Finding our Roots: The Story of Driftless Daughters…

Hi! 👋🏻 Erin here, mom of Driftless Daughters.

Well, if you would have told me 6 months ago that my story would land me here, I would have laughed so hard at the joke. Starting a flower farm wasn’t on the map, in the plans or something that I had set out to do. The universe has a serendipitous way of changing your life path. Writing blogs and putting myself out there on social media was not in the cards. But here I am, writing our story, figuring out what pieces to share than can explain to you what’s unfolded for me to get here — starting a business, making plans for flower fields, writing a blog. Amid the unease that is present, which I ultimately know is growth, I’m genuinely happy you’re here learning about our story.

Our Agriculture Roots

Our family has been a part of agriculture and farming for over 17 years — longer if you consider my husband alone, he’s been farming likely since he was able to walk. My husband and I own a dairy farm, milking 400 cows and running 500 acres of land in southern Wisconsin. My husband grew up on a farm and meeting him in college, it all seemed a bit far out to understand what settling down with him on a farm really meant. But here we are, 18 years after a conversation with the bank and plans of a freestall barn and we’ve grown this dream of his into a first-generation dairy farm. We built the home we live in over three years ago and I yearned for the land to plant beautiful perennials and landscape so that blooms filled the spaces around my yard. I enjoy being out in the dirt and have always found it to be grounding and quite rewarding. I remember years ago telling my husband (then boyfriend) I couldn’t wait until the day I could have a vase filled with fresh flowers each week. Each spring, I’ve been adding to my flower beds around the house, bringing more diversity to my flowers that could fulfill that wish. Last fall, I started a wildflower prairie (which is a stretch in the sense of that word, more like a small section of our yard transitioned to wildflowers) in the back of our yard. My mother-in-law has a beautiful wildflower prairie behind her house, and she started teaching me the ropes last year on how to grow wildflowers and start a prairie of my own. After the first frost last fall, you could find me outside sprinkling seeds, living in hope and allowing Mother Nature to take its course. Imagine my delight this spring when the seeds she had given as a gift came up in vibrant colors (even after my son had mowed over the initial blooms). When I began all of this, I had no intentions of starting a flower farm, in fact, it hadn’t even crossed my mind.

A Season of Change and Beginning a Journey of More than Flowers

This early spring, I experienced a significant life change with the loss of my father. He was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in spring of 2023 and passed away a short two years later this early March. Losing a loved one has an immense way of shifting the ground beneath your feet. What was normal everyday ‘busyness’ felt heavy and loud, the problems that existed previously in my life felt small, slipping away as time rushed past and life revealed its fragility. Raising three young children in the midst of owning a business and having a career myself seemed to fill so much space that in the grief I found myself in, I didn’t really know where to turn when the world seemed to have shaken beneath me. In the quiet that followed that transition in March, I began searching for peace, for grounding, for healing and a reminder that there is joy and beauty to be found in the everyday. I knew how much I enjoyed being out in my flower gardens and thought it might be a great opportunity for me to connect with myself and my girls. A cut flower garden was new to us and felt like a great place for us to start connecting in with nature and each other. Seems rather ironic as I’ve been passionate about my perennials for quite some time, but I’ve never considered growing a cut flower garden. What a beautiful gift to share with my daughters — something that would eventually lead to us finding peace with life’s transitions and an outlet that brought us joy.

In April, we jumped into a spring filled with seeds and corms in starter trays, summer mornings spent with dirt under our nails and evenings walking rows of blooms lit by golden hour light. The daily process of tending to our garden became therapy for our hearts—a way to heal, to breathe, and to find serenity. Seeing these flowers bloom with such vibrance, knowing it was our hands that sowed them with care and attention was magic. Being able to cut them, arrange them with creative flare was so much fun.

Sharing Joy and Putting One Foot in Front of the Other

The joy I felt walking through rows of zinnias, peonies, and sunflowers was abundant and the pride of my girls knowing it was our work that grew such beautiful blooms was too big to not share. Our flowers were flourishing, we were able to share them with our friends and family, and it opened our eyes to something beautiful — the simple act of giving a bouquet could brighten a day, spark a smile, and remind someone that they are loved. We were humbled by the kind words of people telling us how beautiful the flowers were — how they brightened their homes and filled their days with a little more joy. And quite honestly, the creative process of arranging something unique and beautiful was an experience I truly enjoyed and needed.

Driftless Daughters was born from this and every bouquet we share carries a piece of our story, rooted in love and light. Before we knew it, I was filing LLC paperwork, creating a logo and ordering tubers and bulbs to be put in the ground this fall for next season.

Our Invitation to Slow Down

In a world that moves too quickly, our flowers are an invitation: to pause, to breathe, to get outside with nature and take time to reflect on what matters most. Whether you take home a bundle of tulips in spring or a wild bouquet in summer, we hope you feel the love and intention grown into every stem from our farm as it fills your home.

Because to us, flowers are never just flowers. They’re pieces of memory, healing, joy, and connection—reminders to live slowly and fully, rooted in what matters. Each day I step into our garden, I see the monarchs fluttering between the stems and hawks gliding effortlessly above our home. In those quiet moments, I smile and whisper a hello to my dad — certain he’s proud of the beauty that’s bloomed from loss. I can almost hear his voice — steady and full of life, never one to be quiet — echoing with pride for his daughter and granddaughters growing something truly magical.

Thank you for being here at the beginning of our journey. We can’t wait to share the seasons ahead with you—one bloom at a time.

May your days be slow, your hands full of flowers, and your heart light.

With gratitude,

Erin, Finnley and Mila — the Driftless Daughters