Growers of beauty: La Primavera Farm

This series of "growers of beauty" posts takes a look at where the beautiful flowers are coming from, letting us meet the farmers that work so hard to bring these blooms to market for us.

I"d like to introduce you to La Primavera Farms.


 I am out at the flower auction twice a week, picking up the blooms I bid on to bring back to the shop.  The auction is supplied by Ontario farmers who make the trip in to Mississauga and deliver their gorgeous crops of blooms for the floral trade to bid on through a reverse auction process ( the price starts high and goes down, but if you don't grab it before someone else does you are out of luck!) Last week I picked up a pail of the most delectable Scabiosa grown by the father/daughter team of Juan and Joanne.


As I bid on them I can see the farm name pop up, so I reached out to Joanne to find out more about the farm. She very graciously took time to reply ( I can't even imagine how long a farmer's day is during the growing season) and has allowed me to share some of her photos with you.


The farm has been operating and growing since 1954, located in Dundas, Ontario.  It's clear from their social media that they have a passion for the industry.  Joanne's husband and two daughters get in on the action too.


 As well as selling flowers to florists, Joanne is at many farmers markets with her cut bouquets and also designs for weddings and events.  Their flowers are available from May to October, with the selection changing and shifting with the weather and the seasons.


I love this quote from the farm's website:

"If you ask Joanne, the best part of the day is just as the sun rises on a spring day, walking to the barn in the mist. It’s a rare time that things are quiet, and you can stop to smell the flowers, as you load them into the truck for market" 

 As I was wrapping up a bouquet this week that included mostly all Ontario grown blooms, including some of La Primavera's Scabiosa, I mentioned to my customer where everything came from and we were delighted to realize that Joanne had made the customer's wedding flowers, a nice small-flower-world moment.

Comments

Popular Posts