Our Story

 

Little Bug Gardens holds a nursery license in the state of Wisconsin.  We are inspected by the Department of Agriculture yearly to ensure plant health.  We hold a Plant Health Certificate, which allows us to ship tubers all over the United States.  We do not ship internationally at this time. 

I (Marilee) grew up helping my mom and dad in the garden. We grew mostly vegetables, but my mom added in many different types of flowers, including dahlias. Even when I became an adult and moved away from home, the love of garden followed me wherever I went.  The smell of the soil and the joy of seeing seeds come to fruition had me hooked. 

After my husband Mike and I were married and had our son Jonas, we moved back to my hometown of Phillips, WI. While nursing our second baby Paislee, I discovered on instagram the world of flower farming, and a new idea rooted in my brain. My father had recently died, and his name for me was “the little bug”. So to remember him, I named my budding flower business Little Bug Gardens.  Starting in 2021, I first sold bouquets in a flower stand outside our apartment in town, as well as at community events. Now my bouquet sales center around my flower subscription program as well as to a local florist.  

It took my husband quite a while to wrap his brain around the idea of being flower farmers and tuber growers.  He made many comments about how he would never have a garden if it weren’t for me.  But now he is fully on board as my chief machine operator, weed puller, record-keeper, and web design consultant.

It took me a couple winters figuring out how to properly store my dahlia tubers, but once I had that figured out, I was hooked. The dahlia bug bit me hard during the winter of 2023 when I substantially expanded my collection of varieties. The tubers grow great in our well-draining, rich soil, and tuber storage is also relatively easy in our attached, unheated garage. 

We hope you find great joy in these flowers, just as we have!