My Black Thumb Nursery: A Grower’s Journey

Behind the Scenes of Growing Roses Professionally

I feel deeply honored to have been invited to speak at the Winston-Salem Rose Society as a guest speaker. I want to sincerely thank Georgia and Kris for reaching out and encouraging me to share my journey and extend my heartfelt appreciation to the Winston-Salem Rose Society for the invitation and for having me. It truly means so much to stand among fellow rose lovers who understand the beauty, patience, and dedication these plants require. I’ll be sharing the journey of My Black Thumb Nursery—what happens behind the scenes of running a professional rose nursery, from propagation and variety selection to weather challenges, disease management, and the quiet rewards of nurturing roses for others. This path has not only shaped me as a grower but has also led me to begin a new flower farm in Cedar Grove, where the dream continues to expand and bloom.

It all started with a tiny succulent—the one on the left. That was the very first succulent arrangement I ever made. I didn’t know much back then, just that I was fascinated by these small, sculptural plants and wanted to try. Most of those original succulents are gone now, except for the one in the top right corner. She survived—and today, she is ten years old.

Within just a few months, my succulent collection began to grow quickly. What started as a single arrangement soon turned into trays and pots filling every available space. Seeing my growing collection, my husband built me the shelf shown in the photo on the right. It was the very first plant shelf he ever made for me.

That simple shelf marked the beginning of everything. That’s how it all started. 🌱

Before long, I had more and more succulents, and I couldn’t stop collecting them. Each new variety felt like a small treasure—different shapes, colors, and textures that made me fall in love all over again.

I also began buying all kinds of cute pots. Ceramic, terracotta, patterned, simple—if I thought a plant would look beautiful in it, I brought it home. Choosing pots became just as joyful as choosing the plants themselves. Every arrangement felt like creating a tiny living piece of art.

This was the second plant shelf my husband built for me. It was much bigger—because by then, my collection had grown even more.

What started as a few small pots had turned into a serious obsession. Every time I thought I had enough space, I somehow found another succulent to bring home. The new shelf wasn’t just larger; it felt like a quiet acknowledgment that this wasn’t just a passing hobby anymore. It was becoming something much bigger.

Winter quickly became a disaster. Every time the temperature dropped, I had to move all the succulents indoors. They were everywhere—on tables, countertops, windowsills, even the floor. Our home would slowly turn into a jungle of pots and trays. It was chaotic, but I couldn’t let them freeze.

Seeing the struggle, my husband surprised me with the most meaningful gift for our fifth wedding anniversary—a greenhouse. Not just any greenhouse, but a solid, beautifully built one that could truly protect my growing collection.

I absolutely love it. To me, it’s more than just a structure; it represents support, encouragement, and the belief that this little hobby was worth investing in. It’s still the best-quality greenhouse I could ever ask for.

As soon as the greenhouse was finished, our baby girl cat, Critter, decided it was hers too. She wasted no time exploring every corner, sniffing around, and officially claiming it as part of her territory.

Watching her wander inside, curious and proud, made the whole moment even sweeter. The greenhouse wasn’t just a space for plants anymore—it became part of our family story.

Before the first frost arrived, the succulents were carefully prepared for their move into their new home.

They began growing beautifully inside the greenhouse. With steady light, protection from the cold, and a space designed just for them, they truly thrived.

For the first time, I wasn’t worried about sudden temperature drops or scrambling to bring pots indoors. Instead, I could simply enjoy watching them grow—healthier, stronger, and more vibrant than ever.

One of my friends used to post photos of her roses all the time. Their beauty kept catching my attention—the layers of petals, the colors, the romance of it all. Slowly, I found myself thinking, I want to grow roses too.

So I took the leap and ordered my first fifteen roses from David Austin Roses. That was the beginning of a whole new chapter.

I started them in pots, carefully tending to each one while we planned and prepared to build a proper rose garden. I knew they wouldn’t stay in containers forever—they were waiting for their permanent home in the ground. And in many ways, so was I.

We installed three trellises along the side of the house, and I planted an Eden rose there. During that first year, she didn’t bloom at all—but instead, she focused on growing strong, healthy canes. Seeing all those vigorous shoots climbing the trellis made me just as happy as seeing flowers.

In the second year, she finally bloomed—and I was completely shocked. I kept wondering, Where did all these red flowers come from? Only the six blooms in the upper left corner were actually from the Eden rose. The rest were from rootstock suckers that had taken over the plant.

I remember feeling a little defeated. I even joked that I truly had a “black thumb.” The suckers had grown so aggressively that they dominated the plant I had carefully planted and cared for. But that experience taught me an important lesson.

After that, I decided I wanted to grow only own-root roses, not grafted ones.

My husband even rented a small excavator and dug a trench to prepare the rose beds. He worked hard to remove the old soil and replace it with rich, nutrient-dense compost to create the best possible growing environment for the roses.

Seeing him put so much effort into preparing the garden bed meant a lot to me. It wasn’t just about building a garden—it was about building a foundation for the roses to thrive for years to come.

We put up even more trellises to prepare for what was coming next. More climbing roses were waiting patiently in their pots, ready to find their permanent homes in the garden beds.

Looking at those roses lined up, I felt both excitement and anticipation. Each plant represented a future memory—future blooms, future seasons, and the continuing growth of this dream we were slowly building together.

He even measured carefully with a ruler to ensure that the distance between each rose was exactly the same. Every plant had its own space to grow, climb, and flourish without crowding its neighbor.

It was a small detail, but it showed the care and thought we were putting into the garden. Every rose, every trellis, every inch mattered—it was all part of building something beautiful and lasting.

This picture was taken in spring 2025, and the roses were absolutely breathtaking. After all the planning, careful planting, and patience, seeing them in full bloom felt like a dream come true.

This is the other side of the pool—here are the before and after pictures. The transformation felt incredible.

This is the full view of my rose garden.

One of my favorite climbing roses is Crown Princess Margareta. She is graceful, strong, and reliable in the garden—everything I love about climbing roses.

My other cat, Mimi, often keeps me company while I work in the garden. He loves to sit nearby and watch me move around, as if he is helping supervise my work. Having him there makes long hours of gardening feel much more peaceful and enjoyable. The roses and my cats together make the garden feel like home.

I absolutely love propagation, and I’ve experimented with all kinds of materials. It’s truly amazing how a tiny cutting can grow into a whole new bush with just a little care and patience. Each successful propagation feels like a small miracle—a reminder of how resilient and generous plants can be. Watching new life emerge from something so small never ceases to inspire me.

I also experimented with high-pressure propagation. With this method, I can sometimes obtain a much larger, more mature-looking plant much faster. It’s exciting to see how propagation techniques can speed up growth while still maintaining plant quality. Getting an established, full-sized plant from a single branch always feels like a rewarding shortcut in the long journey of growing roses.

At the beginning, my propagation work was very small scale. I started with just a few cuttings at a time, experimenting quietly and learning through trial and error. Every success, no matter how small, felt meaningful. It was all about building experience, gaining confidence, and slowly improving my techniques before expanding to larger-scale propagation.

These are my propagation “babies.” They’re growing beautifully, healthy and strong, and it’s so rewarding to watch each tiny cutting develop into a thriving little plant. Every new leaf, every new shoot feels like a small victory and a reminder of the potential each plant holds.

I started selling my extra baby roses on Facebook Marketplace and quickly became more involved in the rose community. I joined many rose groups to learn, share experiences, and connect with other growers. It was exciting to exchange plant babies with other rose lovers—trading varieties, learning new growing tips, and building friendships through a shared passion for roses. Those communities helped me grow not just as a grower, but as part of a larger gardening family.

After selling many of my plant babies, I decided it was time to take the next step and officially register for a nursery license. Becoming licensed made everything feel more real and more serious—it was no longer just a hobby. I named my nursery My Black Thumb as a reminder to stay humble and keep learning. I have killed many plants along the way, but every mistake taught me something valuable. The name is my way of embracing the learning process and reminding myself that I will keep improving as a grower.

Taking cuttings is very therapeutic for me. I usually listen to soft piano music while I work, moving slowly and carefully as I take cuttings, prepare them, and place them into soil. It feels peaceful and grounding—almost like a quiet meditation. Watching those cuttings settle into the soil and knowing they will eventually grow into new plants gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and calm.

I propagate all year long, through every season. No matter the weather, I find joy in continuing the work. Watching plants grow from cuttings through spring, summer, fall, and even winter gives me a deep sense of fulfillment. I truly love doing it—it has become a constant part of my life and my passion for growing roses and plants.

There are always cuttings that fail—some rot, some dry out, and some simply never root. I’m constantly trying to figure out how to improve my success rate and learn what works best for different varieties and seasons. Each failure teaches me something new about moisture control, temperature, soil media, and timing. It’s all part of the learning process, and it keeps pushing me to refine my propagation techniques and become a better grower.

I asked my husband to build a misting bench for me, and it was a game changer for my propagation work. The system is water-controlled and can be scheduled through my phone. For example, I can set it to mist the cuttings for 10 seconds every hour, or adjust the timing depending on the weather and plant needs. Having this level of control helps keep the cuttings hydrated without overwatering them, and it has significantly improved my propagation success and efficiency.

I also set up growing shelves with grow lights inside my greenhouse. The space is equipped with air conditioning and a dehumidifier, allowing me to carefully control temperature and humidity. The grow lights are also set on a schedule to turn on and off automatically, creating consistent growing conditions for the plants. Having this level of environmental control has helped me grow healthier cuttings and maintain better propagation success throughout the year.

We also installed fans inside the greenhouse that run on a schedule to help keep air circulating. The windows and hot air exhaust fans open automatically when the temperature rises, thanks to the temperature control system. All of these environmental controls help create the best growing conditions for the plants, but they also use a significant amount of electricity. That is one of the reasons why own-root roses can be more expensive—they require more resources, infrastructure, and careful environmental management to grow strong, healthy plants year-round.

Growing lights are especially helpful when new cuttings are just beginning to form roots. The consistent light helps support early growth and keeps the cuttings strong while they focus on developing their root systems. Providing stable light conditions reduces stress on the young plants and gives them a better chance of survival as they transition from cuttings to established plants.

Checking roots is one of my favorite parts of the job. I always want each plant to have a mature, well-developed root system filling the pot before it is sold. A strong root system gives the plant the best chance to thrive once it is in a customer’s hands. Making sure my plants are healthy and well-established is my way of helping guarantee that they will continue growing successfully long after they leave my nursery.

My backyard started to feel crowded because roses were everywhere. I was running out of growing space, and during the summer, watering all of them would take hours each day. It became very challenging to keep up with the workload.

In 2024, I was invited to join the American Rose Society Carolina winter meeting as a vendor. At that time, my roses were still growing in 4-inch pots, but they were blooming beautifully and proudly representing my work. I was incredibly excited—it was my first time attending and selling at an event like this as a vendor. It felt like a big step forward in my journey, and seeing people appreciate my roses gave me so much confidence and encouragement to keep growing.

In 2025, I was honored to be invited to join the American Rose Society Carolina event again. This time felt very different and very rewarding. All of my roses were grown in 1-gallon pots—much larger, fuller. Seeing how much the plants had improved in size and quality compared to the previous year made me feel proud of the progress in my growing techniques and nursery development.

I also collected many other types of plants along the way. Mums are one of my absolute favorites. I love their fullness, variety of colors, and how reliably they bloom. Adding different plant species to my collection helped me learn more about growing techniques and expanded the diversity of my garden beyond just roses.

White strawberries are another one of my favorite collections. They taste very different from regular strawberries, with a unique sweetness and an unforgettable fragrance. The flavor is delicate and special, almost like a surprise when you first taste them. Growing them has been another joyful part of expanding my plant and fruit collection beyond flowers.

I also grow tuberose, many different types of hydrangeas, double-petal lilies, and several varieties of lotus. Each plant adds its own fragrance, texture, and beauty to my garden. I love the diversity.

In March 2025, after hunting through many different properties and going back and forth with offers, we finally purchased a piece of land in Cedar Grove, North Carolina. It is 11 acres of mostly open land, giving me so much space and possibility to build the flower gardens I had always dreamed of. I felt incredibly happy and emotional when we finally closed on the land. It felt like all the hard work, searching, and patience had finally paid off, and this was the place where my nursery dream could truly grow.

After we completed the survey, I started working on the garden and landscape design plans. One of my favorite spots on the farm is a small pond on our property, my husband and I love sitting by the pond in the evenings, drinking a beer, and just relaxing after long days of work. It is peaceful and quiet there

I hand-drew many different versions of the garden design, refining the layout again and again as ideas came to me. After a lot of planning, revising, and imagining how the space would feel in every season, I finally completed the garden design. It was a huge milestone for me—seeing all the ideas come together on paper made the dream feel much closer to becoming reality.

I had someone help me turn my hand-drawn design into a beautiful, colorful digital illustration. Seeing my ideas transformed into a polished visual layout made everything feel more real and professional. It was exciting to finally see the garden design represented clearly with colors, spaces, and structure, almost like getting a preview of what the future farm would look like when fully built.

In the middle of the garden will be my main rose garden, where I plan to plant over 500 roses. This will be the heart of the farm—the place where colors, fragrances, and blooms will come together in one beautiful display. I can already imagine walking through the rows of roses when everything is fully planted and blooming. I truly cannot wait to see it completed. It feels like watching a dream slowly grow into something living and real.

I plan to build several different areas across the farm, including a dedicated rose garden, a U-pick cut flower farm, and a fruit tree area where customers can pick their own fruit. The rose garden will be the heart of the farm, while the cut flower fields will provide seasonal flowers for bouquets and events. The fruit tree section will create a fun, family-friendly experience for visitors who want to enjoy harvesting fresh fruit directly from the trees. These spaces together represent my vision of creating a diverse, welcoming, and productive farm for both growing and sharing plants with others.

We started by building the driveway. While working on the land, we found two giant rocks in the field and decided to move them to the front entrance. I really like how they look there—they feel natural, solid, and like they belong as part of the farm’s landscape.

The driveway is now finished, and it includes space for about eight parking spots. It feels great to see this practical part of the farm coming together, making it easier to welcome visitors, customers, and friends to the property. It’s another small but important step toward turning the land into a functional and beautiful space.

I really like the driveway design because it is shaped like a circle. The circular layout makes it easy to enter and exit.

Next, we began building the greenhouse. I decided to invest in a professional structure, measuring 30 ft by 60 ft, designed for serious plant production. The greenhouse is equipped with temperature-controlled exhaust fans, air circulation fans, and an automatic sprinkler system to maintain stable growing conditions year-round. Building this greenhouse was a big step toward turning my nursery into a more professional growing operation. It represents both protection for my plants and a commitment to growing higher-quality roses and plants for my customers.

Since our soil on the farm is very sandy, we had to improve the foundation for greenhouse. The sandy soil was pushed aside, and about 20 truckloads of clay were brought in to pack and stabilize the ground. This helped create a stronger base.

Then we brought in gravel to pack the ground tightly and create a solid foundation for the greenhouse. The gravel layer helps with drainage while also providing a stable, compact surface for the structure to sit on. Building a strong foundation was very important to ensure the greenhouse would stay stable and functional for many years, especially with all the environmental control systems inside.

Each bow of the greenhouse was securely nailed down into cement blocks. This helped anchor the structure firmly to the ground, providing extra stability and protection against strong winds and weather conditions. Making sure every part was securely fastened was important to protect both the greenhouse and the plants growing inside for the long term.

It was finally done, and I was so excited. As soon as the greenhouse was completed, I immediately started moving my plants inside.

We began moving the roses from my backyard into the greenhouse. It took multiple trips to transfer them all, carrying pots back and forth until every plant found its place inside the new space.

They are all inside the greenhouse now, and they are growing so well. Seeing them thrive in their new environment makes me incredibly happy. After all the work of building, moving, and organizing, watching the roses respond by growing stronger and healthier is deeply rewarding. It feels like watching a dream come to life inside the greenhouse, and it makes all the effort completely worth it.

The watering system in the greenhouse is controlled through my phone app, allowing me to schedule and adjust irrigation remotely. Temperature and humidity are also closely monitored to make sure the growing environment stays stable and healthy for the plants. I even installed security cameras so I can check on my roses anytime, even when I’m not physically there.

My greenhouse was soon completely full, so I began working on expanding the outdoor growing areas to make more space for plants. I started adding more garden beds to grow additional roses, fruit trees, and other plant collections. Expanding outside the greenhouse allowed me to continue growing my plant collections while also planning for a more diverse and functional farm landscape. It felt like the next natural step in growing both my nursery and my long-term vision for the property.

Looking back at this journey, I am filled with gratitude for how far everything has come. What started with a single succulent has grown into a dream built one plant, one cutting, and one season at a time. Through failures and successes, crowded backyards, late-night watering, endless propagation experiments, and hours of planning and building, this has never just been about growing plants—it has been about growth, patience, family support, and following a passion that kept pushing me forward. From small-scale propagation to building professional growing systems, from backyard collections to purchasing farmland and designing my future farm, every step has mattered. Today, my vision continues to grow: beautiful rose gardens, cut flower fields, and U-pick fruit areas where people can enjoy nature the way I do. This is only the beginning, and I cannot wait to see what will bloom in the seasons ahead.

 I included two QR/barcodes to you to join my community. One links to my Facebook group and the other to my Instagram page, where I share updates about my nursery, plants, and farm journey. I hope to connect with more plant lovers, share growing experiences, and continue building this community together. Thank you for following along and supporting this journey!