Nestled within the backyard of their Clintonville home, Joe Meloni and his partner Carrie O’Brian operate Cliffside Bunny Flowers, a microflower farm specializing in dahlias, as well as tulips, sedums, and more. The floral startup launched in late 2022, specializing in small orders and establishing its online presence. They initially began by growing sunflowers, as they’re typically easier to grow. However, soon after, Meloni was given dahlia seeds and fell in love with the flower. Since then, Cliffside Bunny has specialized in growing dahlias from seeds and tubers.
“The thing I love about dahlias is they produce such beautiful blooms and show up late in the season,” Meloni explains. “They’re also relatively long-lasting, which is good for our customers and for us.” O’Brian and Meloni make a perfect pair, with Meloni handling the majority of the gardening and O’Brian managing their digital presence. “Joe likes to get his hands dirty, but me, not so much,” O’Brian jokes.
In addition to managing Cliffside Bunny, the duo also runs a gardening blog called Bigger Better Blooms, where they offer a host of information on flower care, homesteading, and sustainable gardening practices.
”People come to us all of the time and tell us how they wish they could have their own gardens and grow their own flowers, and the thing is, they totally can,” explains Meloni. “We want to give back to people and give them the information we wish we had when we were starting out.”
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