by DEVERY BELLINGHAM
We all crave a moment of peace. Between juggling our kids’ soccer practices, dance rehearsals, and PTO meetings, we’re lucky if we take any time for ourselves.
Five years ago, as a lonely young mom lost in the grind, I began searching for ways to feel connection and peace in my otherwise chaotic world. One fateful day, I discovered specialty cut flowers could be grown from seed and not just any flowers. These were flowers beyond the roses, mums and baby’s breath typically found in the grocery store.
That summer, I bought three little packets of flower seeds to experiment growing with my children. Miracle of miracles, our seeds sprouted and grew! That summer, my kids and I cut bouquets for friends and neighbors, and my life was, in the literal sense, changed forever.
Truly, nothing compared to seeing the joy on friends’ faces when presented with our homegrown blooms. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about growing pretty flowers anymore.
My hobby for growing beautiful cut flowers turned into passion bordering obsession, and together with my family, we created Aurora Flora U-Pick Flower Farm.
We’ve only been in business for one year, and the best part has been seeing loved ones gather together in a moment of peace, finding connection in a beautifully curated place. I love seeing couples hold hands while they pick a bouquet, mothers and daughters strolling among the blooms and best friends taking a much deserved ladies night, snapping selfies among the wildflowers.
Aurora Flora is certainly different from other local farms. I had never grown a thing before discovering cut flowers, which makes us the opposite of a multi-generational farm that has teams of employees and heavy machinery and equipment. We are small and quaint, growing everything with our hands on our small plot of land.
We grow flowers in all colors, shapes and sizes. Zinnias, snapdragons, cosmos and celosia are fan favorites. We plant more than 300 sunflowers every week because almost every customer leaves with at least one in their cup. New to us this year are dahlias, which are a cottage garden favorite, and those you definitely never find in a grocery store.
The U-pick garden opens after Mother’s Day and is open for picking most weekends May through September. Reservations are required to be sure that there are plenty of blooms to choose from and so that it’s never too crowded. Reservations can be made on our website at auroraflora.net. You don’t have to bring a thing, we provide your cup with water and the flower snips so that you can snip until your cup is full! You can also email devery@auroraflora.net for more information!
Creating this uniquely beautiful space has been a dream come true. Providing flowers for others’ special occasions and for the everyday moments has been an honor. While many see flowers as a non-necessity and something “extra,” I see them as a way to say “I love you. I honor you. I see you.”
Flowers are more than just beautiful, they are a life force.
