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Summit Speaker Series: Kamille Scellick, Kamille's Flowers
1.2k Plays18 days ago
If you've ever looked at a dahlia and wondered "what if I could create my own variety?" Kamille is the person you need to learn from.
Her session is unlike anything else at the summit. She's taking us on the journey of a seedling from its first bloom to its official debut and showing how the art of hybridizing is so much more than science.
It's about mentorship, community, and opening your garden to others. What I love about Kamille's approach is that she believes the most beautiful varieties come from shared wisdom. Growing something new doesn't have to be a solo journey.
Kamille is speaking on Day 2 AND joining our live Q&A panel that afternoon so you'll have the chance to ask her your questions directly.
📅 Day 2 | March 4th | 1:00 PM PST
📅 Q&A Panel | March 4th | 3:00 PM PST
🎟️ Live Access: $99 | All Access: $199
Learn more and grab your ticket: https://thefloweringfarmhouse.mykajabi.com/profitabledahiliasummit
Connect with Kamille on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kamillesflowers/
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Transcript
Introduction to the Bonus Episode
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey there, welcome to a special bonus episode of the Backyard Bouquet podcast. I've been going live on Instagram with some of the speakers from the Profitable Dahlia Summit, and the conversations have been so good that I didn't want our podcast community to miss out.
00:00:18
Speaker
These are short, casual chats that we had on Instagram where we get to know our speakers and hear a little bit about what they'll be teaching at the Profitable Dahlia Summit.
00:00:29
Speaker
I wanted to make sure you got to be part of these conversations too, even if you missed them live on Instagram.
Profitable Dahlia Summit Details
00:00:35
Speaker
The Profitable Dahlia Summit is happening March 3rd through 4th with a bonus session on March 5th to help you pull everything together.
00:00:43
Speaker
If you want to learn from these amazing speakers and join hundreds of other Dahlia growers who are focused on making their Dahlias profitable, you can grab your ticket at the link in today's show notes.
00:00:54
Speaker
Tickets start at $99. right, here's the replay. all right here's the replay Thanks so much for joining us. And I am so excited because you are also joining us next week for the Profitable Dahlia Summit.
00:01:06
Speaker
And you're not joining us once, but you're joining us twice. You're speaking on March 4th at one o'clock about your session is titled Table to Seed, ho Hospitable Approach to Hybridizing. And then we get you again at three o'clock for our Q&A panel.
00:01:24
Speaker
Yeah. It's going to be amazing, and I'm so grateful for you. Yeah, thank you. Thanks for having me. Absolutely. Well, some of our audience is not familiar with you. Will you just take a second and tell us who you are and where you're located?
Meet Camille Selleck
00:01:39
Speaker
Yeah, my name's Camille Selleck. I own Camille's Flowers. I'm up in Bellingham, Washington. We're about 30 minutes from the Canadian border, so we're up here. And I've been growing dahlias since...
00:01:52
Speaker
I've had my business, i don't know, 2015, 16, something like that. Yeah. we started Well, that's when I started growing dahlias was in 2014. So about the same timeline as you. yeah And you just released your first dahlias seedling.
00:02:08
Speaker
Yeah, I did. Yeah, yeah. And so that's part of the, yeah, I've been working on on that. And my first introduction is named Camille's Shortcake. So um it's I already had like a kind of a flash sale a couple of two weeks ago, I guess a week and a week ago. um And then I'm going to have more for my second sale, but I just wanted to put that one out there also to raise money because 15% of all of that those tubers, like everything went to our local drama um department at our school. So wanted to be able to hurry and get that there and, you know, kind of kickstart it.
00:02:47
Speaker
That's amazing. Well, I was able to get one of yours, so I can't wait to grow it this summer. And then we're going to be giving away one of your new releases at the summit as well. Great. Yeah. So looking forward to it. ah Camille, can you tell us what are you going teaching us at the summit?
Dahlia Hybridization and Mentoring
00:03:03
Speaker
Yeah. So um I'm going to read what i what I put down so that I i can actually, it's going to be about hybridization, but it's also, i think for ah for me, it's really about like, how can we be hospitable in our approach? So like, you know, you always hear like ah farm to table and whatnot, but it's like table to seed, like, cause it first starts off with that, that image of, or gathering around a table and,
00:03:32
Speaker
Often it's that that idea that if you're around a table, you're probably going to have good conversation. You're going to be more gracious in that that space. you know it's I always think like over a shared, people rarely argue over over a joint meal. you know And so that idea of hospitality and how does that how does that flow into
00:03:56
Speaker
into hybridization, but also um mentoring as well. So I guess what I'm going to kind of focus on is one is just like the technical side of things, because, hey, like that's always helpful, right? Like that, absolutely like um navigating the multi-year journey of breeding, of selecting, trialing, trialling and um naming a stable new variety. Yeah.
00:04:18
Speaker
Like, what does that look like? So I'll share about my own process while also inviting people ah like summit members who come in and kind of like, well, what what is it that you're aiming to do? Right.
00:04:32
Speaker
So that um so that would be like that technical path. And then that relational path is like, what does it look like to be a hospitable breeder? You know, right. someone who views their knowledge as a seat for um at the table for others, not just like it's just for me. But that really like what do we do? Like everything we do in the garden is meant to continue to breed life.
Breeding and Community Responsibility
00:04:55
Speaker
So how do we do that in the communal sense?
00:04:58
Speaker
and um And then cultivating that community, ah why the seed to table approach focuses as much on growing the gardener as it does on growing the flower.
00:05:09
Speaker
So um just, yeah, kind of exploring that technical side of, again, like the technical side of things. of how do we How do we introduce these things? What do we do um to like, hey, are we having mentors? Are we having people in our lives? so You can speak into that. And then how do we ah how do we grow as ourselves as as hybridizers?
00:05:30
Speaker
So that's kind of, I think, that what I'm like kind of focusing focusing in on. Well, I love it. I think it's going to be a really popular topic. So many people are growing from seed right now. And i think there's obviously there's probably two different fields, but some people don't know. And they're like, oh, I can plant a seed and then I can share those two groups the following year. And I've created a variety.
00:05:53
Speaker
But you are a perfect testament that it is a long game. It's not... You buy a clump, divide it and make a big profit the next year. It's, it's probably the longest process you can take in growing a profitable Dahlia business.
00:06:07
Speaker
Yeah, totally. And I'll have some stuff to say about that too. Cause it's like, yeah, what do you do? How do you do this profitably? But it's, I think there's a responsibility for us as breeders that we owe, not just to ourselves, but the greater community so that we're offering something that has longevity in it. So, yeah.
00:06:26
Speaker
I love it. And I love that you're also cut flower grower, but you're also involved in the American Dahlia Society. So you bring a unique perspective because you know what the cut flower world is looking for a dahlia. But you also understand what the ADS, ah the American Dahlia Society wants in a beautiful dahlia. And sometimes those are two very different things.
00:06:45
Speaker
Yeah. So again, it's defining our goals as hybridizers. Like what are we, what are we aiming to do? um ah but also like, yeah, it's like knowing what, who you are, what you're about, but also there's some, there's always some truth, some um in, in another side, maybe opposite of what, where you're leaning and stuff like that.
00:07:05
Speaker
And I think there's lots of options too, right? Like it's not just a one way, one way Avenue, you know? Absolutely. Well, i think that's what makes this summit so special is that there's so many ways that you can grow your dahlias, that you can sell your dahlias, that you can hybridize your dahlias, that we can continue having these conversations and we're always going to be learning from each other. And I think what I love about working in the floral industry and especially dahlias where you plant them and they multiply is they teach us that the more we share, the more abundant.
00:07:38
Speaker
yeah we can be. And so I think that's what you're doing with your session. And I'm really excited. Tell us a little bit about your seedling that you just released. Yeah.
The Story of Camille's Shortcake
00:07:48
Speaker
So, um, I, so Camille shortcake real briefly, one is it took, so when I'm sending all the tubers out to the world, that it'll be the sixth year that it's grown. So it's grown in my gardens for five years.
00:08:02
Speaker
Um, and you know, so it was one of the ones we moved in 2021. but we, uh, my last season was our old place in 2021. that was one of the last,
00:08:13
Speaker
but That was part of that seedling group that, you know, transferred over. um And honestly, I wasn't even like really looking at it much. I think other things caught my eye a little bit more. And then I was showing pictures of some of my seedlings to some local value friends.
00:08:28
Speaker
And they're like, what about that one? Oh, I like that one. i was like, oh, really? And it was just this, you know, and then i thought, hey, i'll I'll, you know, I'll i'll see if what it does with ADS, you know.
00:08:40
Speaker
So i did I did one thing with it where you can put three blooms of a seedling and see what how it scores. Now, ADS, you have to get above 85. It didn't quite get above 85 at that one because they weren't all uniform. And I had no idea what I was doing. and I was just like...
00:08:55
Speaker
here's three blooms. And I didn't know, like, no, they need to be perfectly uniform, you know, all this stuff. And so I was like, yeah you know, I think it has potential. So I sent it out to three different trial gardens, one in Tacoma, Washington, one in New York, and then one in Maryland.
00:09:10
Speaker
And so they all, they all scored above 85. I honestly had really low, like, I just, it was one of those things of like, we'll see how it does. And so it was, It was like, I remember getting the first, like the first feedback from the New York garden. i got in, I got in the mail, like so the old school and it got an 87.8, which is like, congratulations yeah, which is actually really great. And,
00:09:35
Speaker
um my husband who just like it was it was fantastic because he was kind of like throwing a party for me and he's much more um uh less ex he's not an extrovert he's introvert he's not as verbose as myself and so just to see him like cheering me on that felt like really good um and so yeah I i decided like and and when I showed my friends that they said oh it looks it's like it's like a strawberry shortcake and Because I was thinking of the names. And so then that has a lot of connotations for me. But um with ADS, you can only have 22 characters. So and dropped out the ass we dropped out the strawberry part. And so it's just Camille's shortcake. Because, you know, it's like, oh, if you think of shortcake, you immediately think of strawberry, right? So it's like that connotations a little bit more versus like Camille's strawberry that could have a lot of ideas.
00:10:22
Speaker
So um as a little girl, I loved strawberry shortcake. Like I had my doll, my grandma gave it to me and I like, I loved it. Had a canopy bed of strawberry shortcake, all that stuff. um To my dad would bring home a flat of strawberries and I was the resident holer of the strawberries to make strawberry shortcake. And then fast forward when I had girls, every first day of summer, we celebrate summer and I make homemade shortcake biscuits strawberries.
00:10:52
Speaker
Like, you know, in season strawberries and we'd have that for breakfast, strawberry shortcake for breakfast. So just as like full circle of like why this is special, because it's different areas of my life. into this one this new Dahlia.
00:11:04
Speaker
So, yeah. I love that. And it's when you can add that story, it makes people want to grow that in their garden. Cause I'm like, Oh, just the nostalgia. Like I'm like, I can smell my strawberry shortcake in her little oven, the scent, just you telling me that story. Yeah, totally.
00:11:21
Speaker
So yeah. and And that's what I'd like to do with like every, every one is like have a name that has meaning. Cause I think names are, um, Yeah, I just believe I believe that. So that so that's it's just kind of fun that this is what it is. Yeah.
00:11:36
Speaker
That's so fun. I didn't know about the 22 character rule. Now I'm like trying to count in my head. i have a one that's going into its fifth year that I've been holding on to a name. And I'm like, I'm not sure if it's under 22 characters. So I might have to play with it. i know.
00:11:49
Speaker
Totally. And if you have a longer name, so I don't know what you're like, you know, Like if you're you like your own. So like Camille's, I'm like, that already takes up that already takes up a lot of like eight characters, something like that, you know? So, yeah. Well, that's another interesting part about the hybridizing is making sure that you can attribute it to yourself or leave a legacy.
00:12:08
Speaker
And for me, Jennifer is such a common name that it can't be Jennifer's dahlias. And then my last name is Galicia. one would ever be able to pronounce that for a hybrid.
00:12:19
Speaker
So then we went, okay, well, it's the flowering farmhouse. But that would eat up every single character itself. So it's our abbreviation TFF for the flowering farmhouse with ours.
00:12:30
Speaker
Yeah. I know I went through all of those things too. Cause I was like, well, like, do I do Camille? Do I do the the road I grew up on? Um, the road I, I live on, like that I've always had my farm on. Cause we just moved two miles down the road is Kelly, Kelly road, you know, but I was like, eh, I don't really want that. Cause people will think it's like, that's my name.
00:12:51
Speaker
Um, so yeah, you know, yeah, exactly. You're just like, well, this, that, the other. Um, and so, and then I realized, you know, feels early, that's my name. That's what I put out there.
00:13:03
Speaker
I never liked it as a kid, but I realized, you know it kind of works really well with flowers. So, Well, it's memorable. There's yeah some of you that have these unique names that not a million people have. So I know exactly if I hear it's Camille's shortcake, it's like, I know exactly who the breeder is. Yeah, yeah, totally. So it's, it's fun.
00:13:21
Speaker
Yeah. Well, I am loving this
Excitement for the Dahlia Summit
00:13:24
Speaker
conversation. I know we both have kids to pick up shortly. So I've got a few more questions for you and we'll wrap this up. What are you most excited about for the Dahlia Summit?
00:13:34
Speaker
Hmm. Well, a well, I'm excited to share. Like, that's fun. It'll be really fun to be on a panel with, um with the three other individuals. I know both Galena and Melissa really well. So that's always just a gift to be on the same. And Julio, i I don't like, I've just, you know, I don't know him, but like, I, I've seen his persona, his person online and he always seems so gracious and kind. So like four of you are. Yeah. So like, that's just a gift.
00:14:08
Speaker
Um, and then i think I'm interested, i'm trying to think of like all the, like, uh, I'm trying to think of all the different people who are presenting, but like, there was one specifically that I was like, Oh, I think it might be Lenny Larkin.
00:14:22
Speaker
It was like about like a stand, like how it is selling from a roadside stand. Yeah. i'm I'm just kind of curious what she has to say about that and what that looks like. um You know, because also I don't know where she lives, but in our area, we, we are Dahlia Mecca up here. There's every Tom Dick and Harry has, is growing dahlias and putting up their, you know, so I'm like,
00:14:44
Speaker
Could it work? But ah but the thing is, is we live, like where we moved, we have so much visibility. Like people are driving up the main road to get like from Bellingham up to Linden. And they're like, oh, see your dahlias. I see your farm. Like, because you can't miss it. it's just this field of dahlias.
00:15:01
Speaker
And so i was like, well, maybe I can market on that. You know, you definitely can. We hired Lenny when we moved to our new property to advise us on how to attract people to a roadside stand.
00:15:13
Speaker
And she has just genius ideas that it was like, this is so simple, but I didn't think of it Yeah. And I'm like, oh my gosh, this gets so many people. with such a little thing and I won't spill what she's going to share. Yeah. um But she did her roadside stand and you had to go out of your way to get to it. So I think that if you have that visibility, you're at an advantage already and they're all gonna be so fun and I love that we just have a community that's really generous and kind with sharing their knowledge because I really believe that if we lift everyone up, we're all gonna be stronger together and until we move, I keep saying this, but until we shift the ratio of imported blooms to locally grown flowers,
00:15:57
Speaker
We're not really, I mean, we're competing with each other, but we're more competing with the imported market. And as Dahlia growers, if we can shift people's perspective from valuing 12, a dozen roses to seeing a dozen Dahlias as just as beautiful that you can grab on your way home from work to say, I love you or thank you, or I see you to someone, that's how we're going to move the needle.
00:16:21
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah.
Introducing Sandia Regal
00:16:23
Speaker
That's a great idea. I like that. Yeah. So, okay, I've got a quick fire round of questions for you. And then um I'll let you go and we'll see you at the summit. So your favorite Dahlia variety you're growing this year.
00:16:36
Speaker
Okay, so I'm going to go ahead and put like seedlings off the table. Okay. Okay. Because like, that's just but that that like that is right. um I let's see.
00:16:48
Speaker
Oh, that's a hard question. Favorite is so definitive. um How about a new and one that's coming in new that I'm excited about? Yes. Sandia Regal. I'm excited about that. What does that one look like? It's a water lily that Sandy Boley. It's a new, and I saw it in the trial gardens. I didn't know what it was because they don't have the names of them. um It's just a a number. And so walking through, and it was the one water lily that one, it didn't fade. It's a dark purple. It didn't fade.
00:17:15
Speaker
And it's full light, right? Sun all the time. And the centers like didn't blow at all. Like you just, wow it was, I was like, this is remarkable. So I'm excited to grow that one.
00:17:27
Speaker
Oh, I can't wait to see pictures of that. Are you a coffee or tea lady? Coffee hands down. i don't even know. I don't even know tea. I don't even know. think I'm already ready for my afternoon cup of coffee.
00:17:40
Speaker
Your most chaotic Dahlia moment. Oh, um, had to have been, there's been a there's been more than one, but ah let's just choose the one out of the hat. The first thing that came to mind was moving to our new place and we had extensive flooding that that fall and I had to start from scratch.
00:18:03
Speaker
um ah basically just like a fallow soil, you know, just like, oh so, but four years later and feeding the soil, it looks really great.
00:18:14
Speaker
So, but yeah. Well, that's encouraging for someone who's recently started over to hear. Okay. Next question. Tuber sale, love them or dread them?
00:18:27
Speaker
Um, I see it as a necessity. Like, it like oh like as ah as a seller or as a buyer? Either. Exhilarating, but exhausting.
00:18:43
Speaker
That's a good way to put it Yeah. It's like that role. Well, I think Marin said it's like a roller coaster. You have like those nerves that are you like, okay, can I breathe? Okay. Yeah.
00:18:54
Speaker
Yeah. Lots of but expectations right on the tuber sales these days. Yeah. Last question. do you have a favorite tool or gardening hack that you use with your dahlias?
Gardening Hack: Reusable Plant Tags
00:19:06
Speaker
Yeah. One thing that I have a couple, but the one thing that I actually, I i came across was, um and I have it linked in my, in my profile here on Instagram. It's i like pin to the top is using plant tags for tagging.
00:19:22
Speaker
And they're so reusable, like season after season after season. i just, I hate tagging, you know, like the, the flaggers tape. i hate joke forever i hate it with a passion. It's like the death of a thousand suns. And so um i was like, you know, i was like looking online and I came across that. I was like, let's try that. And then never, never looked back. So using that for um plant tagging is fantastic.
00:19:48
Speaker
Great tip. Well, this has been so fun, Camille. And if you have been listening this far and you want to go even deeper, then head to the link in Camille's bio and you can head to the summit website to learn more about it. Tickets start at $99 for live access or $199 for all access, which includes all the replays from all sessions as well as our speaker bonuses. And we go live on March 3rd. So we hope to see you there.
00:20:16
Speaker
Thanks so much, Camille, for joining us today. Jennifer, was pleasure. See you next week. Bye-bye.