Starting A Flower Farm
After a 15-year career in professional photography, I needed a change, one that let me have my time back. Since I live in Alaska, this meant my summers were going to be free. Besides simply hiking in the great outdoors, I wanted to do something that kept me in nature. I have always admired flowers and spent a lot of time painting them over the years. So I thought....why not grow them!!!
So here we are a few seasons deep, loving this transition! I like growing flowers we can't get in Alaska and designing unique installations and arrangements. I also enjoy photographing the blooms I grow and getting a closer look at the entire growth cycle. That has been the most surprising aspect to me, the story nature tells in the life cycle. More often than not, I see connections to the mysteries of life's flow wrapped up in the processes of growth, seasonal shifts, and regenerations. I know that's a weird esoteric statement, but I promise to share what I mean here in the "farm journal." I hope you enjoy the ride and look into a small flower farm in Alaska with big plans and tons of heart!
Let’s do cool stuff with flowers for your events!
One of my favorite processes in this was renting an excavator and ripping out a few trees to make some room for flower rows. A battle I won with the hubs! He has no interest in operating heavy machinery but sure do! So I added a throw blanket, packed snacks and went to work!
By the second season, I learned quickly I was going to need more space, and after losing the battle with my hubs for cutting down more trees on my property, I asked my neighbor if they minded if I grew some blooms on a small section they didn't seem to be using. He said yes!! So I'm already bursting at the seems and hope to work towards more land in the coming years. In the meantime, I get so much joy from our flowers I want to share the love and teach people to add these to their property too. So I will be offering classes and selling some hard-to-get varieties of seeds, bulbs, and potted plants and starts for you!
In time, I want to share more of the process it took to get started, so look out for more posts as we break down the steps we took.
xo, ~Amber