Exploring Life & Business with Sandi Wilson of Buzzy Blossoms Garden

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Sandi Wilson.

Hi Sandi, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Buzzy Blossoms Garden was founded in 2016 by my mother and the true Queen Bee, Sheri Rosen. Sheri was an incredible herbal healer, gardener, and beekeeper. Since my mother’s passing in 2022, I made sure that I followed her last wishes and took over the business. My mom’s journey began with her own mother in her backyard garden in Florida.

Her mother was an avid gardener and taught Sheri all the fundamentals of gardening plant life, which are not just beautiful but healing, too. She continued to care for plants and create her own teas and creations throughout her teens. She began honing her herbal medicine skills in her early 20s while living in Jamaica. She worked with and learned from incredible healers who showed her the powerful properties of plants when used in different ways other than just teas.

She began using her skills to create her own healing tonics, teas, tinctures, oils, and cosmetic creations, which she began selling in the health-food store she managed when returning to Florida from Jamaica. After moving from Florida to North Carolina in her mid-30s, she began teaching my sister and me about plants, gardening, and healing with the gifts from Mother Nature. I loved every second of these moments of learning and tending to the garden and plants.

I quickly developed a knack for any and all things plants and began learning my mother’s craft. About ten years later, my mom’s yard was officially registered as a certified nature preserve; she decided it was time to bring in the bees. She had always dreamed of having a healthy, beautiful place for bees to thrive, and now she was going to do it. She maintained four hives from which her “other daughters” produced hundreds of pounds of honey over the years.

She worked tirelessly advocating for bees, educating children and adults on the importance of bees, and even mentoring others in bee care. After retiring in 2018, she moved to Maggie Valley, NC, to live out her dream of being retired, raising her bees, gardening, and living a harmonious, nature-filled life in the Smoky Mountains. Unfortunately, not long after her move, she was diagnosed with cancer. Eighteen months later, in July of 2022, Sheri passed away.

Since my mom’s passing, I have taken on the role of “Queen Bee” and have continued to share my mother’s healing remedies. I brought on my sister, Charlotte artist Melissa Wineman, as the artist for Buzzy Blossoms Garden bee logo and is the artist of the original artwork on Sheri’s hives.

While my sister and I miss our mother terribly, being able to share her passion with others and carry on her legacy allows us to feel close to our amazing mama, our Queen Bee.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has been a long, strange journey taking over her business on top of being a full-time music teacher, but, as I said previously, it is truly an honor to be able to do this for my mama. Getting Buzzy Blossoms Garden to where it is now has been tough, but I have a wonderful support system, a loyal and giving client base, and so many new opportunities because of the amazing people in our community.

Being a small business owner has always been hard, and I have developed a whole new appreciation for small business owners. I am excited for the challenges and opportunities that come my way because that can only mean that we are moving onward and upward.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Buzzy Blossoms Garden?
Buzzy Blossoms Garden specializes in organic herbal remedies as well as organic handmade home goods. The business all started with my mom’s signature hand-crafted herbal tea blends and elderberry syrups, as well as her Buzzy Blossoms Girls honey.

My mom was able to maintain four beautiful hives for many years. Unfortunately, after her passing, the bees must have known that she had passed and flew away. We hope they have found a wonderful new home. Now that I am settled into our new home, we will have the bees back up and hiving, we hope, by the summer of 2025. BBG Honey may not be available now, but that delicious liquid gold will be back in stock before you know it.

Our teas are specifically blended using herbs that help heal the body, relax the mind, and boost immune health. I have modified a few of her sipping teas and incorporated teas that were originally blended by Mama just for me as a child and are just too good not to share.

My mama’s elderberry recipe is so simplistic but so tasty. Only three ingredients create this healing elixir and keep you and your whole family healthy.

One of my mother’s other specialties was my mama’s handcrafted lotions and body butter. I have taken her original recipe, updated a few things, and created one of our best-selling products, our whipped body butter. Made with all organic, raw, and all-natural ingredients, our body butter has become one of our best-selling products.

While my mother was not a candle maker, I have developed a knack for it and have added it to our specialties. We create handmade organic soy candles that invigorate the senses and make your whole space feel like you’re transported to a secret garden. These candles are long-lasting, slow-burning, and eco-friendly.

While we create many different home, bath, and body essentials, our teas, elderberry syrups, body butter, and candles are our top sellers and, by far, our most popular products. I am so proud to be able to take my mom’s recipes and products to a whole new level and be able to add my own touch to the business.

Along with our wonderful products, I am very excited to announce our newest offering, at Home Tea Parties, for small or large groups. This wonderful and fun event will not only give you a full garden tea party experience, but you will also learn about these magical healing herbs and create your own blend of teas to take with you to enjoy another day.

You will get a full tea party experience with all the tea, china, tea-making supplies, and tea-themed snacks provided. Prices vary depending on party size. Please reach out with questions.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I am so grateful to my amazing community and customers who have helped support my mother, my family, and BBG. I have had the joy of being able to help my mom with her business since the beginning, but I was only doing the online work and helping design labels, etc. When she was diagnosed, and I took on a larger role, it was tough but fulfilling.

I am a full-time music teacher in Asheville, NC, and now, a small business owner. I have never owned a small business and was very nervous about all the behind-the-scenes details. Fortunately, my mother’s younger sister, Julie Mirabal, is a small business owner herself and has helped guide me every step of the way. She has not only financially helped us get started on a larger scale but she has also opened up so many doors for me and BBG.

She has connected me with people that I would have never had the opportunity to work with otherwise and has been a constant source of support. I am so grateful to her and all her love and constant support throughout this whole journey, and I know she will continue to be with us every step of the way.

Pricing:

• Organic Whipped Body Butters-$12
• Organic All Natural Soy Candles-$12
• Organic Herbal Teas- $15
• Organic Elderberry Syrup (Vegan available)- $17
• Tea Parties-prices vary

Contact Info:

• Website: www.buzzyblossomsgarden.com
• Instagram: @buzzyblossomsgarden_nc

Image Credits
Melissa Wineman @owlymo, Kyle Wilson, and Ryane Pepitone