About Us
Welcome! My name is Melissa, and my husband and I, along with our two young children, are the people behind the flowers at Arden. We are a small, family-run dahlia farm located in the beautiful Green Mountains of Central Vermont. We farm sustainably and with regenerative practices, focusing foremost on the health of our environment, the soil and our ecosystem.
My memories of finding joy and peace through gardening began with days spent at my grandmother’s home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, where she had the most beautiful gardens perched high atop the rocks along the coastline of the Atlantic. The moments I had there and the feeling it evoked stayed with me throughout my life and gardening has always been a respite of peace for me. Much like the Forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” Arden was born of a process of transformation and reconnection with the natural world.
Each plant that is grown here is tended to individually, by us and by hand throughout the growing season, as well as during harvesting and storage. We take great care in every aspect of growing and sharing our dahlias and the health and quality of our stock is of the utmost importance. We practice strict sanitation between plants and only share stock that we would be happy to welcome into our own garden. We are a registered and inspected nursery and we ship our dahlia tubers throughout the US.
Thank you for being here; we are humbled and grateful for your support.
Our commitment to the land
The health and vitality of the land is foremost in all of the decisions and practices we choose for growing. We are working to implement fully regenerative farming practices, we are low to no till and farm in harmony with wildlife. We do not use harsh chemicals, pesticides or herbicides, but instead rely upon natural inputs, cover cropping and beneficial insects. By avoiding the use of pesticides and herbicides, we are seeing our farm function as healthy a part of the ecosystem that supports not only the flowers but also the vast array of beneficial insects and wildlife that thrive alongside them.
Allowing this natural balance has lead to happy plants, lower pest pressure and inputs and low waste. We are focused on expanding our commitment to regenerative farming, and our hope for the future is to be able to share our experiences with others who are interested in integrating these practices, regardless of scale. For us, it is not just about the flowers, we take pride in being the best possible stewards for the land, ensuring the continued health for generations to come. We respectfully acknowledge that land we call home is the traditional and ancestral territory of the Abenaki People, who have stewarded this land throughout generations.
