On The Farm
FARM LIFE * HONEYBEES * BLOSSOMS
Your farmers
About…
Gillian
The daughter of a Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, Gillian’s family moved all over the world. They finally settled in Markham, Ontario when she was 15.
Gillian always had a design mind, drawing floor plans even though she had no idea what they were. On a Sunday morning her parents would go out for breakfast and by the time they came home the living room was moved around - again.
Gillian pursued a career in interiors eventually working with bouquet real estate brokers styling homes for the real estate market.
Even as a daydreamer with a thousand thoughts an hour, the idea of being a flower farmer & beekeeper wasn’t on the radar for Gillian. “Never in a million trillion years would I have thought I’d be doing this. I had no idea this was even a possibility”.
Gillian met (pursued) Dave the last year of high school and they’ve been together ever since raising two boys who are now grown.
Dave
The last of 8 children, Dave’s large family has lived and farmed for generations in Markham. Although his immediate family did not farm, he worked on farms (in between spending summers at the cottage) while growing up and decided farming wasn’t for him.
Dave pursued a career with the Town of Markham and went on to work in the construction industry.
He, like Gillian, had no idea that flower farming & beekeeping would become part of his life.
Dave was raised on the same street he & Gillian raised their boys on until they moved to Reesor Road. Dave is literally the Accidental Beekeeper
The farm
Gillian & Dave lived in Old Markham Village and renovated a tiny century home. They had an out-of-the-blue opportunity to buy this heritage farm from the Ramer family in the newly established Rouge National Urban Park.
The Ramer family, who owned the farm for over a century, were beekeepers, sold honey, vegetables & eggs as well as having a planing mill & an orchard.
With no intention of actually farming, Gillian & Dave bought the property from the road without even stepping inside. The stunning 1880 farmhouse was in almost original condition - which they sympathetically renovated of course! Sadly, none of the outbuildings survived.
A chance gift of a honey course at the Toronto Botanical Garden started a fire in Gillian to bring the farm back to life. The instructor was a beekeeper & by the time she got home they were going to bring the bees back. And what do bees love most? Flowers!
Honeybees
OUR BEES ARE GETTING READY FOR THE SEASON SO WE’RE OUT WITH THEM NOW.
UPDATES SOON!
Local Seasonal Blossoms
from our field to your vase within hours!
Our growing season runs from March, when we start seeds, right through until the first frost, usually early October. Every flower has its time during the season so bouquets and available flowers vary from week to week. Some flowers bloom for a few months and others bloom for a few weeks.
Because we harvest-to-order we harvest our blossoms at their peak you are sure to get the freshest flowers in your bouquet. We do vase-life testing without any flower food (but with water, obvs) and, so far, two ish weeks is the life of most flowers.
We have curated an Apothecary Garden so some of the flowers we grow are edible or can be used in salves & balms. We’re working on some lovely ones so stay tuned!
Just like eating the juiciest tomato or the ripest peach when they’re in season, stunning seasonal flowers are the most special.
“Flowers are not supposed to last.
Their job is to help us to stay in the present.
They grow, they blossom they thrive then they’re gone.
You have to be in the moment. ”
Why buy our gorgeous seasonal blossoms?
Connection & support - of our farm and to your community.
Unique variety - as our flowers are #GrownNotFlown we can & do grow a fabulous variety of seasonal blooms to give you the most gorgeous bouquets.
Often store bought flowers are brought in from another country so they can only ship the hardiest of blooms. Nothing that can’t travel without water or may get squished when moving so they tend to be always the same flowers.
Flowers without pesticides - we NEVER use pesticides which means no nasty chemicals coming into your home.
As a global industry, flowers grown in other counties for shipping involves harsh chemicals throughout the growing process. All the way from seed treatments to fungicide dips after harvest (the whole flower and stem may get dipped in fungicide). And, depending on the country of origin, there may also be fumigation when the flowers move from one country to another. All of this has led to many florists needing to wear gloves to prevent the rashes that have become fairly common among those handling these flowers on a regular basis.
Minimal packaging - we wrap to order in compostible kraft paper or use recyclable containers like mason jars or buckets. No plastic wrap
