Meet Aimee Böhmke of Die Blute micro flower farm!

Gaia: Aimee, such a pleasure to be interviewing you! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Aimee: I’m a born and raised Nelsonite; my mother was born in Nelson and my father was from Berlin, Germany. My father was big into gardening and loved animals, we had a goat, chickens, and dad even bred fish in our basement at one point. We lived in Bonnington when I was really young and one of my fondest memories was walking over to visit the neighbour’s horses to feed them apples and carrots. I’m so grateful for my exposure to nature as a child because it inspired me to be curious and to appreciate this crazy interwoven world. Being present outside in any environment brings me great peace. The sounds, smells, textures and energetic movement reminds me that we’re more than just ourselves; we’re part of a whole. I’m constantly in awe of the natural world that surrounds us and, likewise, am also constantly frustrated as to why our current day societal structure doesn’t honour and respect it more.

My professional background is actually in video production and photography, which has provided me with the skills to document nature. I take A LOT of flower photos, haha. Why not? They’re so beautiful and their presence is often fleeting, so being able to capture them in a photo allows their beauty to live on forever.
I’ve also completed the Gaia College certificate for Organic Horticulture Specialist, which gave me excellent footing in how to promote healthy soil life. Total game changer for anyone who wants to grow a productive garden.

Gaia: What made you decide to become a gardener-florist and create beautiful bouquets?

Aimee: My inspiration to grow flowers comes from my upbringing and definitely from my father’s love for all things flowers. My father, Bernd, had a long battle with cancer. When his journey became terminal, my husband and I moved in with him to help out. During that time we spent many days in dad’s garden which allowed us to deeply bond. After my father passed, we inherited his home (which dad built himself) and decided to build more garden beds in his honor. It was my way of processing the grief, so I lovingly refer to it now as my “grief garden”. I hear dad’s voice, in his strong German accent, every time I’m out there. Usually he’s chastising me for working too hard but a lot of the time he’s also reveling in the beauty with me. I guess I thought “If flowers can bring me so much joy, why shouldn’t I share them? Maybe they’ll feel the same joy I do.”

Gaia: What do you mean by ‘Micro Flower Farm’?

Aimee: A micro flower farm is basically a farm that operates on anything less than five acres of land. Usually producing on this level means you’re doing everything by hand with no heavy duty equipment (ie: tractors etc). It’s small scale, high-yield and operating with sustainability in mind. I use regenerative practices to ensure soil health, so no artificial fertilizer, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides are ever utilized. Instead, I work with nature and try to mimic what nature would do. I try to make my own natural inputs, either from plants I’ve harvested and distilled or compost we’ve aged. If we don’t have enough of our own compost available, then we source organic matter from other local farmers. I just love the reciprocal circle of death into what feeds life; nothing is wasted and everything is reborn. Why throw synthetics into something that is already so poetic and purposeful?

Gaia: What does ‘Die Blute’ mean and why does it have significance to you?

Aimee: Die Blüte (pronounced Dee Bloot) is German and translates to “the blossom”. I wanted to honour my German heritage in our farm’s name and chose Die Blüte because I liked it’s double meaning. Yes, it’s related to flowers, but to blossom also means to come into your own. When a person blossoms they become stronger, more confident, which results in feeling really good about themselves. It felt like a positive message and one that resonated with me. I know it’s a hard name for people to pronounce, but so is my last name, Boehmke (pronounced Boom-caw). Pretty much just staying on theme, haha.

Gaia: Have you ever explored the language of flowers? Where each flower signifies an important message and where they are given accordingly? Like yellow roses being ‘Unrequited love’?

Aimee: Ah yes, Floriography; The language of flowers. I’m definitely a fan and usually incorporate it into my bouquets. Whenever I do a custom order, I give the option to include a card that contains the meanings for the flowers in the arrangement. It’s just fun and interesting, people really seem to enjoy the messages! It’s especially popular for wedding bouquets. I have three different Floriography books that I pull information from. I recommend having multiple sources to cross reference, it provides a much more in depth description for the meanings. Often flowers have multiple meanings, so having more reference guides is beneficial for getting the full picture. My top two recommendations are The Complete Language of Flowers, by Theresa Dietz (which includes the most lovely illustrations), and Flowerpaedia by Cheralyn Darcey. The latter book is compact with succinct descriptions that you can search either by the meaning you want to express, or by the flower itself. Very handy.

Gaia: What are your top 5 flowers?

Aimee: Haha, that’s like asking a parent to pick their favourite child! Instead, I’ll provide you with my favourite flowers by meaning…

Dahlias
Meaning: Dignity, Elegance, Eloquence, Good Taste, Confidence, Vitality, Inner-strength, Generosity, Creativity, Faith, Resiliency, Warning of Change.
Often the message behind dahlias is “You can do this”. It’s a very encouraging flower and makes a great gift for anyone experiencing difficult change, it helps to bolster confidence.

Cosmos
Meaning: Balance, Harmony, Peace, Tranquility, Orderly, Beauty, Love, Coherency, Communication.
Cosmos bring joy in love and in life, it basically is saying “No one could love you more”. It’s recommended to arrange Cosmos in your home if you need to restore spiritual or emotional harmony. It amends discord.

Lily
Meaning: Birth, Devotion, Divinity, Honor, Humility, Purity, Modesty, Magnificence, Unity of Heart.
Lilies bring out the truth and promote long lasting partnerships. It also carries the message of “I am proud of you”. It helps repel negativity and unwanted visitors. It can be used to exorcise bad energy and fend off malicious ghosts. It’s also a symbol of fertility.

Phlox
Meaning: Unanimity, United Hearts, Agreement.
Phlox speaks to the uniting of souls, its message is “I think we can be friends”. It can be used in spells with the intention to build heartfelt relationships.

Daffodil/Narcissus
Meaning: Chivalry, Clarity of thought, Contentment, Forthrightness, Forgiveness, Rebirth, Self-esteem, Self-love, Respect, Renewal.
Narcissus brings awareness to your ego and where it may’ve gotten in the way. On the other side of having too much ego, it supports those who may be too self-deprecating. Wear narcissus over your heart for good luck in new beginnings or in times when you need to stand up for yourself.

Gaia: Are there any other personal spiritual practices you have? Do you mind sharing about them?

Aimee: Spirituality, to me, is wherever you find connection, peace and the intention that you’re doing good in the world (perhaps with the sense that it’s guided by a greater force). For me that is in my garden. I connect with the Earth, it brings me peace to feel like I’m a part of something bigger than myself, and I feel like I’m doing good by supporting the ecosystem. It also feels like I was destined to have my hands in the dirt and to be up close with nature in some way or another. So, I guess you could say my garden is kind of like a place of worship. Also, dancing. I like to dance and that seems like a bit of a spiritual celebration thing. I sometimes do that in the garden. My neighbours probably think it’s hilarious because I’m usually wearing headphones and can’t hear what I’m listening to.

Gaia: Are there any spiritual philosophies, beliefs or paths you are drawn to that you would like to learn more about?

Aimee: Definitely a big believer in karma, you get back what you give. I often think about reincarnation and really hope I come back as a bird. Who wouldn’t love to be able to fly?! I have a lovely relationship with the birds in my yard. The crows especially are a riot, we have conversations back and forth. I call them the “party birds”.

Gaia: How do you think you have grown as a person in the last year?

Aimee: I’ve learned a lot in terms of where I want to place my energy. As you can imagine, farming everything by hand (even on a small scale) is physically exhausting. As people, we only have so much energy in a day that we can spare. Some of that gets used up doing day-to-day things like feeding ourselves. Some of it goes to forming or maintaining relationships. Imagine if 75% of it went only to farming?! That’s nuts. So, basically I’m learning balance and limitations. Also, because I rely on things outside of my control (aka the weather), I’ve learned to accept that which I cannot control.

Gaia: What is one thing you would like to grow about yourself in 2023?

Aimee: I’d like to practice more mindfulness. I’m constantly trying to bring myself back to the present. As a farmer, we often have to plan way in advance of things, so it’s very easy to slip into what I call “future mode” which tends to produce racing thoughts. Let’s just say I plan to enjoy my gardens more this year, rather than fret about the things that are out of my control (I’m looking at you, weather).

Gaia: What is your sun sign and do you feel you relate to it? If you know what your moon and ascendant signs are, do you feel like they reflect in your personality?

Aimee: I’m a Gemini sun, Libra moon and Scorpio rising. I’m so stupidly a Gemini Sun, haha. I’m constantly analyzing, mimicking, adapting and learning. I process information really quickly and apply what I learn immediately. This is one of my more favorable traits (lets just forget about the other more changeable feelings that come with being a Gemini, haha). I also resonate with my Libra moon. It seems to be in perfect harmony with my Gemini sun, always balancing things and finding the ability to argue both sides. Unfortunately, this makes me incredibly indecisive and a bit of a people pleaser. However, then Scorpio comes in with the intuition and as I get older I’m learning to trust that gut of mine more. My Scorpio rising also makes me very comfortable transforming and I think provides me with acute skills of perception. I often spend time alone and tend to be private and protective of who I let in my life. On the outside I believe I present as outgoing, easy-going and agreeable but for those who know me well, they get to see the contemplative, dark and disarmingly honest side. An astrologer once described my Sun, Moon and Ascendant placements as “Cute, cute, don’t F$%# with me”. I thought that was pretty funny and yet terrifyingly accurate. Gemini is goofy and fun, Libra is friendly and fun, then Scorpio rising makes me tenacious to a fault.

Gaia: Where can we find more information about accessing your products and or services?

Aimee: The best place to keep tabs on my offerings is via my Instagram account, @die.blute. If you don’t use Instagram, I also have a Facebook page (Die Blüte Florals). This year is especially exciting; I’m stepping away from doing full season bouquet subscriptions and offering more floral arranging workshops! If you were to peruse either my IG or Facebook accounts, you’ll quickly discover that I’m really into arranging flowers. I find the process to be meditative and I love sharing techniques with others. I’m hoping to offer 2-3 workshops this year; for sure one at the end of July and another at the end of August.

Gaia: What would be in your shopping bag at Gaia Rising?

Aimee: Oh, all sorts of things! Probably a tarot deck centered around the meaning of flowers. Most likely some crystals that invoke a sense of focus and grounding energy. Also something I can enjoy that enhances my immediate atmosphere on a sensory level, like wind chimes.