Building a Bouquet Subscription Program | Our Story and Key Takeaways

Bouquet subscriptions are a popular way for flower farmers to connect with customers directly, providing blooms on their own terms. Today, I’m excited to share the humble beginnings and evolution of our bouquet subscription over the past few seasons.

Seeing another’s journey—complete with tweaks and changes—can inspire and guide you as you consider your own offerings. Hopefully, our experiences will help you dive into your bouquet subscription with confidence and avoid some common pitfalls.

To keep things manageable, we’ve broken up the topic of bouquet subscriptions into separate posts. If you’re looking for step-by-step guidance on how to start your own, check out our how-to blog [linked here].

For now, join me for a look back at the changes and improvements we’ve made to our bouquet subscription over the years!

Flower Subscription 1.0: “The Flower Share”

When we first started, the concept of a CSA model wasn’t as well-known in our area as it is today. Back then, the idea of a flower subscription was new, but I knew I wanted to bring locally grown blooms directly to my community, allowing customers to get to know their grower face-to-face.

While selling at markets was fun, it was also exhausting, and I needed more stability. Taking payment upfront ensured commitment, which was crucial—I couldn’t afford to invest time in harvesting and arranging only to have no one buy. That’s when I decided to offer a “flower share.”

The name felt cute and friendly—customers would pay upfront for a “share” of flowers each week or every other week. But, as it turned out, it was a bit too cute and took a lot of explaining. Still, we had more signups than expected, which was both thrilling and nerve-wracking.

Our initial offering included seasonal options with fun names: “SPRINGing for Flowers,” “SUNsational Flowers,” and “FALLing for Flowers” (yes, I was very proud of those puns!). Each season ran for eight weeks, with customers receiving four bouquets for about $80—what a steal!

In the beginning, I offered only bi-weekly pickups, with customers assigned to “A” and “B” weeks. We had just 1,500 square feet of growing space and also attended farmers' markets, so spreading out the pickups felt more manageable. We kept things local, using a friend’s shop as the pickup location.

At first, I even stayed at the shop during a set pickup window to hand out each bouquet personally. Waiting two hours for everyone to pick up their flowers was a laughable use of time in hindsight, but I was working within the limits of the hosting shop and wanted to ensure each bouquet was wrapped carefully for transport.

Eventually, I switched to home deliveries, driving house to house with my two little ones along for the ride—my own flower “door dash” before DoorDash was even a thing!

There were plenty of learning curves that season, but I began to see the potential of this product. I loved connecting with customers each week, and it was fulfilling to watch these relationships grow along with my farm.

Enter Flower Subscription 2.0

The following season, I rebranded the “Flower Share” as a “Flower Bouquet Subscription.” The term “subscription” was easier for people to understand—I’d explain it like a magazine subscription: “You pay upfront and receive a set number of bouquets, just like paying for so many issues of your favorite magazine!” This was before Amazon made subscriptions trendy and common.

For this season, we made a few changes. We eliminated pickup sites entirely, as I realized that delivering bouquets myself was more efficient than waiting for customers to pick them up (only to end up delivering some anyway). My two girls rode along, and delivery day turned into a fun outing, ending with a stop at the park, an ice cream cone, or a coffee date.

I also added a weekly subscription option, though we still structured the subscriptions seasonally. We kept it local, offering subscriptions only in our town.

We continued this model for the next season, but by the end of our third year, we had moved to a larger property, and things started getting real.

Flower Subscription 3.0

With a significant expansion in land, we revisited our bouquet subscription offerings. Customer interest was growing, and we received many requests to extend deliveries to nearby towns—one about 30 minutes away and another nearly 50 minutes. I decided to go big and offer our subscription in these additional locations.

To manage this, I split deliveries across two days: Tuesdays for the farther towns and Thursdays for our own small town. This setup allowed me to stay close to home later in the week, freeing up time to prepare for the farmers' market and weddings.

Demand surged that year! With the growth in weddings and subscriptions, we reduced our farmers' market appearances to focus on these expanding areas.

That season, I began considering pickup locations again. A friend opened a charming shop featuring handmade goods from local artisans, and we arranged for it to serve as a pickup spot in our town. The arrangement worked beautifully, relieving some of the pressure from doing all deliveries myself. While we continued home delivery for the farther towns, the increasing demand made it challenging to keep up.

Home deliveries soon became overwhelming, as the widespread towns required extensive driving. One day, heavy traffic turned deliveries into a nearly seven-hour ordeal. Exhausted and frustrated, I realized that home delivery was no longer sustainable. My daughters, now older, also found the long delivery days difficult.

Although I knew moving away from home deliveries would be risky, I had to make the change for my sanity, my family, and the quality of our products. Growing demand was wonderful but brought its own set of challenges.

Flower Bouquet Subscription 4.0

Entering our fifth season, the world changed—literally. The great 2020 had arrived.

I had just lined up some fantastic pickup locations for the season when everything shut down. Weddings were canceled, and fear and uncertainty were everywhere. Back to home deliveries we went.

Fortunately, we hadn’t yet signed up members from the farthest town, so we kept deliveries within a thirty-minute radius. With the girls doing distance learning and the whole “essential vs. non-essential” debate in full swing, staying close to home felt safest.

It was a strange yet beautiful time to be doing home deliveries. Our members, like everyone, were feeling isolated, and having flowers delivered—or even chatting briefly through the door—was a small joy for them. Deliveries gave the girls and me a chance to get out of the house, something we all needed with the pressures of distance learning and missing family and friends. The only challenge? Finding bathrooms on the delivery route was nearly impossible!

As we drove around, I noticed families out biking and walking, neighborhoods bustling with a sense of community. Streets that were usually empty were now filled with families, and doors that were often shut were now open, bringing people closer together in unexpected ways.

By summer, when things began to reopen, we saw a surge in demand for our subscription. Sign-ups sold out in minutes, and the enthusiasm to support small businesses was incredible. Transitioning back to pickup locations was more seamless than ever. People were eager to get out, and our hosting businesses were thrilled to participate. Pickup locations were worlds different from our first attempt. With some as self-serve and others staffed, each business became a true partner. As a thank you, we brought flowers and sometimes gifts like dahlia tubers or holiday wreaths.

In response to the pandemic, we also introduced a vegetable share, bringing back the “share” name—this time, it made perfect sense! We offered home delivery for those who preferred the safety of staying in, providing immune-boosting vegetables and spirit-lifting blooms.

For the bouquet subscriptions, we split deliveries into two days, with an additional day for the vegetable share. Even without farmers' markets, pop-up shops, or weddings, we were busier than ever with constant harvesting and assembling.

At the end of the season, we realized we’d need to rethink our offerings once again. The intense focus on subscriptions had worked for 2020, but with weddings returning next year, we’d need to strike a new balance.

Flower Bouquet Subscription 5.0

2021 was the year I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath.

Life was back in full swing, with people resuming routines and traveling again. After our subscription spots sold out the previous season, and in response to demand from our loyal members, we introduced our Season Pass.

This was also our first full season with pickup locations, and we even added another. Our pickup locations remained fantastic, and many of our members settled into a routine with their pickups.

The Season Pass embodied the true CSA model I had always envisioned—a season-long commitment from our members, which gave us a clear picture of demand throughout the growing season. We continued offering seasonal subscriptions and the vegetable share with home delivery. We hired an employee, thinking we could manage it all.

Yeah, no.

The workload quickly became overwhelming between weddings, home deliveries, and adjusting pickup routines mid-season. The season was further complicated by a thick cloak of smoke that lingered for months. While we had a successful season and loved the Season Pass (as did our members), the demands stretched us to our limits.

It became clear that we needed to address these challenges and find a way to regain some quality of life.

Flower Bouquet Subscription 6.0

Can you believe we’ve tweaked our bouquet subscription offering almost every year?

It’s amazing to look back and see all the macro and micro changes we’ve made along the way. This season, we’re making some big adjustments, and while I expect a decline in sign-ups, I’m optimistic it won’t mean a decline in profits.

We’re still using our reliable pickup locations, but we’ve decided to discontinue the seasonal bouquet subscription options. With weddings taking up more of our time, I realized that retraining and marketing for each seasonal subscription during our peak season was unsustainable. Simplifying our offerings felt necessary to maintain balance.

Alongside the change to our seasonal subscriptions, we’re also discontinuing the vegetable share as a standalone option. Instead, vegetables are now an add-on to the Season Pass bouquet subscription—an approach that feels right for a flower-first farm. Additionally, we’ve moved exclusively to pickup locations, phasing out home deliveries. Given today’s gas prices, that change couldn’t have come at a better time!

It’s a lot of change, but ultimately, I’d rather have fewer options and members if it means providing a higher-quality product and a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

Taking a leap to make such big adjustments is nerve-wracking, but we’re in this for the long run, not the sprint. Our goal is to create offerings that are sustainable and manageable for the lifestyle we want to lead.

The Evolution of a Bouquet Subscription

There are many different approaches to bouquet subscriptions, and as you can see, we’ve gone through our fair share of trial and error over the years. I think it’s natural for every grower to revisit their offerings and methods each season. Taking time after the season ends to evaluate what worked—and what didn’t—helps create a more sustainable business. Was it efficient? Profitable? You can also gather feedback from your members through surveys to guide future decisions. We’ve found our members’ input invaluable in shaping our subscriptions.

The evolution of our bouquet subscription has been shaped by hard lessons, growing pains, and the different stages of our lives and business. In the early days, I had more time than flowers to sell; as the business grew, time became the limiting factor. Looking back, I can hardly believe some of the approaches we managed to live through!

Thank you for joining me on this journey down memory lane. I hope it gave you a glimpse into the ups and downs of building our bouquet subscription and how it’s become increasingly sustainable as we’ve grown. Each season offers a new beginning—not just for your crops, but for your business offerings as well. Take the time to assess your goals, your products, and your life as you look ahead to each new year.

If you’re considering a bouquet subscription for your flower farm, check out our blog [linked here] for practical tips and details on getting started.

We are looking forward to sharing more blooms with you soon.

Jessica & Graham