No time, no problem!

Do you want to enjoy fresh and colorful cut flowers, but you don’t have a green thumb? Or maybe you just don’t have the time or space to garden? Well here are two great alternatives to purchasing traditional arrangements from your local florist…. “Pick-Your-Own” flowers at a local farm and roadside farm stands. 

The benefits of these programs are numerous. Not only are you supporting local farms with your purchase, you are supporting your surrounding eco-system. How you ask? According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a diverse variety of flowers provide significant nutritional and health benefits for bees and other pollinators when compared to monoculture.

Furthermore, you benefit as the buyer. Whether the arrangements are just for your kitchen table or perhaps an event you are hosting, this is an inexpensive way to get bold, colorful and local flowers at a fraction of the cost when compared to a store bought bouquet. 

More so this method allows you to get out and immerse yourself in nature. Call up your friends, grab your pruners and head to a local farm to have a flower cutting party. Bring your fresh flower cuttings back and have a fun, relaxing time, making arrangements with friends over wine and music!

Or if you are really in a rush, there are many local farms that offer pre-cut and arranged flowers at their roadside stand! So grab some cash and go support that local farmer’s roadside stand!

Below is a list of just a few places that I have personally used. Please share your local Pick-Your-Own flower farms and roadside stands in the comment box! 

Special thanks to my friend who supplied this picture of her own Pick-Your-Own flower arrangement that she made for her daughter’s birthday party.

Local Pick-Your-Own Flowers or Roadside Stands

Scott’s Farm and Greenhouses, Essex, CT

Scott’s Farm

Rosedale Farm and Vineyards, Weatogue, CT

Rosedale Farm and Vineyards

The Ryan Family Flower Farm, Simsbury, CT

Pack in the Pachysandra

Many gardeners find Pachysandra to be an encroaching nusiance. But I love this evergreen groundcover not only as a plant bed groundcover, but as a bouquet filler! The large, glossy and grass green lobed leaves help accentuate your bouquet’s colors and textures. The simplicity of the leaves provide the perfect backdrop to make your summer or winter arrangements pop! Cut Pachysandra as low as possible; just above the last bud. This plant has a long life as a cut flower; I can usually use the same cuttings in 2 or 3 consecutive arrangements. 

Happy Gardening!

What’s In This Bouquet: 

  • 3 sprigs of Pachysandra
  • 7-9 Daisys in bloom and bud form (Leucanthemum x superbum ‘Becky’)
  • 3 Cone Flower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Merlot’)
  • 3 grouped blossoms of Veronica (Veronica longifolia ‘Eveline’)