Blossom Bliss: Springtime Adventures In Flower Farming
Words by Ashley Brown
Photos by Monique Threadgill
It’s that time of year when the monotony of driving on Texas interstates is brightened by the brilliant blues, purples, oranges and reds of bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes that have seemingly blossomed out of nowhere. Flowers make us happy. The sight of them — and the giving and receiving of them — brings us joy. Whether you’re planning a special event, want to tell someone you’re thinking of them with a surprise bouquet, or just want to bring a bit of nature’s beauty into your home, these local farms are growing happiness — in the form of flowers!
ARNOSKY FAMILY FARMS
“I strongly believe that flowers can unite us, bringing all people and all cultures together,” says Pamela Arnosky, co-owner of Arnosky Family Farms. She recalls that the old-fashioned community barn raising they held for their famous Blue Barn was a true testament to what we can all do together. That barn, situated on a beautiful 60 acres, is now a staple of both Wimberley and Blanco, with many regular visitors from Austin and San Antonio. The farm operates on an honor system. Visitors enter the barn, pick up the flowers, vegetables or eggs they want and leave cash.
After running a small greenhouse business in Brenham, Frank and Pamela Arnosky started farming in 1991, purchasing the perfect land for their farm on FM 2325. The Arnoskys are passionate stewards of their land, which is home to many native plant and animal species.
“It is a treasure to be protected,” says Pamela. “All are welcome there, and it is a sort of portal of connection to what is best on this Earth.”
The couple grow cut flowers on 16 acres. They’ve sold to grocery stores and farmers markets in Austin for many years. After building the Blue Barn, they began to supply their own farm market with bedding plants, hanging baskets and garden transplants. One of their most popular flowers is ranunculus, which has a long vase life.
Pamela explains that most cut flowers should last as long in a vase as they would on the plant. “Start with a clean vase, remove all of the leaves that will be below the water line, and use flower food if you have it, or at the minimum, you can put a drop of chlorine bleach in the vase. Changing the water frequently, while removing the spent flowers is also very important in maintaining maximum vase life.” The Arnoskys’ passion for flowers is contagious. “Flowers are pure love,” says Pamela. “Before anything can bear fruit, it must flower. So the flower represents the promise of successful outcomes.”
They love welcoming people to the farm to experience the inspiration that flowers can bring. “The Blue Barn has become a destination for folks seeking peaceful, beautiful outdoor times, alone or with their families. We plant the flower beds around the barn to be beautiful at Mother’s Day, for example, so folks can come out for a picnic and buy a bouquet to take home.” To learn more, visit texascolor.com.
WINKELMANN FLOWERS
Winkelmann Flowers is a small flower farm outside of Austin, where a husband-and-wife team have transformed their passion for farming, flowers and creating into a sustainable family business. Grant and Carrington Winkelmann fell in love while attending Texas A&M and started growing their flower farm when they moved to the Austin area in 2018. A farmer through and through, Grant has been growing and selling vegetables since high school. When the couple started the business, he chose crops that would be profitable on a small amount of acreage. “Based on my experience growing both, I knew that flowers could generate a lot more income on an acre than vegetables; it also didn't hurt that my girlfriend and later wife, Carrington, was falling in love with floristry at the same time!”
Carrington runs the floral studio, which she describes as “flowering around Texas for weddings and gatherings.” It’s hard to imagine a beautiful wedding without flowers, but it can be easy to go overboard. If planning a wedding on a budget, Carrington suggests focusing on centerpieces on your tables and for the wedding party.
“Florists are natural creatives,” she says, “and [they] love color so give them the freedom and flexibility to create for you, and as long as you've hired someone whose style matches your own, they will usually deliver a floral vision better than any you could've dreamed up yourself!”
In addition to providing wedding florals, the pair appreciate how flowers can enhance our everyday lives. “Many of us have jobs or lifestyles that require us to spend most of our time indoors. Flowers bring the natural world inside and allow us to watch something grow and change over time.”
The Winkelmanns grow tens of thousands of flowers a year on a little less than two acres. They get particularly excited about flowers that aren’t typically grown in Texas. “We are known most for our ranunculus, dahlias, lisianthus and coxcomb.”
“Recently, we have also gotten into tulips in a big way and we also grow lots of delphinium, snapdragons, marigolds and sweet peas, among other crops.”
Their flowers are available at Austin Flower Company most of the year and occasionally at San Antonio Flower Company. They also offer weekly drop-offs and delivery to Austin florists, who can sign up for information about weekly availability on their website thefarmerandi.com. They can even arrange a porch pickup for you at their home in San Marcos or farm in Driftwood. Just reach out to them anytime.
WILDSEED FARMS
Wildseed Farms, in Fredericksburg, is the largest working wildflower farm in the country. It is the go-to spot for seeds, plants or simply a lovely afternoon spent enjoying fields of flowers and a wine tasting.
Owner John Thomas is a native south Texan who grew up in a ranching family in Eagle Lake. In 1971, he combined his planting expertise, Texas ingenuity and business knowledge to start a turf seeding company. As it grew into a successful business, developers and landscape architects asked: “Why not wildflowers?” In response, John formed Wildseed Farms in Eagle Lake in 1982 and invented two machines to produce the results he dreamed of: the J-Thom 42 Wildseeder and Vacuum Seed Retriever (VSR).
As the farm and his wife Marilyn’s beloved gift shop grew in popularity they decided to expand. In 1997, John designed and constructed Wildseed Farms Market Center located on 200 acres on Highway 290 east of Fredericksburg. The farm features walking trails, flower fields, display gardens, a nursery, a deli and a large gift shop offering home decor, women’s apparel, jewelry and seeds. There is also the winery that features Texas wines grown and bottled on the farm. The Market Center is open year-round.
John currently has over 1,500 acres of wildflower in production and is considered one of the leading experts on wildflowers in the nation. He actively consults with many state highway departments including those in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida and Ohio. Learn more at wildseedfarms.com.
FLOWER CHILD URBAN FLOWER FARM AND STUDIO
This micro flower farm, owned by Gracie Cavnar, is a pastoral respite embedded within Hope Farms in south Houston. Hope Farms is a project of Recipe for Success Foundation, a nonprofit Cavnar founded in 2005. The organization’s mission is to end childhood obesity by educating children about their food and by mobilizing the community to provide them healthier meals. The seven-acre Hope Farms contributes to that mission by growing fresh, affordable food and training veterans and others to become urban agri-preneurs.
Because much of the classroom work Recipe for Success does was shut down during the pandemic, Cavnar started Flower Child knowing that growing and sharing flowers would make her happy. There weren’t many farmers growing cut flowers in Houston. “I’m all about local farming, whether it be food or flowers, with regard to the impact on the carbon footprint, supporting the local economy and the ecological nature of growing flowers organically. And I felt like a lot of people shared that sensibility,” says Cavnar. So she rented space within Hope Farms and began growing flowers in a 1/8-acre garden and greenhouse. Using the success of Flower Child as an example, Cavnar now offers classes through her nonprofit foundation on how to turn a farm into a business.
“The beautiful piece, for me, of having a flower business is the Zen quality to it of focusing on growing and nurturing things,” she says. She also loves that the flowers are growing just minutes from most of her customers, smack in the middle of the bustling city. The farm is open to the public Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. so that visitors can experience that “Zen quality” for themselves.
Flower Child offers a variety of services. Customers can sign up for regular deliveries of fresh-cut bouquets designed and created by Cavnar or for the birthday club, which offers 12 flower deliveries to friends or family on their birthdays. Corporate customers can contact Flower Child about supplying flower arrangements for events. The company also does limited weddings and special events. Cavnar works closely with these clients, curating the wedding in her field based on their color preferences. And finally, Flower Child offers “Bubbles & Bouquets,” which are private flower arranging classes.
In the spirit of friendship and giving, Flower Child also offers Grace Notes — gifts that include some of Cavnar’s other products such as homemade chocolate, bath salts, potpourri and edible flower petals.
Whether it’s giving or receiving flowers or enjoying them in your garden, flowers can enhance your mood. “It literally changes your brain chemistry. Every time you look at and appreciate them, you get that rush,” says Cavnar. “No gift brings more joy.”
Learn more at flowerchild.love.
Writer and editor Ashley Brown lives in Wimberley with her family of rescues: a dog, two cats, and two donkeys. In addition to animal welfare, her passion is exploring the Hill Country's natural beauty, small farms, eateries and drinkeries.
