With a growing appreciation for locally grown flowers, farmers are opening their fields for visitors to stop and smell the roses.
By Anna Cipollone
Many of the region’s cut flower farms offer tours of their fields and pick-your-own experiences. From wildflowers to carefully cultivated blooms, every farm invites you to bask in the aroma of carefully selected varieties, where scents hitchhike on the breeze, and radiant hues offer an opulent visual treat.
From golden sunflowers to therapeutic lavender, here’s a sampling of flower farms to tour for a hands-on practice rooted in mindfulness.
Lush seasonal blooms await at Three Birds Flower Farm, a 4-acre micro farm run by sisters Jackie and Leslie Brunton. Sustainably grown in Bracebridge to support soil health and an ecosystem for pollinators, birds, and wildlife, shades of pastels pop in sweet peas and dahlias for a romantic selection of florals that embody Muskoka’s rich plant biodiversity.
In the Kawartha Lakes, Norwood’s Heritage Blooms began in 2021 as a family-run cattle farm and later expanded to include you-pick tours during its open hours. With 96 acres, bring your own pruners and bucket for a change of tempo as you leisurely admire hundreds of flower varieties. Vivid colours of dahlia tubers and seeds are also on offer to inspire new additions to your home garden.
With flowers serving as a gentle reminder of impermanence, a visit to Ennismore’s Sanctuary Flower Fields is a ritual in present-moment awareness. What began as paramedic-turned-grower Kelly Convery’s personal healing journey has grown into a floral safe haven with a wellness menu of yoga classes, art workshops, and flower experiences. From August to September, guests are welcome to book a session and pick their own bouquets of whimsical blooms like dahlias, cosmos, marigolds, and peonies.
At The Fieldstone Barn in Elora, bright and bold sunflowers take centre stage from early August through the end of September. Drop-ins are welcome to enjoy the fields, wander through the corn maze, connect with the alpacas, and stay overnight in glamping tents. With over 30 varieties grown, sunflowers run the gamut from pale lemon queens to fluffy teddy bears and moody red velvet blooms.
At the base of the Bruce Peninsula, Blue Water Lavender in Wiarton sustainably grows 5 varieties of English and French lavender. Take in the powdery-sweet scent of nature’s most calming bud—the farm is open to the public every weekend from June to Labour Day. Visit the adjacent shop for a finely crafted collection of handmade products like culinary lavender, soaps, and body butter.
In the Owen Sound area, Markdale’s Twig & Brindille exhibits stunning Grey County florals grown organically with regenerative practices. Whether you’d like to book a tour guided among the hoop house or explore the aisles of flower fields solo, discover a rich seasonal mix featuring everything from spring anemones to summer zinnias and fall lisianthus.
The Willows Flower Farm and Market in the Bay of Quinte is a family-run operation where you can visit with alpacas, chicks, sheep, and a beehive before a flower-picking experience at either sunrise or sunset. Roam rows upon rows of tulips, zinnias, and lavender as you handpick your preferred blooms.
Whether you come for the flowers themselves or the quiet rhythm of being in the fields, these farms offer a simple kind of reset that lingers long after the blooms are gone.
Botanical Art
From floral-dyed textiles to bouquets fossilized in resin, cherished memories live on in heartfelt pieces that reinvent the fleeting lifespan of florals.
Fibre artist Brittany Piper grows natural dye plants for hand-dyed textiles at her Chesley studio, Everwilde, where she also hosts summer workshops. Her affinity for plants that lend themselves to art-making is at the root of her growing philosophy.
“Natural dye plants invite slowness with their quiet, subtle beauty,” she says. “There’s something deeply grounding about tending a plant for months and then witnessing the colour it offers.” Every textile is part of a full-circle creative process where the fruits of labour hold months of tending, weather, patience, and care. “I measure success not by how much I harvest,” she says, “but by the richness of the soil, the hum of insects, and the promise of next year’s growth.”
Olivia Leigh preserves floral keepsakes in mediums like resin or arranged in shadowboxes at her Hastings studio, honing in on the tiny details that highlight every stem’s elegant charm.
“Little curls of a petal, or textural details of a piece of greenery take centre stage and are frozen in time forever,” says Leigh. Transforming intimate items like bridal bouquets into functional pieces to be looked at daily inspired her to start teaching the medium through in-person consultations and remote workshops on floral drying, preservation, and resin casting.
Hygge Bloom Florals’ Jessica Jennett is a Muskoka-based wedding florist and floral preservation artist. Working with florals from beginning to end reflects the cyclical nature of the occasions they’re used for, such as celebrations of life, baby showers, and weddings.
“I get a second chance to work with these curated blooms again after all the planning that went into making the day memorable,” she says, giving back a tangible heirloom piece. “I always hope my clients pass the frame in a room, smile and remember their day and all the love that came with it.”
Images courtesy: Three Birds Flower Farm Sarah Stevenson Photo | Fieldstone Barn Tim Croft | Sanctuary Flower Fields Mary Zita Payne Photography | The Willows Flower Farm | Heritage Blooms Scott Murdoch | Blue Water Lavender | Everwilde Brittany Piper & Kelsey Davis | Hygge Bloom | Olivia Leigh Designs