To bloom abundantly
For many years her world revolved around helping women feel beautiful, confident, and seen — whether through makeup artistry, styling, workshops, or motivational speaking. As an image consultant, makeup artist and sales agent, beauty has always been part of Carola Tietz’s language, but over time she realized true beauty is much deeper than appearance alone. It is deeply connected to the soul, to healing, softness, creativity, and finding wonder again in everyday life, she explains.
This would become the seed that grew from a deeply personal place in her life,to the beautiful fruition of Love Dahlias Namibia.
After years of pouring into people professionally, navigating personal health struggles, and moving through seasons of exhaustion, Carola found herself longing for something slower, softer, and more grounding. Flowers — especially dahlias — became that space for her.
The journey with dahlias started quite organically, says Carola, and what began as admiration quickly turned into fascination.
She became captivated by their endless forms, textures, colours, and personalities.
“No two dahlias are ever truly the same. Some are bold and dramatic, others soft and romantic. They reminded me so much of people — every single one unique and beautiful in its own way.”
But beyond their beauty, dahlias brought Carola peace.
There is something incredibly healing about planting a tuber into the soil and watching it slowly come alive, she explains.
In a world that often feels rushed and loud, growing flowers teaches patience, trust, gentleness, and hope.
“It reconnects you to seasons, to nature, and to the quiet miracles that happen every day without us noticing.”
A very special turning point in her dahlia journey came after Carola attended the week-long Dahlia Festival hosted by Love Dahlias RSA earlier this year. What started as a simple visit quickly became something far more meaningful and inspiring.
Through this experience, an opportunity arose for her to partner with Mareli Cilliers to establish a Namibian-owned company growing Namibian dahlias right here on home soil.
“That is something we are incredibly proud of. Our hope is to make beautiful dahlia tubers more accessible to Namibians without people having to go through the stress, uncertainty, and permits often involved with importing tubers from South Africa.”
The festival itself was “honestly one of the highlights of my year”.
Carola admits with a laugh before attending, she secretly expected it to be a small ‘granny growers club’ — people quietly discussing plants over tea, something she perhaps wouldn’t fully relate to. But she could not have been more wrong.
“From the moment we arrived, it was an unforgettable experience. We were treated like VIP guests and transported by bus to beautifully curated daily events hosted across breathtaking locations. The level of creativity, artistry, hospitality, and passion was extraordinary!”
What stayed with Carola most was not only the flowers, but the atmosphere surrounding them — the incredible food, the carefully considered décor, the warmth of the people, and the shared appreciation for beauty and growing things.
“I met phenomenal people whose stories and creativity inspired me deeply, and it is an experience I will remember for a very long time.”
She admits there are “even little whispers” that something similar may one day be hosted here in Namibia which would of course be incredibly exciting.
For now, however, flower lovers can already look forward to a hands-on dahlia growing session taking place in Windhoek this August, hosted by some of the biggest and most respected names in the business.
“It is such an exciting season for the growing flower community in Namibia, and I truly believe this is only the beginning.”
Her simple answer to why, specifically dahlias, is that they are extraordinary.
“Their diversity is unlike almost any other flower. From delicate pastel blooms to giant dinner-plate varieties, they carry both elegance and joy. They feel nostalgic and modern at the same time. They also bloom abundantly — almost as if they are constantly giving.”
For Carola, dahlias represent abundance after difficult seasons.
The vision for Love Dahlias Namibia is still growing, much like the flowers themselves. At its heart, it is not only about selling tubers or seedlings, she explains. It is about creating beauty, inspiration, and connection.
“I would love for Love Dahlias Namibia to become a place where people experience wonder again — whether through flowers, workshops, farm experiences, or simply bringing more beauty into everyday spaces.”
One of Carola’s biggest dreams is to “absolutely” one day create a flower picking experience or boutique flower farm similar to those seen in the Cape. A place where people can slow down, walk among the blooms, reconnect with nature, and leave inspired.
“Namibia has such extraordinary light, landscapes, and soul, and I believe there is space for flower experiences that nourish people emotionally and spiritually too.”
Although Love Dahlias Namibia is a deeply personal passion project, it currently exists alongside Carola’s full-time professional career. Her work still involves traveling extensively across Namibia within the beauty and training industry, and Love Dahlias Namibia has become something she intentionally nurtures during weekends, quieter moments, and days off.
“Because of my travel schedule, I am fortunate to have hands-on assistance helping care for the gardens and daily growing processes when I am away. It has truly become a collaborative labour of love.”
Even though the project is still growing, Carola remains personally involved in all major decisions — from selecting varieties and planning future collections to overseeing the vision and creative direction behind the brand.
One of the most exciting developments is that Love Dahlias Namibia now also has a live online platform where customers can conveniently order dahlia tubers and seeds directly within Namibia. Making these speciality varieties more accessible locally is something Carola and her partner are incredibly passionate about, especially for flower lovers who previously struggled with importing and permit processes.
Spiritually, Love Dahlias Namibia has become deeply meaningful to her, says Carola.
Working with flowers fills her soul in a way that is difficult to fully describe, she admits.
“There is a quietness and closeness to God in nature that I think many people long for today. Flowers remind me of beauty created without striving. They remind me that softness is not weakness. That growth takes time. Those difficult seasons do eventually pass.”
For Carola, flowers became a place of restoration.
Future dreams for Love Dahlias Namibia include expanding the range of specialty dahlias available locally, creating inspiring floral spaces and experiences, hosting workshops, collaborating creatively, and hopefully one day building a destination that people visit not only for flowers, but for inspiration, rest, and beauty.
“At the core of it all, Love Dahlias Namibia is really about reminding people to notice beauty again — both around them and within themselves.” -
W: lovedahliasnamibia.com; F: Love Dahlias Namibia; I: @lovedahliasnamibia
