & HEALING happens THROUGH FLOWERS

Photo Credit: Ashley Ro Photography

MEET your FARMER

Hi, I’m Julie and I’m a flower farmer.

I get such a kick out of saying that because never in a million years did I think “farmer” would be my job title.   My path to flower farming wasn’t linear or deliberate and I still have to pinch myself that a dream born during COVID somehow became my real life.

For more than three decades, my favorite place to be was digging in the soil, planting, growing and nurturing plant life. 

After five meaningful years of “retirement” in Mexico my husband and I returned to the U.S. knowing we weren’t finished growing. I felt a quiet pull toward plants that led me to the Master Gardener Program in Sacramento County and eventually to taking horticulture classes at American River College.

Just as I was finishing the Master Gardener program, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The years that followed were marked by surgeries and grueling treatment that pushed me to my limits. In the midst of it all, studying soil science and plant propagation gave my days structure and hope. Tending to plants grounded me when everything else felt uncertain and became a quiet source of healing.

When COVID shut the world down and I lost my campus job in the horticulture dept. I did what felt most natural. I returned to the earth.  I planted every square inch of my backyard with flowers and herbs and found a sense of joy I hadn’t felt in years.  Sharing those blooms made something clear, this wasn’t just a hobby, it was the beginning of Wholehearted Blooms.

I’ve been farming since 2022, and today my urban farm lives in my own front and backyard, woven into my everyday life and aligned with the kind of farming I believe in.

I would have never predicted my path to farming would have come by way of two life-altering events, a breast cancer diagnosis and a global pandemic, but it’s how it happened and I’m deeply grateful to still be here doing work that feels meaningful and restorative. 

I’m so happy you’re here.

Julie Sutphin, Founder of Wholehearted Blooms

OUR PROMISEs TO YOU 

  • Our flowers are grown in rhythm with the seasons, not rushed, forced, or chemically propped up.  We work with the soil, weather, and land we’re given, trusting that healthy systems grow the most beautiful blooms.

  • You’ll always know where your flowers come from and how they’re grown. No mystery supply chains, no flown-in stems pretending to be local.  Just honest flowers, grown by real hands.

  • Soil health, ecologically minded and sustainability aren’t buzzwords here; they’re daily practices.  We believe the land should be better because we farmed it, not exhausted by it.

  • Our offerings change with the seasons, and we see that as a feature, not a limitation. Each bouquet reflects a moment in time—what’s thriving right now, right here.

  • Your purchase supports local labor and a small farm that shows up for its community.  Giving back isn’t an afterthought here, it’s part of how we farm.  When we have extra, we share our flowers and our time.  Flowers may be a luxury, but joy should always be accessible. 

  • We grow fewer flowers better.  That means stronger stems, longer vase life, and blooms that were harvested at their peak.  Our flowers are not bred to survive shipping at the expense of beauty.

  • This farm was born from resilience, healing, and a deep belief in the restorative power of growing things.  Every bouquet carries that intention with it.