Hello friend!
This is an exciting time of the year for us where we shift our focus ever so slightly from milking cows and chasing chickens to sheer beauty. You may not know this about us, but we grow cut flowers as a side hustle, especially for the spring season. Why would my livestock farmers decide to put their hands to the plow and grow something as frivolous as cut flowers, you ask? Let me tell you why.
When we started this farm back in 2015, I had a 2.5 year old, a newborn baby, little financial security, and little help. I felt like I was drowning in a fast flowing vortex of chaos. I tried to hang on to hope, but my feelings often got the better of me.
But in this place or swirling chaos I found beauty could pull me outside of myself and my head and help me to breathe again. And why would that help you ask?
I started growing simple cut flowers like zinnias and cosmos, a few dahlias here and there. When we stopped leasing land and bought land of our own in 2018, I planted David Austin Roses. These special roses are famed in the cut flower world for their old world charm and incredible scent. I started lingering with my roses in the morning, noticing each shape, the subtle colors, the hum of the bees and birdsong, the play of light on the dew drops, and the scent….. I promise, I can literally feel it touch something deep in my heart when I breathe in the scent of these roses.
And that's it really; a simple gift. But it’s a profound gift from God Himself, who made roses, and the birds that never sing out of tune, and the nature that, despite its inherent chaos, is also remarkably beautiful. Even in the pain, I still see it there. And I see it because of beauty. It speaks a truth that my ears need to open to. That there is a good God who loves me so much. And He hopes I notice that beauty He made for me and for you.
That’s why I grow flowers. To bring my mind’s attention back to truth and goodness, expressed through beauty. You too my friend; plant on. Plant beauty wherever you go. Maybe that’s actual gardening, maybe that’s a poem or song that you write. A clay pot you shape, a scarf you knit. Maybe a painting. Maybe just the art of being a good friend; or an amazing mom, dad, or spouse. Plant beauty wherever you go. And the goodness of God will shine through your great work.
If you’d like to preorder a bouquet, you can do so here on our online store. We have mixed rose bouquets, peony bunches, and large bouquets mixed with roses and peonies! We’ll be bringing these to the Peachtree Road Farmer’s Market this Saturday May 10th. If you’d like to pick up your bouquet from the farm, send me an email and we’ll arrange a pick up time this weekend!
Mother’s Day is just around the corner.
