Why We Grow Flowers
Every place I’ve lived, I have had a garden.
Sometimes the soil was rich, and sometimes it was rocky. Sometimes my efforts were welcome, and sometimes I had to sneak a few seeds in the ground. But I’ve always managed to have a few flowers or vegetables to tend and to give away.
Our family bought the property we now call Little Bluestem Farm in December of 2012. There was a beautiful old house nestled among towering oaks on the site and a garden blessed by decades of fallen leaves.
After realizing the house was too far gone to be renovated, we began to dismantle it, repurposing the materials into a new home - a dogtrot house very similar to the original. And, as soon as the temperatures began to warm, I headed to the garden. The first year, I reclaimed about half of the garden, and the second year, the entire garden was filled with vegetables and zinnias.
I love every part of gardening. But through the years, I have found that what sends me out into the cold or the heat and makes me work just a little harder is the possibility of sharing the things I’ve grown with others. When I discovered the local flower movement, the idea of a flower farm became irresistible.
In January 2015, as my family and I traveled home from a road trip to Big Bend, the reality of a family flower farm germinated and began to grow. Along the drive, we happened upon a place called Wildseed Farms near Fredericksburg, Texas. We stopped, bought a few seed packets, picked up a catalog, and went on our way. As I began to peruse the catalog, I realized that it was the same company catalog I had found on my mother’s kitchen counter after she died 14 years ago. Mother had written on the front page (only days earlier) “This catalog is for Beth.” Realizing that connection between my mother and the flowers I hoped to grow transformed the idea of a flower farm into something much deeper for me than just starting a business. It began to feel then, and has continued to feel, like a calling.
I am grateful that in 2017, our daughter Mary Margaret joined the business after moving home to Mississippi after graduate school, bringing wonderful skills and gifts that empowered us to begin designing for weddings. It is wonderful to think how my own mother inspired the business and I’ve been able to grow the flowers and now to see Mary Margaret open the shop and be able to offer the flowers to others.
Through our business, we strive for sustainability and environmental stewardship. That effort began with choosing the name, Little Bluestem Farm. Little Bluestem, Schizachyrium scoparium, is one of many native grasses growing here on our farm. We work to nurture the presence of native plants and animals on our property, and we wanted our name to reflect our intentions and efforts. In the same way, we do our best to nurture relationships within our family, with our customers, and with everyone who sees and enjoys our flowers.
Our hope is that through our work at Little Bluestem Farm, we can continue to send the joy we find growing and arranging our flowers into the lives of others.
- Beth
