So what are we?
So what are we? (And why do this?)
If you are reading this, welcome to the inaugural edition of the flower farm blog! I (Katie) know that no one has been waiting with baited breath for me to tell them more about the flower farm (and, if you have been, congrats! You’ve been upgraded to one of my Favorite People). The voice behind this blog and all the social media accounts is mine, Katie’s. I own the flower farm with my husband, Chris, and we farm on his family’s farm in Wilmington, Illinois.
So why a blog?
2024 will be our 8th season in business. The flower farm (like ourselves) has grown and evolved so much in those 8 years, there’s a lot I’d love to fill you in on and talk more about!
In particular, as social media evolves and changes, a blog lets us directly reach the people that want to hear about the flower farm (algorithms are not always showing your content to your own followers). In addition, a blog is a good place for me to talk about some topics in greater detail than is fun to read on Instagram or Facebook.
One of those topics, and the one I want to address here, is what is a flower farm - or, more specifically, what is OUR flower farm like. Characterizing a flower farm is about as fruitful as characterizing a coffee shop or bakery – there are almost as many variants of the theme as there are businesses that use that title. An exercise in contrasts may be enlightening. So, what are we not?
We are not a garden center or nursery. We don’t sell potted plants or houseplants. We only sell cut flowers, primarily those that are locally grown specialties or fan favorites. We celebrate seasonal flowers and our pollinators, so everything we grow is pesticide free.
We are not a brick and mortar flower shop. We are florists, we love arranging flowers, and we have a jam-packed 2024 wedding season ahead of us. But we don’t have a flower shop you can walk in and leave with a pre-made arrangement or order one from a menu. I love love love special orders and executing your unique floral vision. Everything we offer is personalized and customized to the client and the order.
We are not a wholesale operation. We love interacting with our visitors to the flower farm! We don’t sell wholesale stems to florists. We sell directly to the public for their personal enjoyment (not for re-sale).
We are not a public park. The flower farm is a family farm, and our kids are the 5th generation of the family to care for this land. My in-laws live on the farm, so we are open by appointments/set times only. We do not let the public wander around, even if it’s ‘only’ to take photos.
If you strip all of those things away, you’ll find we’re a pretty unique form of flower farm.
We take great pride in growing a beautiful setting for you. We use grass paths, incorporate principles of garden design, and leave our field as naturally beautiful as possible. The flower field is so serene when you’re picking flowers at one of our public or private you-pick events, and it really lets you shine in photo sessions.
We adore the wild whimsy and effortless beauty of seasonal cut flowers. We’re a robust floral studio that offers full scale wedding florals using what we grow on the farm; we take your florals from seed to ceremony! With almost 90 weddings under our belts, we know local, seasonal flowers and how to make them create floral magic for you on your wedding day. We bring that experience to bear on every special order and arrangement we do.
We are a small, family owned and operated farm with big ambitions! Of course, flower season is our favorite season of the year, and we don’t ever want to waste any of the glorious days with flowers in them. We sell flower bunches from our roadside stand, attend the Wilmington farmers’ market, host webinars/tours/events, and hold how-to workshops. Add in weekly deliveries for subscription bouquets and special orders, and you’ll have a pretty good list of the products and services we’ve refined over the last 8 years.
It’s a lot, we know. But we love it. Isn’t it amazing what passion can do?
Thanks for being here on this beautiful journey of ours. I am excited to share more of it with you here (next post I’m going to dive into “wildflowers” and all that means/doesn’t). See you then!
Thanks, flower lovers!
XO Katie