Growing Wonder & Joy: Blue Table Flowers
Secret Gardens in Holland
If you ever find yourself wandering the lush rows of Blue Table Flowers, you might feel like you’ve stepped into a real-life Secret Garden. And that’s no accident. Jessica Kiwiet has been dreaming of creating spaces of quiet wonder since she was a kid, inspired by the very pages of The Secret Garden and The Chronicles of Narnia. “If I had all the money in the world, I’d have secret rooms in my house,” she laughs. But instead of hidden doors and wardrobes to other worlds, Jessica has cultivated something just as magical right here in West Michigan: an eco-friendly flower farm that sparks joy, creativity, and connection.
Jessica is a retired teacher from Zeeland Public Schools, where she poured her passion into her students at Cityside Middle School. A lover of learning, she graduated with nearly an English minor, one class away from a Russian minor, a hair’s breadth from a science minor, but finally landed with degrees in social studies, history, art, and a master’s in reading. But one thing that remained constant, no matter the chapter of her life? Gardening.
The Story Behind Blue Table Flowers
Growing things run in Jessica’s veins. From tending the garden with her dad as a child to carefully nurturing flowers in apartment pots, she’s always had dirt under her nails and a love for what blooms. She can’t help but grow. Blue Table Flowers officially became an LLC in 2016, but they didn’t start focusing on the business until years later. In fact, for years, she and her family would give away buckets and buckets of fresh-cut flowers to teachers and staff at her kids' schools, to family, friends, and others.
When Jessica officially retired from being an art teacher, she and her husband Pieter (a Netherlands native) had to decide: Should they downsize? Slow down? Let the garden rest?
The answer was a resounding no.
Inspired by Floret Flower Farm and by the growing encouragement around her blooms, Jessica made it official. Blue Table Flowers was reborn, named after the very blue table she used to display her first bouquets for sale. “It didn’t happen overnight,” she says. “But I realized that what brings me the most joy is walking through the garden and sharing it with others. I want to provide inspiration and joy—not just flowers.”
A Farm with Intention
Blue Table Flowers isn’t just beautiful, it’s also deeply eco-conscious. Jessica’s love for learning and gardening led her to countless hours researching plants, harvesting, soil properties, pollination and so much more. Their no-till garden fosters a healthy microbiome, supports pollinators, and avoids pesticides. Bees are encouraged to cross-pollinate thanks to carefully laid planting rows, while Brix scores help monitor plant health naturally (the healthier the plant, the less it attracts pests). They amplify their efforts by utilizing well water, molasses sprays, and cover crops to nurture soil health.
The goal at the end of the day is to let nature do what nature does best while Jessica tends, watches, and chats with her plants (yes, really). “I often thank them for being so beautiful,” she said during our chat.
Inspired by places like Kettle’s Yard in England and books like Braiding Sweetgrass and Big Magic, Jessica believes creativity isn’t pie (where more for someone else means less for you). Creativity is abundant, generous, and contagious. The more you seek wonder, the more it shows up. That sense of wonder is at the heart of her dreams for Blue Table Flowers: a space that welcomes people from all backgrounds in need of a creative rest.
A Fresh Chapter with a New Brand and Website
In 2024, Jessica shifted away from wholesaling to embrace workshops, dahlia tuber sales, flower subscriptions, and community experiences. And a big part of that pivot included partnering with Yellow Lime Creative to launch a new website and brand identity.
“That process was incredible,” Jessica says. “I knew I needed to get a little uncomfortable, to make the investment and move forward. But Yellow Lime made it easy. They took the time to figure out what I really needed, and then made it happen.”
She laughs, remembering sitting next to Alex, tweaking and playing with ideas in real-time. “I made a moodboard, and Alex pulled things out of it I didn’t even realize were there. She was able to see themes in my photos and help me recreate those in the website.” Jes knew she could have made a website herself, she had to have one as a teacher after all. She continued, “But it would never have been as amazing as the product I got by working with Alex. Yellow Lime was able to translate ideas into something beautiful, and I loved every minute working with them.”
Now when people ask how she’s doing, Jessica smiles and says, “So good.” She’s busy, but it doesn’t feel like work.
A Life in Full Bloom
When she’s not in the garden, you might find Jessica sipping cappuccino on her patio or playing euchre with friends. And of course, we had to ask for her favorite flower and drum roll…. Zinnias took the cake. Why? According to Jessica, “They’re endlessly colorful and fun to work with.” A perfect day? Getting her hands dirty in the soil, then relaxing on the back patio with Pieter and their cats.
You can explore the wonder of Blue Table at bluetableflowers.com and by following Blue Table Flowers on social media.
