Garden Photo of the Day

GPOD on the Road: Visiting a Flower Farm

A visit and a beautiful souvenir

flower arrangement

Today Cherry Ong is taking us on the road to a flower farm she visited earlier this year.

I’ve been curious about flower farms and so tried attending a flower workshop from a local flower farm. It was hosted by sweet Amanda McCallister of Five Acres Flower Farm in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

At the two-hour workshop, Amanda talked about the history of her family’s farm, what they grow, how to harvest and care for cut flowers, and her hopes for the future of the farm. Guests can then pick any flower and filler the farm has to offer and create the freshest arrangement to their heart’s delight.

Some notable flowers and foliage at this farm are dahlias (Dahlia variabilis, Zones 8–11 or as a tender bulb), cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus, annual), sunflowers (Helianthus annuus, annual), sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus, annual), amaranth (Amaranthus caudatus, annual), zinnias (Zinnia elegans, annual), Eucalyptus, coneflowers (Echinacea species and hybrids, Zones 4–9), statice (Limonium sinuatum, annual), yarrow (Achillea millifolium, Zones 4–8), ornamental grasses, scented geranium (Pelargonium species and hybrids), basil (Ocimum basilicum, annual), mint (applemint, Mentha suaveolens, Zones 5–9, is one of Amanda’s favorite additions to bouquets), sage (Salvia spp.), and dusty miller (Jacobaea maritima, Zones 7–10 or as an annual).

The best souvenir from the workshop is the floral arrangement one gets to take home. We brought some discarded nursery boxes used for orchid deliveries, and these came in handy for transporting our arrangement home.

Amanda talking about the cut flower farmAmanda talks about the cut-flower farm.

White cosmos blooming at the farmWhite cosmos blooms at the farm.

Amaranth in the foreground, with more beds and a garden building beyondAmaranth is in the foreground, with more beds beyond.

Dahlias ready for cuttingThese dahlias are ready for cutting.

cutters and basketsThe tools are ready for cutting and arranging flowers.

peach-colored dahliaA wonderful peach-colored dahlia

An unusual sunflower with very full, double flowersAn unusual sunflower with very full, double flowers

Silvery dusty miller in raised bedsSilvery dusty miller in raised beds

An arrangement from the workshopAn arrangement from the workshop

An arrangement Cherry and her husband made The arrangement Cherry and her husband made and brought home from the workshop, filled with flowers of his favorite color.

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  1. User avater
    cynthia2020 12/10/2021

    Hi, Cherry - I loved your photo of the day and the white cosmos the best. Reminds me of thumbing through the Floret Farm book! Also thought of the day I stumbled across a mini flower farm in back of a gift shop on a country road. It was the end of the day and the proprietor needed to get rid of about a dozen, colorful stems of beautiful zinnias that she said would not be fresh enough to sell the next day so she gave them to me.

    1. perenniallycrazy 12/10/2021

      How wonderful!

  2. florenegordon 12/23/2021

    Wow! Really I am very glad to see this post with beautiful flowers. I love flowers so much and plan for a flower garden outside my home. Actually, I am a professional online gambler, I had found the top casino offer and easy deposit casinos at this website https://casinosters.com/banking-methods/siru-casino/ where they are shared some of the best Siru mobile payment casino sites that can help to win money and easy withdrawal solutions. Anyway, I much appreciate the author for sharing these wonderful flowers garden ideas with us

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