about
GOATSBEARD GARDEN CO. PROVIDES CUT FLOWER GARDEN CONSULTATION, DESIGN, AND INSTALLATION FOR SMALL GARDEN SPACES.
CURRENTLY SERVING CORK, IRELAND.
HI THERE!
Because you’re here, I already know that we have one thing in common - a shared love (or shall we say obsession) with flowers.
Can you remember your first flower memory? Was it growing flowers in the family garden, freshly picked and handed to you, sitting in a vase on your kitchen table, or potted next to your front door? Do you remember how it made you feel? How does it make you feel now? If the flower has a smell, what does that smell make you remember? If you’ve found yourself here curious about Goatsbeard Garden Co., then you’ve already found a deep love for flowers.
It’s fun to look back on earlier years and see where you’ve valued flowers and how they were part of your special events and milestones. Like so much of nature, flowers can heal and give us immense joy. Even gifting flowers can give us joy.
For me, my earliest flower memories were tasting tiny drops of sweetness from the honeysuckle vine blossoms that grew along the chain-link fence beside my childhood home in Texas. They would bring in a community of hummingbirds. We had an enormous magnolia tree growing in our front garden and every year at the very start of blooming season, my sweet grandpa would climb a ladder to cut the first fragrant blossom for my grandma. Those enormous flowers are the only cut flowers I remember growing up with in the house. I’ll never forget their bright lemony fragrance. And though we never brought them inside, I was so lucky to have hydrangeas lining the west side of our home. They were always full of colorful blooms and were known to hide a snake or two.
Here I am (Kara) with a basket of wispy flowers for you!
It wasn’t until I was an adult that I discovered a tulip’s petals opened and closed each day! I had only seen them in a vase, where they open and usually fall away. We all start somewhere, and in gardening that might be with very little knowledge! If you’re ready to learn, then I’d love to be your coach, but if you want to walk out to your cut flower garden during the next growing season, then we would be delighted to design and build one for you.
“I am more myself in a garden than anywhere else on earth.”
— Author and gardening expert Doug Green
FROM AMERICA TO IRELAND
I’m a self-taught gardener on a mission to discover more flowers every year and help you grow them. I’ve pursued my passion for gardening over a decade while living and learning to garden on three US coasts - the Gulf Coast, the East Coast, and the West Coast. I now live and garden by the sea in Cobh, Ireland.
I grew up in the very hot state of Texas where many blooms last only a short while before they wither. The daintiest and fussiest flowers can’t survive very long in the Texas heat. But everything changed for me when I moved to Seattle and fell in love with a whole new world of four(ish!) seasons, which brought flowers that I had never seen before. It was a gift to live in an amazing place to grow flowers. The first cut flower garden that I grew from seed was white cosmos and poppies. I grew them in egg cartons in the sunniest window I could find in our 100-year old Seattle home. They overflowed our raised bed and I was sold on growing flowers forever.
For a year I walked past my neighbor’s overgrown raised bed full of weeds until I finally asked if I could transform it into a cut flower garden! I dreamed of bringing more flowers to my neighbourhood, community, and city. That is how Goatsbeard finally came to be. Fast forward to today, and I’ve designed and built many raised beds in multiple urban and rural locations, including on a sloped property, balcony with containers, and large planter boxes. I’ve connected with many new gardeners who have become the best flower friends. I’ve coached new gardeners on just about everything flower-related. It has been a dream come true to grow flowers with new friends.
In 2024 I relocated my business and my family to Cork, Ireland to be near my husband’s family. I am serving new customers within 50 km of Cobh who want to grow flowers. Ireland has a similar climate to Seattle (with some extra fun challenges) and I look forward to finding new flower friends here and helping them grow their own magical flower gardens.
When I’m not helping others with their garden you’ll find me with my husband and 7 year old son exploring our new hometown of Cobh, Ireland.
THE STORY BEHIND OUR NAME
You might think we have an obsession with cute goats with beards, or maybe own a goat in the back garden, but actually “goatsbeard” comes from an awesome flowering plant that grows in the shade! It thrives despite the dark and wet. It’s a great landscaping flower and has wispy white flower stems.
What flowers are you dreaming of? How can we make your flower dreams come true? Check out our services page and tell us what your vision is for your cut flower garden. Schedule a consultation here.
WHY FLOWERS?
We are passionate about bringing flowers to gardens in Cork, Ireland. A cut flower garden can be:
A retreat for the busy mind to find calm and joy.
A way to keep your home full of blossoms all growing season long.
A focal point in the garden—perfect for outdoor entertainers.
A sustainable way to gift flowers to friends and neighbors, replacing weekly purchases.
A resource for your creative hobby or business ideas.
A great way to invite our pollinator friends back to our urban spaces.
All of the above!
