The Black Dog Story and Rebrand

This is something that has been on my mind for about three years now.  It was not an easy process or something I wanted to do. I just knew I needed to.

For the flowers and design work.

For the longevity of my business.    

Here’s the story.  

Six years ago, when my husband and I were moving back home from our little fenced in postage stamp yard in the city to a GIANT piece of land in the country, we laughed as we thought of names for “our property”.  All real pieces of land, all homesteads, they have a name, right!?  We joked about all the ridiculous things we could call it.  We would now have woods and rolling meadows, a pond, and lots of nature as far as the eye could see. A far cry from city living.  We lovingly came up with Black Dog Meadows. Our best girl, our rescue lab, Winnie Cooper, was going to LOVE it here!  She could run wild through the meadows.  She could swim in the pond.  She could walk the trails and jump over logs in the woods.  She had no idea how amazing her life was about to get. Black Dog Meadows just stuck with us and when we officially moved in my husband solidified it by naming our wifi just that. It was official.   

The first two years we lived at our new home I was not working and that was pretty hard on me. I was navigating difficult IVF treatments and appointments and with a doctor so far away and multiple appointments a week; being a full time teacher just wasn’t possible. I kept my sanity by growing a garden, planting fruit trees, raising chickens, and doing a lot of diy home improvement projects (I’m looking at you, wallpaper).  During the summer months I grew more zucchinis and tomatoes than any couple could ever use; picked peaches and grapes and beans and wild blackberries, and walked the trails daily getting inspired by all that grew and bloomed. It was a pretty peaceful substitute for the daily grind and politics of secondary education. This land of ours, the beautiful nature around me daily literally saved my life and sense of self.

On a cold January day, during some of my darkest days, I searched my soul high and low for something that I could do that would bring me joy. I really needed joy.  I said to myself…I’m going to grow flowers.  

I kept my little dream my secret for a few months as I did research, read books, and listened to podcasts.  When I finally got the guts to tell my husband, he was all in. We bought a used rototiller, seeds and tubers and went right to work in the spring of 2019. When deciding what to call my new little flower farm, Back Dog Meadows Flower Farm just came naturally. I grew all the fruit, veggies and an flowers those first two years and I did it all with my trusty black dog by my side.  

Now four years in, thankfully, the flowers and the design side took off and here we are with a good grip on the overall direction.  That part of it really took me a while to get to; it did not come easy.  Black Dog Meadows Flower Farm (aka: me) went from a lost soul just wanting to grow flowers in order to find some joy, to a woman who was also good at design, now to a flower grower who has a clear understanding of regenerative agriculture and high end floral design.  We’ve come a long way, baby, as they say.  The flowers and the people supporting me on this journey continue to bring me so much joy and a whole lot more. We also added another black dog into the mix just to spice things up a bit (Oh, Arnold! We love ya).     

Here’s the kicker….STILL, four years in, very few people can actually say the name of my flower farm off the top of their head without fumbling. They either miss a word or add in a new one. And honestly, I can’t blame anyone for that.  It’s clunky, it’s a mouthful, and it isn’t serving me anymore.  Many people will tell me that I my name tells a story, and they are right, it does!  That story is still part of it.  It is in me and with me and my new name is part of that too.    

Black Dog Meadows will always be the name of our land.  Floral business or not, we will always live at Black Dog Meadows.  It will be where both my black dogs live out their best lives and sadly they will both be buried here too. My sweet dog that showed us unconditional love during some of the darkest moments of life will always be here with us. This will always be the name of our home (and our wifi, lol) and we love this little slice of heaven more than we ever thought we would.  But the business that I built and has morphed so greatly over the years, it needs an easier name, a more all encompassing name, but a name that is still recognizable to what we have built. 

It has painstakingly taken all of three years to land on something I’m happy with.  I wanted a nod to where we came from, but I needed an update that also is more of a reflection of what we do.  I’m not just a farm.  We don’t just grow sunflowers and zinnias. We grow STUNNING flowers and the most unique foliage and grasses too. Flowers you can’t always get at a flower shop.  We design wedding bouquets that will knock your socks off…with specialty cut flowers that we baby from seed to bouquet. The flowers in your bouquets have fed our soil, feed summer pollinators, and have created a more diverse ecosystem that I am SO proud of.  I have learned from some of the best designers in our local area and in the country.  We are not just a flower farm anymore…we are so much more. I hope my new name encompasses that.  

So here we are, at the start of year five as Black Dog Flower Co.  

It is not a huge shift but it is simpler, more all encompassing, and the logo is everything I have ever wanted and more.  I have worked with incredible professionals to create the logo and to help me switch all the things over on the business end.  I LOVE my new logo and I’m honored to have had my incredibly artistic cousin design it for me; Pam Suski - you are a gem!  I love that we are not just a farm anymore to someone that sees or hears my name, but also love that the farm is still the most important part for me. I love that my dogs will always be a part of this but my logo says so much more.  I love how far we've gotten but know the best is yet to come.  

If you are dying to see the new logo…pop by our social media pages tomorrow for the big reveal.  We will still be continuing to update all our online presence over the next week or so. It is quite a process!  

THANK YOU….to every single person who has helped me along the way.  To the people in 2019 at the farmers markets who told me my flowers were art.  To my husband who didn’t think I was crazy and has nurtured my dream ever since. To my friends and family who continue to be customers and cheerleaders.  To my brides and clients who love our designs, our mission, and our flowers.  To anyone who has ever attended a wreath workshop, a floral design workshop, or an on farm event, you are making my heart so happy.  To every single person who likes, loves, or shares social media posts or my name to your friends, you are quite literally helping me grow.  Please stay tuned as we roll out the new logo and swag!  I hope you love it as much as I do.

Please feel free to leave a comment about our new name or even a story of your flower experience here.  Please, as always, remember to be kind in doing so.  There is a real person with a pretty tender heart behind this computer screen.  

With love and excitement,  

Dana Hicks