Three boys, mom, and dad are the ones behind this heartfelt family business dedicated to growing flowers from seed with lots and lots of family love and a family potion that just seems to work perfectly as the flowers grown on their farms are just stunning. Brenna Estrada's three boys and husband help run their family's small flower farm on Camano Island in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. They offer seasonal flowers and bouquets throughout the growing season and during summer at the Camano Farmers Market. Everything they sell they have grown themselves, most of it from seed. Time to know more about this family business with a very pure and loving intention behind it.
Three Brothers Blooms - Growing Flowers From Seed With Brenna Estrada and Her Family
Home gardeners, flower farmers, and florists are constantly looking for flowers to differentiate their offerings and aesthetics. Growing cut flowers on Camano Island, Washington, Brenna Estrada and her company 'Three Brother Blooms' take pride in growing a diverse range of beautiful, pollinator-friendly plants. She is passionate about growing flowers, particularly pansies, Dahlias, violas, and bearded Irises. That isn't all she grows, but these are some of her favorites.
Brenna and her family grow their flowers on an acre of land surrounded by lush pines and cedars. Daffodils, tulips, Ranunculus, and Anemones are the first flowers of the season in March. By May, their peonies, Bearded Irises, and roses have bloomed. Late June brings in a variety of annuals, all grown from seed, and by late July, their beautiful Dahlias are fully flourishing.
They offer seasonal bouquets as long as the flowers are in bloom. The majority of their customers contact them directly when they need flowers, but Three Brothers Blooms are also available in local shops and at area markets throughout the summer.
Their story, however, is in the name, where three little boys are the foundation of the business and have explored the flower world since they were very little, thanks to their mother Brenna.
The Story Behind the Name 'Three Brothers Blooms'
Brenna's boys were born to first responder parents. Life had always been high-stress and fast-paced with long shifts and night shifts including overtime, fatigue, and extreme burnout.
Brenna shares:
"When your daily life involves helping others navigate life-threatening emergencies it is impossible to ignore how fragile the mortality is of all people, those you love being no exception. No day is guaranteed. Time goes by ever so fast. We wanted to be more present for our boys and that meant changes needed to be made. So my husband and I planned, prepared, and worked with diligent intention until we found a way to the life we knew we needed. The kind of life we wanted our boys to remember and associate with their childhood. After two decades of public service between active duty military and 911 dispatch, I (the mother of the three brothers) drastically changed careers. That way was through flowers."
She was able to secure a position at a world-renowned flower farm, allowing her to leave her job as a 911 dispatcher. For the next few years, she was deeply involved in all things floral, with a flexible work schedule that allowed her to spend more time at home with their sons. When she wasn't working, she was often outside tending to their garden, and the boys would join her. They would help plant and harvest, and they began to ask a lot of questions. Brenna was happiest when they asked if they could sell our flowers at the local market, and this is where the story of Three Brothers Blooms truly began.
Three Boys Following Their Mother's Steps
Brenna's husband maintains the farm's structural integrity, and her three amazing boys assist with every facet of planting and harvesting. The boys accompanied Brenna to every market they attended during their first year of business. They assisted with moving tables, flowers, and buckets. They chatted with strangers and assisted with payment processing as they sat in the sun, wind, and rain. They looked so happy. They traded flowers with other nearby farms in exchange for berries, pies, and produce.
Brenna discovered at this point that her love of flowers was much deeper than she had previously had the chance to acknowledge. She found that making bouquets and arranging flowers was completely magical, and it made her feel satisfied in the end. Her sons continued to help with markets for a couple more seasons, but as they grew, schoolwork became more demanding.
She expresses:
"The garden shifted from being a place where they played in the dirt and helped cut flowers to a place where they sought out calm and quiet moments to connect and talk with me. In those connections, I could tell they needed even more from me than I was able to give at that time. So I resigned from my job and we modified our cost of living again. What began as a little summer business for them, now serves as a means to allow me to be truly present with them every day while living my passion."
Three Brothers Blooms' Growing Season
TBB's growing season starts in March, and the farm's main attractions are Dahlias, tulips, hyacinths, and daffodils. Few smells are as delightful as the first springtime flowers. Over the past few years, Brenna and the team have carefully chosen the most remarkable varieties, and they can't wait to share them with everyone.
Then, three of their favorite flowers — peonies, bearded Irises, and roses — arrive in late spring. They now have more than 200 Iris, more than 150 types of roses, and more than 60 varieties of peonies in stock. The majority of their cultivars have extraordinary colors and are highly fragrant. Brenna can tell you that nothing compares to the aroma of a freshly cut garden rose. TBB grows roses all summer long, and they are a mainstay in their bouquets. A standout feature of their farm is pansies, which adorn bouquets from early June (when their stems get long enough to cut) until the end of summer.
Arranging Flowers as a Form of Art
Arranging flowers is Brenna's art, akin to painting on a canvas. Each bouquet or flower creation she designs is unique. Despite being time-consuming and not always the most cost-effective, it's what brings her the utmost joy and what she believes the flowers truly deserve. She considers herself fortunate to strike a balance between running a profitable business and pursuing her passion.
Brenna has discovered that rushing or producing too much dilutes the essence of the flowers, causing them to lose their individuality and the essence of the garden they originated from. When her customers receive one of her bouquets, Brenna wants them to experience the sensation of plucking flowers from a hidden, enchanted garden. She thanks her husband and three lovely children for all the work they do together to make people happy through flowers.
To know more about specific dates, seasons, and characteristics of different flowers, visit Three Brothers Blooms' website.
Photos by @threebrothersblooms.
