A Year in The Garden: 2024 Recap + Exciting Sneak Peek For 2025! 🙌💚🌸

Hey, guys, welcome back. Today, we are doing a look back and a little bit of a look forward video. I always enjoy watching these. I follow a lot of other content creators on YouTube outside of gardening, and I always enjoy sitting back and watching all of the things that they got done in their homes and farmers and all of that. So anyways, so I thought it'd be fun to do our own look back because 2024 was a really good year. I think this has probably been my best year on YouTube. For sure. For sure. It was no question about it. Also, Sergei is mic'd up, so you will hear feedback from him. And yes, mic'd up doesn't mean I'm going to talk. Yeah. No, you will. No, I'm sure you will. Anyways, let's just jump right in and start looking back at where we started and where we are now. I wanted to pull out some comments from some of the videos we're going to talk about today and talk a little bit more about what we have planned for 2025. All right. So starting in January, nothing happened in January. At least I did not post anything in January. And it's funny because I think now where we are as far as our posting schedule and I don't have a lot of regrets in life, but this was probably my biggest regret is not being consistent with sharing everything that we're doing in our garden. And when I started the YouTube channel, I didn't know what I wanted out of it, where it was going. It was really just a way to share things. And and I love that. And now, like where we are and what I want for myself and our channel and our community that we're building here, I just think, why was I not filming everything? Because certainly there was a lot going on in the background. But I just I wasn't sure. What do you think happened? I don't know. I mean, I. I hate coming up with excuses because I'm just not that type of person, but I feel like that's what it was. I just had a bunch of small excuses and nothing. No good reason not to show. And I think it's not like you weren't busy in the garden. You know, yeah, we were doing a lot. Like when I when I just personally like reflect, I feel like you did so much, but none of it was shared. People just saw kind of like after the fact, which is fine. Better, you know, late than never. But the process like just. Yeah. Well, I think it was. I think I just had a lot of imposter syndrome. And again, I just didn't know where I was going with this channel and like what my dream was, what my goal was. I kind of had an idea, but I think I was just always afraid of showing everything. And I thought I had to have like a perfect a background and hide all of like the messy parts of the garden and all of these just silly excuses. And one thing that I noticed is I think you you wanted the garden to look beautiful before you shared it. But isn't like the process. Yeah, point. It's all about the journey. It's not about the destination, right? It's all about the journey. And which is my favorite part about anything is the journey. And so I yeah, I totally regret it. And it wasn't until Kate and Janie came in August, which we'll talk about in a little bit, how that was like the pivotal moment for me in terms of my YouTube channel. So, yeah, no more taking breaks like that. I vowed not to be sporadic about posting. I committed and I am doing it. January was nothing. And then our first video of the year was actually in February. And that was a garden cleanup with my mom. And that was right after my mom arrived from Brazil. So she just moved here. And that has been such a whirlwind for so many reasons. To be able to do that with my mom for the very first time was so special. There was one comment here from Goretti, and she said, looking great, Claudia, your mom, Senora or Senora Christine is so cute. Enjoy the new year in the garden. Things are slowly starting to sprout. And it's so true because I feel like February for us is when things start to put on a little bit of growth and you're starting to see your bulbs pop up. And it's so exciting. And just to get the garden cleaned up was so fun. I am now somebody who likes to get things more cleaned up in the fall time. But there certainly are things in the wintertime that we still have to clean up. So that was just a fun way to kick off kick start the gardening season with you guys. Yeah, that was just a lot of fun. It was that before after the windstorm. Oh, that was before. And yeah, we had the windstorm, like the freeze. Yeah. And which leads to our next video, which was in March. Again, I skipped. Yeah, I know. Don't laugh. Don't judge. This is a safe place. We jumped into March and that's where I had the epic Dahlia fail. And it was during that freeze because I remember I remember that. That was rough for you. That was really rough. I I literally found myself sitting in my shed crying because I was so upset because I lost all of my tubers, like the majority of them. But all your unicorn tubers, all of my unicorns. Yeah, like everything that I have been saving to purchase years of trying to get them. They just went. I lost them all because they were in the shed and we lost power for what? Three, four days. We didn't have it. Yeah, we didn't have a generator. And we were kind of like in survival mode, like trying to make sure the house and pipes weren't going to burst. And I completely forgot about the Dahlias in the shed. And when I finally thought of them, I was like, oh, no. And then I ran into the shed and then I opened the boxes and they were just like rubber. And I was like, oh, it like hurts so bad. Like it's done so, so, so bad. But it was definitely a learning lesson. And I think everything happens for a reason. It truly does. I mean, good or bad. I think everything happens for a reason. And although that was a big like fail for me, I learned. What was the reason, huh? What was the reason? Oh, because I got to buy a lot of new Dahlias. So that was my excuse to go out shopping. And I met a lot of new growers through that process. And so it was actually a little bit of a blessing in disguise in that way. Yeah, you kind of you went to a lot of local. Yeah. Like in-person sales. Yeah. That was a lot of fun. I met amazing, amazing farmers. And yeah, it was it was great. So after that, I took a little bit of a hiatus again. No real reason other than I was just being shy for whatever reason about filming, which is so unlike me. I am not a shy person. So anyways, but I did do a lot of things in terms of seed starting, taking cuttings from Dahlias. I really like buckled down and told myself, Claudia, it's either like go time or you just don't do it either all or nothing. And I am that type of person. Like it's all or nothing. I had made a lot of investments in seeds and Dahlias. And I just thought, you know how to do these things. I took Florets class a few years back, and I just thought, why aren't you applying all of that knowledge that you gained and you learned over the years and apply it like full on? And so that's what I did. And I had tremendous success with taking Dahlia cuttings. I think it was probably like 95% success rate. So I am very proud of that. And then all of our seedlings, they just it was perfectly timed, perfectly staggered, and it was great. So you guys didn't get to see that on YouTube. I did post a lot on Instagram. So some of you got kind of like a behind the scenes there. Again, we will not be taking a break like that ever again. So not only were we really honing in on seed starting and Dahlia cuttings, but that was also when my stepdad arrived and he spent a lot of time with me also in the garden helping me move gravel. Gosh, we were moving so much compost to the back, which we use as mulch. So there was just like a lot of like small things going on that I wasn't sharing. But we were definitely busy in the garden. Fixing the ghetto fans. Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Updating the deck. Yeah. I wish I would have shown that process. I'm so upset that I didn't. But I talked about it in another video and showed you guys like a before and after of our deck and then cut to August. And that's where Janie Kate came over. And that was a shift in everything. So quick backstory. I met Kate at the Northwest Flower Garden show a couple of years ago. And I just like we clicked right away. I just thought she was so fun. I was complimenting her on her shoes. And that's how we started talking. And I just I loved her so much right away. What kind of shoes were they? I think she was wearing like Nikes and they were like bright color. And I was just like, oh, my gosh, I love those shoes so much. And then Kate introduced me to Janie when Janie was up here in Oregon doing some she was doing some talks for proven winners at Bauman Farms and touring some other places here. So that was so much fun. And again, with Janie, I just felt like my long lost sister. And it felt so great to be with the two of them. So those first three days we were just blogging on our first day. Somebody had written so much fun to see all of the behind the scenes. The matching outfits had me laughing. You all or you're all truly on the same wavelength. Now, you know, or now we know your purse pruners secret, Claudia, it's out. And I'm like, when I read that, I was like, yes, Katie, you nailed that. Because first of all, we were not planning on matching outfits. And it was just so funny. And then the whole pruner thing, I always carry pruners in my purse because you just never know what's going to need a little bit of a snip snip. So I yeah, I always carry pruners in my purse. So if you ever see me and you need anything cut or prune, just let me know because I got your back. And then that second day is where we had so much fun. We had brunch. We just went to a couple of places here in Portland. And it was really a day where Kate and Janie sat me down and they're like, what are you doing? Why aren't you posting? You need to be posting. And we had the best like I feel like I had the best pep talk from them. And it was just like very eye opening. And after that, like I was like, OK, I went from posting once a week to like once every now and then to like I'm committing three days a week. We're doing it. And so that's what we've been doing. And it's been amazing. And it's been so fulfilling for me to do that. Like more than I ever imagined it would be. So it's been great. And then on that second day, Kathy 3909 said three powerhouse women. Yes, I kept thinking throughout this video that the three of you together as pro gardeners are synonymous with all the powerhouse woman YouTube home Renaud DIYers, which I love that because I follow some of those women. And I just am so impressed with everything that they do, doing your own thing and doing it well and empowering us along the way. I'm so glad Kate and Janie introduced me to you, Claudia. I'm your newest subscriber. And just FYI, I got emotional with you and your garden design when Kate suggested to bring in a bench that was such a fun video that was posted on Kate's channel. And I am so excited for that side garden project. We're going to be doing together this this next year with Kate. And that was really fun. And again, just having surrounding myself with like minded people like those two was really empowering. And it's I love that there's so much like stuff behind the scenes that you guys don't always get to see, but constantly pushing or lifting each other up. I love that because I am a girl's girl through and through. I will never gatekeep. I will always cheer on my friends and anybody who's trying to do something. I will. I promise I will be your biggest cheerleader. And so just to find people like that, too, was so amazing. And then quickly, that third day, we went to Izali nursery. Which was, oh, so beautiful. And I could not. First of all, I didn't I couldn't believe that I didn't know about them being local here and how beautiful their operation is. Their their display garden, it was just so amazing. And we also got to go to early roses, which was incredible. Amazing. And I cannot wait. I hope I get to work with them again because it was just so cool to see everything that they do. So that final day was definitely bittersweet, but it was a lot of fun. All right. Shortly after that, we had our first August cut flower garden tour, and that was a lot of fun. One of you wrote, Susan Geiser 2894 wrote, I just want you to know how much I enjoy your flower and Dahlia videos. I'm 76 and have been gardening almost my whole life, which is amazing. And as much as I teach you guys things, you guys teach me a lot as well. So I love that you comment in and weigh in on projects and plants and trees and flowers, all of that. I love that so much. Imagine 50 years, you know, like take a guess, like 50 years of gardening experience, whether you're a pro or just, you know, a backyard gardener, 50 years like they know more than you probably. Oh, yeah. Kind of blows my mind. Yeah. I mean, I didn't grow up gardening or like having my family garden and any of that. I mean, my grandma, yes, but not not here. I mean, I really started gardening as a way to just be creative. And I really got into plants and flowers. And once I started, I'm like, oh, yeah, no, there's no turning back now. And I love research. I mean, that was kind of my background in school. I graduated with a biology degree. So doing research, learning things, all of that. That was super fascinating to me. But nothing beats experience. In my opinion, don't you think? Oh, yeah. Like I don't care what degree you have, where you like. Nothing beats experience. So I love that about you guys. She goes on to say, I just discovered Dahlia's a few years ago. I am in total love with them. Yes. I don't think I've met somebody who's grown them and said, they're OK. I feel like once you start, you just that was you the first season, I think. Well, that doesn't count. Yes. The first season I grew them, I was like because we got a few varieties, but they all came up the same kind and they were pretty. And it was I think it was sweet love, the white with the like purple edges. And I was like, well, they're pretty, but I don't get the big deal. And then it was that year after. And I grew I got my hands on cafe au lait. And then I was like, oh, my gosh. And there was no turning back there. I was just like, what was the other one similar to cafe au lait that you kind of took that really nice picture, like right by your face? Oh, Pinhill Watermelon. Yeah, yeah. That was I think that was also kind of a pivotal like. Visual moment where you kind of see like, wow, this is. Yeah. Beauty. Yeah. And there's so many different varieties. I mean, those are both dinner plate varieties. Well, no, sorry. Cafe au lait is a decorative. But anyways, there's just so many varieties of dahlias, which I've talked about in previous videos. And it's just there is a flower. There is a dahlia for everybody. So if you haven't found yours yet, keep looking. And then Susan says your videos encourage me to grow more. Yes, I love that. I will enable you forever. I worked as a flower designer most of my life and enjoyed it. But now I'm being retired. I am out in the garden every day. I really admire young flower gardeners as yourself. You bring new ideas to gardening. Keep up your beautiful work and videos. I love that comment so much. And it's funny because I think that was another reason why I was drawn to sharing my gardening and flower journey, because I feel like I'm the youngest and a lot of my friend groups and a lot of them don't garden or grow flowers. So I feel like I don't have somebody to talk to. And so being able to come into your lives and you guys come into mine, sharing this passion, this amazing. Gosh, this passion that I cannot turn off, even if I somebody was going to pay me to do so, I could not do it. It's just the best feeling. So again, love that comment. Love that I get to be here and do this with you guys. I I just feel so blessed. After that is where we had the planting around the deck, which has been such a game changer for us when we removed the rails. It automatically opened up our backyard in this space so much. And then we planted the hydrangeas around the deck. We also brought in one of the maples from the front. And that really has been so amazing. And especially because we installed a 16 foot sliding window or door right when you enter the house and to the deck, it completely like the visual that you have now from the kitchen out into the backyard is amazing. And we're almost done with the construction. So we'll show you more of that as soon as it's done. But anyways, having that open is amazing. And one of you had made a comment about who was saving goes out for nine. Wow. Once it really or once in, it really softens the edges of the deck. Fantastic. And that's true. I think bringing in the hydrangeas really softens the space because the deck is a rectangular shape. So it's very like hard edges. And then, again, my stepdad also put or put these wood around the beams that we had. So to make it look like right. I mean, how do we explain that? Well, we just kind of built it up, built it out because what we had four by fours and they were the pressure treated four by four. So you kind of had that like really well, not aesthetically pleasing. Yeah. A little like slits in them, but we wrapped it in just cedar boards and and then the scene, it was just a just like a natural cedar colored stain. Yeah. So that has been amazing. And again, I'm not I'm really excited to plant around the deck some more. Definitely want to bring in some grasses and some other pretty things. I, I cannot wait. The other day you were prepping for this video and you were looking through your older videos from earlier this year. And I even made the comment where the railing in the background and just the color and just like it being so dark. Yeah. So much like railing. It really kind of took away from the just aesthetics of the garden. And then when we opened it up, it was so beautiful. But I'm pretty sure like the viewers can see right behind you. Yeah. Like you didn't cut them down yet. And it just is beautiful. There's just like a softness to them, right? I don't know. There's just something special about them. It's very I don't know. They're like, we just imagine how they're going to look this coming season. These are the ones that you had. Oh, my gosh. Don't say it. On the side garden and pots for three years, three years. The ones you got from Costco. Yeah. So they're proven winners. Little lime hydrangeas. And I saw them at Costco for like twenty nine ninety nine. And I was like, ah, yeah, I'm taking ten. And so you filled up the whole entire day. And people are like looking at me like this weirdo. You know, I just look like a crazy plant lady, which I never care about. You still have a photo. Um, I'll post it. I'll post it. But I didn't care. I just knew I wanted them. And I I told myself, I told myself there's going to be a place for them. And now there is. So now imagine like when they grow in, they were a little like they were suffering. They were in their containers for a long time. But I did take good care of them. I mean, we had them in drift. Yeah. You fed them. You pruned them. But yeah, so nothing compares to real soil, of course. But shout out to a small one, because I kept putting in biotone and rose tone and the nursery cans just to keep them going. So that really. That really helped them survive in those little nursery cans for all of that time. After that, we had some other fun videos of maintenance, tree shopping. We did a lot of planting of echinacea. And then we finally did two videos on tree tours. I don't know what bird that is, but it sounds so pretty. Anyways, we did our tree tour videos because you guys were everyone was asking about it. And I think that also happened because Janie did a tour of our garden. And right when she came onto the deck, I wish I had a picture of her face. She was like, all of the trees. And I'm like, yes, I don't care that I don't have a huge garden. I'm going to fit in as many trees as my little heart desires. And I am just going to keep them pruned and not going to limit myself because of my garden size. And just for a reference, we have just a little over a quarter of an acre lot. So we were able to fit in a lot of trees here. And there's a couple of comments that I pulled out from these videos. One was from Astrotales. And she wrote, I am so glad I have stumbled on your channel. Your gardens are beautiful. And so are your trees. I just bought my first house and inherited a lot of specimen trees, which is amazing that were planted really recently and not very well. So I've been trying to build up the courage and knowledge to start moving them around. First step is figuring out what they are. Yes, that is very, very important. And that's one of the reasons why when we first bought this house, there's so many plants that I had no idea what variety they were. I didn't like them. They weren't just doing anything for me or the garden. And so I ripped them out. I am a firm believer of that. If you don't love it, don't try to grow to like it. Just move it. Get rid of it. Give it away. Donate it. Do something. And then Tracy Watt, one, one, five, eight had said, I'm amazed about how nonchalant, how nonchalant you move your trees. I would be so scared. Now I'm wondering why I've never tried it before. Love your landscaping so much. Yes. I am not afraid of moving trees. We have moved more trees than I probably care to admit. I always we've moved trees that were like 10, 12 feet tall. We moved them twice. And now they're taller than they've ever been. Because they're thriving in their new space. Yeah. And here's why. We put our trees in the area that we're going to plant them and we leave them there for several days. But sometimes because I'm allowed to, you change your mind and your taste change or you bring other things in and you think, well, this isn't playing well with each other. So we're going to move it. And so if you planted a tree, but you don't love it, don't be afraid to move it. Yes, that tree might suffer a little bit because of the transplant shock. But if you keep it fertilized, if you keep it watered, it's going to be fine. Don't be afraid of moving trees. Just don't. After that, we had some other really fun videos. We did our Dahlia garden tour, which I showed you my all of our dahlias that we were growing. That was a lot of fun. Just for planting videos. And then we did a fall container recipe competition with Brian Bowman from Bowman Farms. And that was a really fun video. First of all, Brian is so talented and artistic and he just puts things together like nothing. I feel like I'm that way with flowers. I can put an arrangement together. Now, I'm not like, oh, my gosh, I'm the best. No, no, no, no, no. Far from it. But I feel very confident with when I'm arranging flowers or talking about dahlias or flowers in general. That was the same thing for Brian and his containers. And he has beautiful containers. So that was so fun. And we had you guys vote on which one was your favorite. I just love that so much. It's just fun going to learn from, you know, people that have been doing this for so many years and also learning the why behind it. Things and why they do the things that they do. That to me, I was I was literally like sitting there taking mental notes of everything he was doing and saying and thinking, OK, I understand now that makes sense. So that was a really fun. I remember that time. That was fun. It was kind of. To me, OK, don't get mad at me. I'm already mad now that I feel like you really got to see the difference between an amateur and a professional. Hey, now I am a professional. Sure. Like Brian. But I am a professional. Like you both went out, did your little plant shopping, got your cards together. I'm like, OK, cool. And he let me pick out whatever I wanted. Just so you guys know, like he was like, pick out whatever you want. It's totally fine. And I was like shopping. That was the case. You should have got some of the biggest trees and like went all out. I should have. But anyways, just just to shout that out. But then you started putting them both. Are you putting them together? And he already knew where they're going to go. And you're kind of like. Do I like this? Do I like that? You're kind of it's almost like artwork. You know, you're you're learning as you go, not learning. You're kind of figuring that out, getting the feel of it and see if you like it or you don't with him. I didn't notice any of that. He just went right at it. He just knew. Yeah. He just knew where things belonged. And then he was looking at what I was doing and was like, OK, I think you should do this, this and this. And I was like, yeah, you're right. I will I will say, though, my plant selection was beautiful. He had the perfect layering, like the perfect heights, the perfect textures. OK, we get it. You loved it. No, no. And I was so certain that he's going to win that competition. Yeah. But a lot of people voted for me. Yeah, that's what happened, right? A lot of you ended up. The people voted. Yeah. For you. I didn't count. We both won. OK. Everybody is the winner. That's what you say in camera behind the scenes. You're like, I won. I won. I am like the most competitive person ever. Anyways, after that, we had some more cleaning videos, planting on the planting strip. That was a lot of fun doing some decorating. And then we jumped into our meet the farmer, meet the garden series, which was the best. I had the best time. And let me tell you what, traveling to these farms and filming is very tiring because you have to time the lighting just right. You need to time like the weather. Is it going to be too hot? Are the cameras going to overheat? It was tiring schedule. You slept on the whole drive. I was the one driving. I am a passenger princess. OK, I am. Just I don't know, I love being driven around. It's so much fun. And I do. I fall asleep all the time because like you're the worst. And I'm like, well, but I let I let you be the passenger princess sometimes, too, when I drive. Sometimes. Anyways, we started out with Dan from Dan's Dahlias, and he that video was so much fun. He's been growing Dahlias since he was 10 years old. And you guys fell in love with him as much as I did. Ms. 430. Wow, Claudia, this interview is so well conducted and Dan's answers are incredibly insightful. The questions were fantastic, and his farms are such a treat to see. What a beautiful place. I only wish I lived closer so I could visit his farm and stand and pick up some tubers. I know it's Dan is such a special human. And I don't I don't think he himself knows like what a treasure he is. And we had so much footage from that tour. And I had to, you know, kind of condense it down to less than an hour. We could have easily done like a two hour video because there's just so much to see, so much to talk about. He was so insightful. And I met Dan probably two, two years ago. Right. Two, three years ago at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. He was selling tubers. Yeah. And that was the first time you went to the flower. Right. And I and I wasn't doing YouTube then. Right. Or was I? Maybe I had started. Maybe. Yeah, I don't know. But anyways, I met him and I just I thought he was just the loveliest person. And every year that I would go back, I would tell him, like, I want to come tour your farm. And then I am a people person. I have always been a people person. I love being around people. I love meeting new people. So being able to do this series where I get to go out and connect with these people and connect them to you guys is truly like the best thing I could have done. And I've been loving it so much. So, yeah, that was, again, just such a beautiful tour. Dan is amazing. I do. I feel like I need to do a follow up with them because you guys absolutely love them. And then that very next day, we drove up further north and we we went to meet Marin Mathis, and she is a powerhouse. I love that. Like, I love her so much. I first of all, I could not believe she said yes to me coming up and filming. I was like, there's no way she's probably not going to even see my email. I messaged her and she was like, yeah, come up. And I was like, and I literally like ran to my mom and started going like, guess what is going to happen? And they were like, OK, I'm like Marin. And they're like, OK, calm down. And so Marin Mathis, she is from the farmhouse flower farm. And she is just an incredible woman. She is such a go getter. She's accomplished so much in such a short period of time. I admire her so much. Deborah Bray, a five year old, you know, that girl that you meet at recess on the first day of school, the one that says you want to play and it's so easy and comfortable and she becomes your best friend. That's you girls. And I completely felt that I like right when she came to the gate and we like hugged and said hello, I was like, OK, I I know this is weird, Marin, but I feel like I was meant to meet you. She is amazing. And let's see. Deborah continues to say, I can't even grow dahlias or sweet peas in my zone, a B Texas garden. But I really enjoyed this video. So beautiful. A gorgeous farm. These sweet dogs and gorgeous cows, they are living the life. By the way, I personally love my OCDs. They make my world go around. First off, they really are living the dream and they are living the dream that they've created. And I love that for them. They've worked really hard and they deserve everything that they have. And again, I'm just so excited for them. I was really motivated after leaving that interview because she has done so much of what I want to do. And just to see that she's just like full throttle like I am. It kind of like lit that fire in me again that I felt like it didn't go away. It has never gone away. But I am so clear about what I want in the next in the next several years. And I am just so excited to bring you guys along for that ride because it's going to be amazing. And then and then her comment about the OCD. So Marin is also super OCD. And that's where I was like, she gets it because just the way she plants things and the way she is about organizing everything about her farm and flowers is exactly how my brain works. And I am super OCD. And I try not to be, but I just I cannot help it. And so just are you sure those the reason or the fact that she had cows? Oh, my gosh, the cows. Oh, so our dream is to have highland cows. And we've we've had that dream for a really long time. We just love them so much. And Marin has them. And Kelsey at another firm that we went to, which I'll talk about here in just a sec, also has them. And I believe Marin bought her cows from Kelsey or at least a couple of them. I'm not sure. But anyways, it was just such a pleasure. She did invite us back to go see her sweet peas. So maybe we will take her up on that. And yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean, I mean, I will go. I just don't want to impose. But Marin, if you're watching, call me and I will come again. I'm also so excited for her book to come out this February. I cannot wait for it to arrive. We also went up to Mount Vernon and visited Gordon's Gadget Farms, and that was so much fun. Just those beautiful pumpkins. Eddie was just so much fun to interview. He's such an artist. We had some other really great videos in that next month. And we did our first Q&A, which was a lot of fun. You guys had some really great questions for us. I think we should do more Q&A. I I don't know. I feel like it's such a good way to connect with you guys. And answer some questions a little bit more in depth. So that's something you're interested in doing. Let me know down below in the comments, because we can surely make that happen. And then we had two other meet the farmer, meet the gardener interviews. The first one was at cattle and cut flowers with Kelsey. And she is the one that discovered the daffodil. And that was so much fun. She is so incredible. The thing that I love about Kelsey is she is so untraditional in the way that she farms and grows flowers. And she doesn't follow all of the rules, but she makes it work. And she really like taught me, like, you don't have to do it like, you know, this way, follow steps A, B and C. You can do it, you know, A, D, E, whatever, whatever way you want. As long as it gives you the outcome that you want and need. You don't have to follow like the traditional steps of doing things. And so I love that about her. And I am like crossing my fingers that those daffodils come back because what an incredible thing to have discovered. And I know she's working really hard and bringing it back. And that's the great thing about Dahlia is they have such a unique feature about them that they can mutate and do these things and, you know, do things that people have never seen before. And so to be able to interview her and hear kind of how that story unraveled on her farm was so much fun. And she also has incredible animals. She has a donkey, Walt. You remember, Walt? He was so funny. Like there was a moment where I like I turned around and he was right there. And I was like, he was right there. And he was just so sweet. And her whole family, her husband, her kids. I mean, just such a lovely, lovely couple. And I'm I'm so excited for them. So that was another really amazing interview. And I'm so, so lucky that I got to meet her. And she is just an incredible, incredible person. And then we also finished off that that series with Anne from the Dahlia house. And Anne, she is just like a girl's girl, too. I love her. Like immediately when we got there, she came out of her car and she was like, hey, she gave me a big hug. And we're like, right. We were like this right away. Well, I think that goes for just about every interview you had for me, like with Marin, at least how you came running to your mom and me. And you told us that you got the interview and you're so excited. And I was like, OK, I mean, I'm not in this world. I have no idea who people are. Yeah. Unless you talk about them a lot. And then, you know, when you come for the interview, it's like you you guys were friends for years and years and years. And I'm like, how is that possible? Like, where's that awkwardness that I would experience? Or I feel like many people would experience. But it was so natural. And like what you're just saying, like she she comes in parks and comes out, just gives you the biggest hug. And I'm like, what? Yeah, like like you and you're like, you know, like, have you guys met? And I was like, no, we've never met. But she is the loveliest, loveliest person. Just so down to earth. Somebody wrote Holly, I think, week two zero five six. Thank you for this video. I love this woman. She said she'd sell a kidney slash kid. She's my kind of people. Beautiful Dahlia. And she she is. She said so many funny things in that video. You guys have to go watch if you haven't. The cool thing about Ann is that she has a you cut so you can actually come in and cut flowers, which is incredible. And you can fill a big jar full of flowers for such a good price. I'm just like she is so generous with her flowers. She also has some really great things in the works. She's going to start selling some prints of her beautiful flowers. And I will be the first person in line to buy some because she is just so artistic, too, in the way she arranges flowers and displays them and gosh, just so fun. And just to hear her story to like the struggles that she had with Dahlia's in the beginning to see where she is now was so encouraging. And just like I guess what it taught me. And I think with a lot of the farmers that we met, there's no perfect situation and scenario, but you figure it out. You figure out a way to do it and make it happen. And that's exactly what these people have done. And Ann was just, again, one of those people who just made it happen. Even though she just had like these terrible things happen the first couple of years, which we talked about in the video, but she made it work. And so that was a lot of fun. And then we had some more really fun videos, planting, digging up dahlias, moving trees around. We planted hundreds of new plants when we planted the bulbs, Christmas shopping. And then we finally made it down to Brazil to see my family celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday. And that was so much fun. I think the highlight for me there was planting flowers for her in her garden. She just loves it so much. And I actually just talked to her the other day and she she said she comes out every day. She talks to the plant and she goes, Grandma has to water you because Nina planted you and we have to water you. So when she comes back and sees you, you're going to be beautiful. And my nickname is Nina. And so that's what my family calls me. Anyways, so she like when she said that, I was like, oh, my gosh, I love you so much, Grandma. Like, it was just so much fun. I I loved being able to share that part of my life with you guys. Introduce me to my family, where I grew up, the garden that I grew up admiring and loving so much and just being a kid. And like, it felt like I grew up in this like fairy tale place in terms of like the garden that I got to play in. It was just so beautiful. And then we just wrapped up the year with some more fun videos, garden center tours and decorating. And it was just it was just so much fun. So that wraps up the look back at some of our videos and the highlights of all of the things we got to do, the people that we got to meet, the places we got to see. I cannot wait to do more of that next year. I'm so happy that I made that commitment to myself to just post three times a week. It's been it's been a lot of work. I won't lie. I mean, it's a lot of work to film and edit, but I love it so much. So to me, it's not even doesn't feel like work in that sense. But I could not do it without you guys and your support, all of your comments, you liking the video. I mean, it really is such a blessing to have you guys here. And then Sergei has just been my biggest cheerleader in my corner, not letting me stop and encouraging me. And that is Ben priceless. I love that so much. So shout out to you. It's a constant battle between me being your cheerleader. And then I don't know if the viewers can hear, but the rain, the weather, the weather is pouring down rain right now. And oh, man. Yeah. And hopefully hopefully the cover here doesn't amplify the noise. I hope not either. Hopefully you guys are not. It's not too loud for you guys. And I think that's also what's really hard sometimes is what I was shy about is like I need the perfect weather to film. And now I'm like, no, you guys know how it is. You're going to film, you know, in the wintertime. You're going to be in your garden. You're going to be muddy. You're going to be gross. You're going to be wet and soggy and cold. But that's just part of it. And there's something beautiful about that, too. So now I'm just not afraid to really just bring you guys behind the scenes and see everything like the good, the bad and the ugly. You guys know what it is about gardening. It's yeah, it's not it's not perfect, but that's what makes it beautiful. We're just days away from the new year. What are you really excited about? Like for 2025 next year? Um, well, we do have some really fun things in the works, and I don't want to give them away yet because we're still working on them. So stay tuned for that. That will be a lot of fun to reveal. But we've been doing some fun things in the background. I think in terms of gardening, is that what you're asking? Like what I'm looking forward to that? Yeah. I think more interviews, more traveling to visit new gardeners and farmers sharing their story, because that's what I love to do. I share their stories, more beautiful planting in the garden. I'm excited about that. And then, of course, the side garden project. I can't. That was my next question is, like, what is that one project in the garden that you're I mean, every year you're excited about your dahlias and planting the new ones that you got. But yeah, I definitely want I want to be I want to really stretch in to more like seed growing and sharing that process with you guys, because, again, I was really successful with it this last year. So definitely bring you guys along for everything. Obviously, this year, Dahlias, of course, who I mean, you guys know I'm always going to be excited about that. But yeah, the side garden project is going to be amazing. I cannot wait to film with Kate. We do have some things also planned together. I am really looking forward to that because that space now is going to be such a special entry into the rest of our garden. So it has to be beautiful. It has to be, you know, a vision of us and it has to be intimate. And so I'm really looking forward to seeing that come together. Yeah. What about you? Do you have anything you're really excited about in the garden or the house? Like as far as like that goes? I know you're excited about other things, but no, the side garden is going to be. A lot of fun. Yeah. Because like every kind of corner has this put together to a point side garden, it is not. And of course, you know, we don't have like still in the middle of the remodel and bad gutters. So we have like leaky gutters and gutters that that's a huge stress of mine is just seeing the puddles building up there. So I think once we get it planted up over there, we can create like little berms or a little or just more things in the ground that can start absorbing the moisture. Yeah, because right now, like you really can't walk there. It's just I mean, you can't. We have to be careful because it's like I was there yesterday working on the side and we're just like bringing things out. And it was like sink, sink, sink. And so, yeah, having more plants to help absorb that water is going to be great. Also finish the siding, because I think that's going to be a really beautiful backdrop to the garden. I think anything that amplifies the current garden. Yeah, I think the siding, the fence and the fence, probably more so than the siding, the fence would be the fence. Because like we have like ten different fences right now with like our neighbors. And so it's just been we really do want to get that. So we're just trying to be financially smart about how we do projects. So we're not, you know, going too crazy. So, yeah, first things first is finish the inside the house and then jump to the garden in terms of big projects and investments like that. So that will be a lot of fun. I think in terms of you and your channel, are these little not little, I should say, but these ideas you have planned that you're going to share soon. So that that's going to, I think. Well, definitely keep you very busy. Yeah, it's going to be a busy 2025. It is going to, I think, give a different perspective. I don't know if I want to spoil it. I'll try not to. OK, it'll give a different perspective on gardeners. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good way to say it. Yeah. Yeah. I'm excited about that. I'm I'm just a very excited person. Like I some people, I think somebody asked me, like, are you just as excited about life and everything? And yes, I am just a very like happy, exciting, like or excited person in general about every little thing. And so that's just how I am. And yeah, I would love to hear some of your highlights in your garden and what you're looking forward to next year, whether it's big or small. Let me know. What are you guys excited about? What do you want to do more of in your garden? I think that's always important to really be intentional about your goals, not just in life, but like what you want out of your garden this year and how you're going to accomplish that and how I can help you accomplish that. So anyways, thank you guys so much for tuning in, for being here, for supporting us, commenting, liking our video, sharing our videos. You guys really show up for me. And I always want to make sure that I'm showing up for you. So again, thank you so much for hanging out with me today. And I will see you guys in our next video. Bye bye.