Community Highlights: Meet Melanie Russell of Cal Natural Gardens

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Russell.

Hi Melanie, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started gardening around ten years ago when my first daughter was born. I was looking for a way for the both of us to consistently get outside and enjoy the sunshine during her adventurous toddler years. We built a few garden beds and slowly learned how to grow one vegetable at a time, as I trained myself to go tend to the garden every day. Little by little, we learned about California native plants, pollinators, vegetables, fruit trees, and then…flowers. After my divorce in 2020, I really leaned into gardening for support and motivation to keep moving forward. I started growing flowers as companion plants and as a way to get more pollinators in the garden for healthier vegetables. In 2021, I added three 31′ x 3′ raised fabric beds to our backyard and planted over 25 different varieties of flowers, including several California native flowers. Now in 2025, we’re expanding into flower deliveries local to Long Beach that feature California native flowers and other homegrown varieties like cosmos, nigella, chamomile, calendula, California poppies, Icelandic poppies, Queen Anne’s lace, elegant clarkia, purple innocence, buckwheat, euphorbia, phacelia, and many more.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest struggle has been changing my psychology about my own business. For the first two years or so, I treated Cal Natural Gardens as a “side hustle” or a “little hobby” of mine. I didn’t truly believe I could make money from selling my flowers, plants, seedlings, salves, oils, and art. I thought, “if I could just do this on the side, and work my 9-5, I’ll be okay,” but in 2024, I made a promise to myself to treat my business like a business. At my job, I take myself seriously and work hard, so why not give that to myself too? I started to actually want more for myself and my daughters, and my psychology shifted.

Now I truly believe, and have seen, that I can make a living from my garden. Although to me, it’s more than just making a living, it’s a way of life, and to share my passion with others is one of my life’s greatest joys.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Cal Natural Gardens offers select garden services like local flower deliveries that feature California native flowers, flower preservation services, pressed flower art, homemade skincare solutions, and a garden education hub for those local to Southern California.

We can press, preserve, and frame any kind of specialty flower, like a wedding bouquet or memorial flowers. I also make homemade skincare solutions like organic calendula salve and organic calendula oil.

I’m definitely most proud of the fact that I grow all of my flowers and plants from seed, completely organically. I do not use any pesticides, herbicides, etc. on my plants, so you can be assured that all of my products are safe and organic. Everything that we offer is done right at home from our own backyard.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Ethics and having a strong moral compass is the most important to my success. All of the relationships that I’ve made and built so far along the way to get to this point have been so impactful in my success. Being genuine, authentic, and having a strong sense of integrity have made me feel confident in the foundation of my business and success.

Pricing:

• Small Flower Bouquet – $40
• Medium Flower Bouquet – $70
• Large Flower Bouquet – $100
• Summer Flower Subscription: $100-1,000
• Mother’s Day Flowers: $75

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Calnaturalgardens.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calnaturalgardens/
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@CalNaturalGardens

Image Credits
Melanie Russell @calnaturalgardens