My Master Plan: The Future of Dilly Dally Meadows

Over the last two years, I’ve been leaning into my connection with Earth, and learning more than I ever dreamed or thought that I would. I’ve learned about the beauty of the soil system, the insanely awesome (in the most literal sense) inter-connectedness of the world, and countless facts about cut flowers. I’ve also learned about myself through the first steps of this journey. I’ve found something I cannot imagine my life without. Who would I be if I wasn’t cleaning soil out of under my nails before bed? Frankly, I don’t want to know.

I know this is what I want to do. To fill my life with this beautiful work, giving back to Earth, sharing in her beauty, making friends with the plants and the birds and the bugs. I want to continue to share this part of life that we’ve slowly grown so far away from as a society, and remind everyone to slow down and reconnect with what’s important. It’s been two years now, and my excitement keeps growing with each step forward, even if some of those steps are more like stumbles.

Dilly Dally Meadows started in 2024 with a few packets of seeds sewn into potting mix as a cry to the Earth to help bring me back to myself in a time full of stress and uncertainty. It has grown into a farm and farmer whose purpose is to notice, create, and strengthen the connections around us through the quiet power of flowers. I keep this personal value in connections as an inspiration for where to go next with Dilly Dally. With each major farm decision, how do I improve your connection with yourself, others, and/or nature?

In our starting years, as I work a separate full-time job and we save up money and courage to buy our own farmland, we have been focused on creating our connections with all of you in our local community here in Columbus, Indiana. Starting small is hard for me to do, because I tend to be someone who goes all-in on the things that I am passionate about. That’s exactly why I ended up as the Wedding Venue Coordinator and Events Manager of The Inn at Irwin Gardens not one year into working in the wedding industry, or fully painting and redecorating my apartment in Carmel when I worked in the Tax Accounting world right out of college. Some things have to start small though, but that doesn’t mean my dreams have to.

So what’s the master plan?

To sum it all up into one neat, little word: Agrotourism. There are so many different types of flower farms that serve different needs throughout the world. While there are research farms, wholesale cut-flower farms, seed and/or bulb farms, and entirely indoor-grown farms, the type of farm that aligns best with Dilly Dally Meadows’ purpose is agritourism. These types of farms not only grow cut-flowers for sale to their communities, but also invite their communities to experience the farm in-person. There are a TON of ways that this can look from farm to farm, so let me give you a glimpse into what our future looks like together.

The first pillar of connection that we hold is our connection with others. Flowers have ALWAYS been a medium for connection with the ones around us. Birth, death, celebrations and milestones all have been marked with the gifting of petals and pollen. Now, I promise we will always have flowers available for these moments, but in the future Dilly Dally will have so many more avenues for you to deepen your connections with others too.

I have so many ideas in place that I want our farm to offer in the near future. There will be:

• Picnics in the Meadows, where we work with local chefs and businesses to bring you the most delicious and dreamy moment among the flowers.

• Themed events to meet new friends at, like Summer Solstice, Dahlia Days, the Vampire & Witches’ Ball, or Winter Solstice Soiree featuring live music, local eats, and blooming good times.

• Our intimate workshops will be the perfect way to bring the friend group together, or put together something other than a presentation with your coworkers 😂.

Whoever you bring along, there will be something unforgettable to experience at the Meadows.

Our second connection pillar, something that I know can be so so hard to remember to make the time for, especially with everything else we put on our to-do lists each week, is connecting with ourselves. Personally, if something gets scheduled on the calendar, and I have to be there, it gets done. If that’s the type of push you need too, then our series of “Me-Time” on-farm activities will be your favorite thing, like, ever. While I can’t say for certain now, I can say that I will be working to make at least one of these activities free to the public, because that’s how important I think these moments are for many of us.

“Me-Time” activities to promote your Dilly Dally-ing:

• Morning yoga or meditation sessions in the Meadows, featuring your favorite local instructors.

• Open Meadow Walks for you to explore, decompress, and be with yourself in a neutral space free from office work and home tasks.

• Artistry hours for the creative in you to paint, photograph, or draw with endless inspiration from the Earth around you.

Dilly Dally Meadows will be here for all of your “I just need some me time” moments. I promise.

And our last fundamental pillar of connection lies with nature – the Earth we all live with, even when we forget. If you don’t already know, I practice what I’ve decided to call “Soil-First Farming” here at Dilly Dally Meadows, through systems like crop rotation, cover cropping, composting, and more. These methods are in place because I deeply believe in giving back to the Earth, especially as we share Her gifts with others. There is such joy in noticing the little things, learning about soil health and ecosystems, and spending time with Earth just like you would an old friend.

I know connecting with nature can look different to everybody, but with Dilly Dally it looks something like this:

• Finding new discoveries on our Garden Tours throughout the year, and really seeing how things shift with the seasons.

• Hearing what your kids learned about soil health and home gardening on their field trip (sorry for the messy hands!)

• Joining in the fun during our You-Pick events, learning how to harvest your own flowers straight from our Meadows.

  
  

At our farm, Nature will be waiting for you like an old friend, with no judgement or conditions. Just come as you are, and take it all in.

As you can tell, there is a LOT in the works at this little flower farm. While we may not have many offerings available for you in these early stages, please know that EVERY dollar you set aside in your budget for Dilly Dally Meadows is funding these goals of ours. IMO, that’s way better than how your money is used by the grocery stores and Big Name distributors when you buy their flowers, but maybe that’s just me 😂.

It will take time for us to realize all of these dreams, and that’s okay. I have a rough time estimate for a few of these milestones, but just like farming alongside the weather, I know I will have to be flexible. Regardless, I’ll share with you my etch-a-sketch timeline if you are interested:

• Find and buy land: between 11/26 and 3/27

• First small on-farm events and tours open exclusively for Club Members: Summer and Fall of 2027

• You-Picks, Picnics, Workshops and "Me-Time" Events begin: 2028

• Themed Events and Field Trips begin: 2030

I am so full of gratitude that I will be able to share all of this with you so soon, but it isn’t something that happens without blood, sweat, tears, and the help from those around us. Cameron and I will be putting in the hours farming, learning, and keeping all of you up-to-date with every little step and stumble we make here on our journey. So don’t worry, because if you know us at all, you know that we will make this happen for you, no matter what.

That being said, and the hard workers that we are, I also know that the biggest steps we take in life are the ones where others are alongside us. That’s not exclusive to flower farming friends, take that into your lives and use it. Let others walk with you, and remember to walk with others all the same. Heck, if you're not afraid to get your boots muddy, you can come walk with us 😉. But seriously, if you are excited about having a space like Dilly Dally Meadows in Columbus, and you want to help us reach these milestones, then please consider supporting us in one (or more!) of the following ways:

• Follow along and stay updated on our big and little steps with the Flower Bud Newsletter, which hits inboxes each week with the day-to-day, tips and tricks, beautiful photos, perks and sneak peaks.

• Use your beautiful voice to spread the word and get your besties excited too! Help others like you to connect with us (you are our favorite kind of people after all)

• Find us at a Pop-up or Join one of our Flower Clubs! We are so excited to share our blooms with you this season and create an even deeper connection. Don’t forget, every $ spent with us is used with purpose, and with you in mind💛.

I truly get so motivated and inspired thinking about having you all on the Farm some day, and I am so grateful for all of you who have joined in this adventure so far. Your support means the world to us, and this wouldn’t be possible without you. Hell, the dream would be meaningless with nobody to share it with, so thank you bunches for taking the time to read my master plan, I really do hope it excites you as much as it excites me.

Goodbye for now, and Sweet Dreams,

Linnea, Cameron, Loki, Ares, and the Flowers