The Crop Report | Judging Flowers

Wow, the farm looks great right now - it's like all the flowers are competing to be the best bloom in the field for Flower Fair. There has been so much hard work and effort leading up to this big event from every member of the team, flowers included. It’s thrilling to bounce around the farm and see so many different stages of production with crops thriving and the bounty coming into the cooler and out the design door. It feels like each day I pick a new favorite on my walks, from the new trials of gerbera daisy to the curling vines of the gloriosa lily, I always have a new one to be vocal about. But to be frank, so does everyone on this farm. If you ask “what’s your favorite flower today?”, we all jump into our best Judge Judy personas and give you OUR opinion. 

I've always enjoyed judging flowers, from my early years spending all summer gearing up for the week-long county fair. My favorite was always the horticulture barn with the flower judging contest. It represented so many gardens, so many people's hard work and efforts and so many folks sharing their most prized jewels with the community and forsaking continued enjoyment of them in their own yards. This was always so communal to me and less about who won or lost but just the community exhibit as a whole.

You know we’re nostalgia nuts, so we decided to weave this concept into Flower Fair and have our own community flower judging contest. We invite you to select the prized jewel from your home garden to enter. When you arrive on Saturday, bring your bloom to the Heritage Barn and fill out an entry card. Don't worry, we will have our signature Floral Genius pin cups ready to showcase your bloom in water, just get them here safely! Our esteemed panel of judges (aka Sonja, our head grower, and me) will be determining who wins the blue ribbon prize at 1 pm sharp. This is a fun way for floral enthusiasts of all ages to participate and let us show off your hard work this season too!