The More You Grow
It’s summertime, and we are all looking for ways to make the days last a little longer before vacation is over. Most of us hear summer vacation and think of travelling, going to the beach or sitting on a patio, but what about exploring something a little different in your local area? Today, I will take you through a tour of Haldimand County’s Flower Farms, some of our most beautiful hidden gems, and hopefully show you where to grab your next bouquet.
Bluewater Flower Farm
Bluewater Flower Farm is Haldimand County’s newest Flower Farm, a hobby turned into a passion during the pandemic.
Bluewater Flower Farm offers seasonal bouquets and arrangements during their season that can be picked up from the Farm or at a local business near you. They also do deliveries right to your doorstep, adding a big bonus to their business.
The seasonal hand-tied bouquets include a mix of tulips, specialty daffodils, snapdragons and ranunculus for 25-30 stems. The seasonal mason jar arrangement comes with the same flowers, 20-30 stems, and can be wrapped in paper before you receive it, adding a touch of Bluewater style.
Bluewater Flower Farm also offers flower subscriptions. Participants will receive seasonal bouquets for four weeks, which can be picked up at the local Farmers Market, a local business, one of the farms or delivered via porch petal service right to their doorstep. Each subscription has different flowers, so visit the website to choose which one is right for you.
One of my favourite features about Bluewater Flower Farm is the workshops they offer between August and November. In the late summer (August and September), Build Your Own Bouquet is offered, where you learn how to create your own beautiful bouquet by preparing foliage, choosing a colour palate and building the arrangement from start to finish. In October, a Floral Pumpkin Arrangement workshop and a Dried Floral Wreath Making workshop are held. Lastly, a Holiday Evergreen Wreath Making Workshop will be held in November. Each workshop will include all materials, fair trade coffee or tea, and tasty fair trade treats, courtesy of the Shared Harvest Farm.
After each workshop, visitors are encouraged to take a stroll to enjoy the farm and its beauty, finding the perfect place for photo opportunities! Bluewater Flower Farm loves a good photo-op just as much as we do, which makes grabbing that perfect photo even better.
Concession Road Garden
Located in Hagersville, Concession Road Garden is more than just a flower farm. This farm grows various annual and perennial cut flowers, a selection of heirloom vegetables, and a modest quince orchard. Concession Road Garden is also a “no-dig” farm, keeping the grounds “goodness” undisturbed, allowing for the most natural produce. Concession Road Garden is also Certified Naturally Grown, meaning that everything they grow is always fresh and never sprayed with synthetic chemicals.
Selling their naturally grown products at their Roadside stand and at local Flower and Farmer’s Markets in the area, you can find Concession Road Garden and all their goodies in multiple places, making it easy to grab fresh products on the go.
New to the Garden this year were their DIY Bloom Buckets created for Weddings and special events. Each bucket contains 80 blooms, a balanced mix of in-season focal flowers, filler flowers, and foliage for you to create table arrangements for your special event. This is a great way to feel creative with an opportunity to do your own hands-on work but with the safety net of a knowledgeable grower who ensures that the colour pallet, flowers and foliage complement each other. You can take the credit for the hard work, but find comfort in the beautiful buckets when they arrive.
Along with the Bloom Buckets, Concession Road Garden offers a wide selection of bouquets, arrangements and packages for you to choose from. Seasonal bouquets in bundles of four and eight are offered through subscriptions, using flowers that are in season during Spring, Summer, and Fall. They also offer large and medium hand-tied seasonal bouquets for pickup or delivery (for those 15 minutes from the farm) as well as Mason Jar and Vase arrangements.
Concession Road Garden is setting a new path in what gardening should look like while keeping its products beautiful and readily available for the public. Keep your eyes on their social media for future workshops and events happening on the farm, as surprise events are often posted there.
Windecker Woods Flower Farm
Located just outside Cayuga, Windecker Woods Flower Farm has been a staple in Haldimand since 2016, bringing the community flowers, Christmas trees, and other floral growth. Windecker Woods values the earth and takes pride in farming with conservation, preservation and best practices to improve the land around us. With a unique business plan, Windecker keeps things new, exciting and opportunistic.
One thing that sets Windecker Woods Flower Farm apart is their Cut Your Own Flowers experience offered all season ( Open June – October ). Windecker is open from Dusk until Dawn, seven days a week, keeping times convenient for all. No supervision is needed for this experience, drive to the farm, find the ‘Flower Pavilion’ and begin your self-serve journey.
Once you arrive at the flower pavilion, grab a basket and a pair of clippers and wander through the rows of beautiful flowers until you find the perfect bouquet. Cut the flowers long or short as you peruse through the fields, and arrange them on sight once you are happy with your selection. Grab some paper, which is freely available, or a vase from the farm for a small price and pay what you think is fair. Windecker asks that you pay a price that makes you feel good and is fair for your actions. You can drop cash in the slot box or send an e-transfer to their email, whichever works best for you.
Windecker does more than just cut your flowers; they do weddings, picnic experiences, romantic dates/engagements, and photo opportunities. Are you an animal lover? Windecker has a few bunnies that live on the farm and are waiting for you to come to play with them in their playpen! Windecker is not just a flower farm; it is a business dedicated to ensuring you have the best experience possible, whatever that may be. You will find fun here with family and friends or as a solo experience!
Purple Haven Lavender Farm
Located in Canfield, Purple Haven Lavender Farm has played an essential role in our community for many years. Whether through farm experiences, the Farmers Market or providing the community with natural homemade products, owner Kim Drew has been creating a community of her own.
Whether you want to participate in a complete hands-on experience, cut your own lavender, or explore the farm and its glory, Purple Haven has just the thing for you. Pick Your Own Lavender is in full swing on the farm from mid to end of July. And while we may have missed this date, it is never too early to start planning for next year, right?
If picking your own isn’t quite your thing, Purple Haven offers a variety of experiences for every adventurer out there. Do you enjoy activity-based experiences? Sign up for yoga in the lavender field every Wednesday from June to October; don’t worry, you can sign up any time for any Wednesday! If yoga isn’t quite your thing, Purple Haven has trails right on their farm that are also open for exploring!
Are you more of a foodie who loves to try new things? Sign up for the ‘Bring a Picnic Pass,” where you bring in your own food, blankets, or anything else you may want and set up your picnic in the lavender field for only $25! If planning isn’t your strong suit, or ask about the “Picnic on the Farm Experience” where all the above things are provided for you, so you don’t have to plan a thing.
Purple Haven also has a store filled with Lavender Products like soaps, shampoos (for you and your furry friends), candles, moisturizers, and so much more. Remember to grab some of their lavender ice cream while you are there; you won’t be disappointed!
Final Blossoms
Even though summer is ending, the flower season lasts much longer, helping us stretch out the last days of warm weather and sun-kissed skin. With various ways to choose your bloom, flower farms in Haldimand County are a great summer activity and an even better way to accept the new fall colours on their way. Get outside and explore one of Haldimand’s hidden gems today, and remember to post your photos online with the hashtag #VisitHaldimand for a chance to be featured on our socials!
