Florabundance

Most of us can’t resist the urge to pluck a beautiful bloom or two from our own garden—or even a neighbor’s patch. But when you’re standing amid row upon row of brilliant buds at Lady Luck Flower Farm in Big Sandy Mush, the desire is absolutely overwhelming.

Katie Grear and Mike Adams are relying on that natural inclination to draw folks to their U-pick enterprise, a former 10-acre tobacco farm now home to dahlias, peonies, roses, celosia, zinnias, cockscomb, gomphrenea, amaranth, and other vibrant beauties.

The idea is simple: If you need flowers, whether they’re destined for a wedding bouquet or just a vase on your kitchen table, head out to the farm. Grear shares tips for  clipping and what flowers are in season before sending folks into the fields to gather to their hearts’ content.

The growing season begins in April and lasts until October, with the farm opening to harvesters in mid-June. Brides in particular are taking to the idea of locally grown flowers, adding picking excursions with bridesmaids and family members to the bonding activities leading up to the ceremony.

Visitors can also collect medicinal herbs. And Adams recently began growing organic vegetables, including kale and lettuce. “We don’t use synthetics on anything, not even the flowers,” he says. That holistic commitment to the land will continue.

The farm is a dream realized  for the couple, who rented land before purchasing the property last year with the help of family and friends. “We’re doing this because we’re nourished whole-heartedly by this land and the plants and elements,” Grear says, “and we want to share that with people through the flowers and herbs we grow.”

Keep Cut Flowers Fresh:
Use clean tools for clipping, as bacteria inhibits water uptake. Cut the stem at a 45-degree angle. Place the flowers in a bucket of lukewarm water while you’re picking to avoid air bubbles traveling up the stem. Then transfer to a vase no sooner than 30 minutes later. Every few days, change the water in the vase and recut the stems.

Lady Luck Flower Farm
55 Lanzi Ledge Road, Leicester
(828) 683-3200
www.ladyluckflowerfarm.com
Call for appointment.