About us

It all started with one dahlia from a school fete. I thought I was buying a flower. Turns out, I was discovering a passion I didn't know I had. Or maybe... rediscovering one I'd had all along.

Hi, I'm Jo, a mum of three, a teacher and the person behind Wild Petal XO.

Looking back, I probably should've seen it coming.

Growing up in an Italian family, life revolved around the garden. Mum and Dad were constantly outside, growing anything and everything. Childhood looked like harvesting tomatoes, picking beans, digging potatoes, turning the soil, bottling passata or helping make homemade wine. It was just everyday life.

My parents worked incredibly hard. We didn't have a lot, but we never went without what mattered. Nothing was ever done in half measures. If the tomatoes were ready, there were buckets of them. If the beans were growing, everyone was picking them. Whatever came out of the garden was shared. There was always enough to preserve, enough for family and friends, and enough for someone to leave with a box or bag tucked under their arm. No one ever left empty-handed.

Looking back, I realise Mum and Dad weren't just teaching us how to grow food. They were teaching us to work hard, appreciate what we had, share with others and, as they always said, "If you're going to do something, do it with love."

Some of my best memories were made in those gardens. I'd disappear for hours, turning rows of bean and corn plants into jungles, climbing fruit trees, digging for potatoes like they were buried treasure and counting flowers. I still remember the smell of tomato leaves and chewing on wild fennel straight from the garden.

These days, my love for dahlias has well and truly taken over the backyard, front yard and somewhere along the way I've also managed to take over Mum and Dad's garden too... which, considering they were the ones who taught me to grow things in the first place, feels pretty fitting.

Every tuber is grown, divided, labelled and packed by me. I love every stage of the season, from lifting the clumps in winter and wondering how many tubers will be hiding underneath, to dividing them, spotting those first little green shoots in spring and waiting for that first flower to open. Every season is different, and that's part of what keeps me coming back.

The best part, though, is sharing them. There's something pretty special about knowing a tuber that's grown in my backyard will find its way into someone else's garden. I hope these dahlias bring as much colour, excitement and happiness to your garden as they've brought to mine.

Thank you for stopping by and supporting Wild Petal XO. It means more than you probably realise.

Jo xo