Growing Stronger: 2024 Year in Review

As we wrap up 2024, we at Northern Wildflowers can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride and gratitude. It’s been a year of incredible growth, inspiring milestones, and continued dedication to our mission of helping people create outdoor spaces that spark joy and support biodiversity. Let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights and share a peek at what’s to come in 2025.

Expanding Our Roots

In March of 2024, we took a major step forward by moving into our expanded 5,500 square-foot shop in Lively, Ontario. This new space has been a game-changer, giving us the room we need to grow and better serve our customers.

But the expansion didn’t stop there. We also grew our incredible team, bringing on two enthusiastic summer students and welcoming a second full-time biologist. Their passion and expertise have been invaluable as we continue to innovate and grow.

We also made significant strides in our retailer program. We’re now proud to have our seeds available in 130 locations from coast to coast across Canada. 

Growing the Seed Supply

To meet the ever-growing demand for native wildflower seeds, we added three more acres to our on-farm production last year. But that’s not all! We also signed on six new contract growers and wild seed collectors, who are helping us sustainably and responsibly increase our seed offerings. This collaboration with passionate growers and collectors ensures we can provide the highest quality seeds while supporting small Canadian farms.

Last year, members of our team also helped to launch the working group, Native Seed Producers of Canada, bringing together farmers producing native forb and grass seed to strengthen the country's native seed supply and work towards common goals. 

Milestones Worth Celebrating

2024 was also a year filled with exciting milestones. One of our proudest achievements was the launch of our fully bilingual website. Making our site accessible to both English and French speakers has been an important step in better serving our diverse Canadian community.

In December of 2024 we released our first print catalogue, and the feedback we've received is beyond incredible. We filled it with resources, articles, charts, and growing tips to give you a comprehensive growing resource.  

We also completed two applied research projects this year, which have provided valuable insights to help us improve our seed production and distribution. And speaking of milestones, we shipped our 15,000th online store order! We can hardly believe how far we’ve come, and it’s all thanks to our wonderful customers who believe in the power of wildflowers and native plants.

Another exciting development was our very first export to the United States. It’s thrilling to see our seeds reaching new gardens and helping to spread biodiversity beyond Canada’s borders.

Projects We Supported and Community Involvement

Throughout the year, we remained steadfast in our commitment to supporting community projects and initiatives. Annually, we donate the equivalent of at least 1% of our sales to local projects supporting the creation of naturalized spaces for children, food security, the enjoyment of wild spaces, and regreening. We love seeing how our seeds are being used to create beautiful and biodiverse outdoor spaces, and we can’t wait to do even more in the coming year. 

Wildflower Seed Bomb Workshops: 

We attend select local events to offer free seed-bomb workshops around our community.  

Friday Charity Lunches: 

In June of 2024 our team launched an internal fundraising campaign called “Friday Charity Lunches”. Every Friday, our leadership team prepares a home cooked lunch for the team, which the team ‘pays’ for by donating the cost of lunch to our featured monthly charity. At present we are only three months into this initiative, however our team is proud to have already donated several hundred dollars to local charities providing services to those in need ranging from wildlife rehabilitation, women’s emergency services and international aid. 

Community Garden Giveaway:

And of course, we’re thrilled to announce that our Community Garden Giveaway at the end of 2024 was bigger than ever! We were able to donate seeds to 60 eligible community garden projects. We can’t wait to see the beautiful and impactful gardens that will come to life as a result. 

Seedy Saturday Events: 

Although we can no longer attend all the Seedy events we would like to, we are pleased to donate seeds to a growing number of Seedy Saturday events across the country made possible by Seeds of Diversity and passionate volunteers. 

Looking Ahead to 2025

As we look ahead, we’re filled with excitement for what’s on the horizon. Here’s a sneak peek at some of our plans for the new year:

• Farm Expansion: We’re planning to add another 4 acres to our farm production, which will help us meet the growing demand for native seeds.

• More Contract Growers: We’ll be bringing on more Canadian contract growers to ensure a steady and diverse supply of high-quality seeds.

• New Product Lines: We’re expanding our offerings to include native tree and shrub seeds—a natural next step in our mission to support biodiversity.

• Export Strategy: We’re implementing a full export strategy to better serve our growing customer base in the United States.

• Retailer Program Growth: We’re continuing to grow our retailer program to make our seeds even more accessible across the country.

• New Full-time Staff: To help maintain our capacity and meet our goals, we're planning to bring on two new full-time staff in 2025 to help with different aspects of what we do. 

Thank You for Growing With Us

None of this would be possible without you—our incredible customers, partners, and community members. Your support fuels our passion and inspires us every day. Thank you for being part of this journey with us.

As we step into 2025, we’re excited for what’s to come and can’t wait to see the amazing gardens you’ll create. Here’s to another year of growth, beauty, and biodiversity!

Happy planting!