We grow specialty cut flowers for florists, the public, and events. The Slow Flowers movement is trying to bring awareness to the benefits of native perennial plants to farming and design within the floral industry. We cut some of what we grow, and leave some for the pollinators and habitat. We grow natives for the following reasons: pollinator habitat, wildlife habitat, attracting beneficial insects and birds to the farm, drought resistant crops, perennial crops that eliminate soil disturbance, deep roots that combat compaction, allow water to soak in and be filtered to return to the ground and aquifers, and to sequester carbon. Many florists are not used to using native plants, and don’t know where to source them if they do. It is part of our vision to educate others, continue to implement sustainable and regenerative practices, and be an example and inspiration to anyone who is interested.
One arm of this mission includes a small rental house which is down the road from our farm. We replaced half of the front lawn turf with a rain garden and native plants last year, and plan to replace the other half this year. We re-contoured the flat lawn to capture rainwater from the roof, and even in the terrible drought of the summer of 2023, the natives we planted in Fall of 2022 thrived with NO additional watering on our part, and the yard was a-buzz with bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds