Mother-daughter duo sell homegrown bouquets in Lodi

Farm Fresh Florals

There’s something absolutely magical about being able to hop in the car on a sunny spring day and drive to a dreamy little flower farm for a fresh bouquet of seasonal blooms, providing an almost-guaranteed dose of pure happiness. And for Linda Backman, owner of Down the Road Blooms in Lodi, creating this experience for her family, friends, neighbors, and community has been the joyous gift that keeps on giving. And us at San Joaquin Magazine are tickled pink to have provided a small part of the inspo behind the farm.

“I was sitting in the hair salon and I picked up a copy of San Joaquin Magazine. It happened to be an issue that was featuring another local flower farm in Ripon. As I read the story, I was so inspired, and began thinking about what it would be like to start a flower farm of my own,” says Linda. In addition to wanting to offer a pick-me-up for locals, Linda also wanted to create something her granddaughters—she has five ages four to eleven—would love.

So, Linda presented the idea of a mother-daughter flower farm team to her daughter Kelli. “I was hesitant at first,” Kelli recalls. “It was an overwhelming idea in the beginning.” But she jumped on board and took over the role of marketing the farm.

Fast forward to today and Down the Road Blooms is a working flower farm in Lodi. Beginning in late spring, locals can pick up a fresh bouquet at Ruby’s Bakery on Wednesdays and at West Oak Nosh on Thursdays. “We wanted to give people the opportunity to grab a bouquet of our flowers in town, and these other local businesses have been so supportive of us. It’s really been heartwarming to experience the way the Lodi community supports each other,” says Linda.

Visitors can also come out to the farm, located right down the road from Michael David Winery. Expect to see a yard full of sunflowers in the front and a u-shaped driveway with a self-serve flower stand. From there, views of the whole flower farm are visible. Linda is usually the friendly face selling flowers and says she loves when she gets to interact with visitors. Don’t have cash? Not a problem. The farm also takes Venmo. And while hours may change they are easy to find on Down the Road Blooms’ Instagram page.

Down the Road Blooms
3769 W. Kingdon Rd., Lodi
@downtheroadblooms