The Flower Farm
History OF THE flower FARM
1885 Farms is a family-owned and operated flower farm and wedding venue. Our desire to share our love of flowers with our community is what got us started. Since 2020, we have shared our blooms with thousands of people, bringing happiness to their lives and helping them to create meaningful memories with the people they love. Witnessing the joy that people experience when they visit our flower fields for the first time is part of what keeps us going. Our flower farm is at the very heart of what we do here at 1885 Farms. And for those looking for a flower farm wedding venue, look no further!
We can’t wait to share our love of flowers with you! Look at all the lovely flowers below, or visit our flower farm wedding venue – The Barn – to learn more about having your dream wedding at 1885 Farms.
Also check us out on The Knot
types of flowers we grow
We grow over 100 different species of flowers on our farm. Each year we experiment with new species of flowers while retaining what we know works. The bulk of our flower fields consist of many different types of species of wildflowers, zinnias and sunflowers. We also continue to grow our specialty plots – mostly comprised of bulbs, tubers and corms. Part of our activity revolves around our flower farm wedding venue, and the rest simply focuses on finding the best combinations of plant varieties we can grow in our neck of the woods.
This is what we are growing during the 2023 season:
HYACINTH
-Mixed Color Selection
DAFFODILS
-60 Days of Daffodils – Long Lasting Mix (contains Pheasant’s Eye, Sweet Love, Tete a Tete, Salome)
TULIPS
-60 Days of Tulips – Long Lasting Mix (contains Ad Rem, Alibi, Apeldoorn Elite, Apricot Fox, Backpacker, Banja Luka, Candy Prince, Claudia, Come Back, Conqueror, Day Dream, Dynasty, Elegant Lady, Freeman, Fringed Elegance, Golden Apeldoorn, Golden Parade, Jimmy, Judith Ruby, Menton, Mistress, Niigata, Orange Queen, Oxford, Pink Impression, Pretty Woman, Purissima, Purple Dream, Purple Lady, Royal Virgin, Sapporo, Spring Song, Sugar Flag, Sweet Flag, Synaeda Amor, Texas Flame, Uncle Tom, Van Eijk, Yellow Flight, Yellow Mountain)
-Landscaper Mix
LILLIES
-60 Days of Lillies Mix
PEONIES
-Romantic Mix (contains Lady Alex Duff, Alexander Fleming, Duchess de Demours)
-Bridal Bouquet Mix (contains Coral Charm, Shirley Temple, Sarah Bernhardt)
-Duchesse de Nemours
RANUNCULUS/PERSIAN BUTTERCUP
-45 Days of Bloom Mix (contains La Belle, Amandine)
-Romantic Mix (contains Pink + Rose Mix)
-Ranunculus + Freesia Mix
-White Picotee Mix
-Pink Chiffon Mix (contains LaBelle Salmon, LaBelle Pink, Pink + Rose Mix)
SUNFLOWERS
-Sunny Mix (contains Dwarf Sunflower Sunspot, Maximilian Sunflower, Ox-Eye Sunflower, Autumn Beauty Sunflower, Dwarf Teddy Bear Sunflower, Lemon Queen Sunflower, Evening Colors Sunflower, Taiyo Sunflower, Wild Sunflower, Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower)
WILDFLOWERS
-Endless Summer Annual Succession Mix (contains Red Corn Poppy, Blue Cornflowers, Coreopsis, Cosmos Sensation Mix)
-Crazy for Cosmos Mix (contains Wild Cosmos Sensation MIx, Cosmos Gloria, Cosmos Picotee, Cosmos Purity, Cosmos Seashells, Cosmos Pinkie, Cosmos Candystripe, Cosmos Dazzler, Cosmos Daydream, Cosmos Radiance, Orange Cosmos)
-Midwest Mix (contains Cornflower Dwarf Blue, Candytuft, Sweet William, Indian Blanket, Prairie Cornflower, Mexican Hat, Tall Cornflower/Bachelor Button, Red Corn Poppy, Lance Leaf Coreopsis, Mixed Red Poppy Shirley, Wild Cosmos, California Poppy, Blanket Flower, Black Eyed Susan, Wild Perennial Lupine, Purple Coneflower, Russel Lupine, Plains Coreopsis, Siberian Wallflower, Blue Flax, Scarlet Flax, Annual Red Phlox, Orange Cosmos, Gloriosa Daisy)
ZINNIAS
-Pulmila/Cut and Come Again
-Zin Master Mix (contains Zinnia California Giant, Zinnia Dahlia Flowered, Zinnia Pumila, Zinnia Lilliput, Zinnia Thumbelina, Mexican Zinnia)
-Lilliput White
-Over the Rainbow Mix (contains red, orange, yellow, peach, pink, purple)
-Isn’t This Romantic Mix (contains pink and white)
-Orange King
GLADIOLUS
-White Gladiolus
DAHLIAS
-Sugar Puff Mix (contains Cryfield Harmony, Ivanetti, Jowey Chantal, Brown Sugar, Cornel)
-Old Rose Mix (contains Caitlin’s Joy, Muchacha, Bacardi, Night Silence, Beatrice)
-Romantic Mix (contains Gitt’s Perfection, Eveline, Sweet Nathalie, Klondyke, Fleurel)
-Bridal Bouquet Mix (contains Café au Lait, Café au Lait Rosé, Café au Lait Royal, Break Out, Fleurel)
-Orange Crush Mix (contains Peaches, Renate Tosio, Orange Girl, Break Out, Cornel Bronze)
As you can see, we grow a very wide variety of flowers. To see how these can work into your dream wedding at our flower farm wedding venue, contact us today!
the growing process
PREPARING THE SOIL: Every April, we begin preparing the soil by discing, tilling and plowing with a tractor.
PLANTING SEED (ANNUALS): Each May, after the danger of frost has passed, we begin planting our seeds by hand. This is a labor-intensive process that takes many weeks to complete.
PLANTING BULBS (PERENNIALS): Bulbs that bloom in the spring are typically planted in the late fall. They will remain dormant through the winter and then bloom in the spring.
DIVIDING AND STORING BULBS: Other bulbs are more sensitive to the cold and need to be removed from the ground over the winter in order to survive. Each fall, these bulbs are dug up, split, and stored over the winter.
CUTTING DOWN: At the end of each growing season, we cut down the dead blooms so they can compost into the beds over the winter. This helps provide nutrients to the soil for the following year.
PLANNING: Each off-season, we assess the successes and failures of the previous season and plan ahead for the next season. We plot out rotations of the beds each year, which encourages the integrity of the topsoil. Every season is a learning opportunity as we work to improve our flowers year after year.
YOU-PICK FLOWERS
July through October, make an appointment to come stroll the flower fields and make your own fresh bouquet to take home. We have different species of flowers in bloom during different times, but the majority of our flowers are zinnias, wildflowers, cosmos and sunflowers.
HOW IT WORKS:
To check availability and schedule your appointment, email info@1885farms.com or call 330-252-BARN.
Admission is $5/person. Children ages 2 and under are free. Bouquets are $15 each. You may bring a vase or jar no taller than 12 inches to fill with your bouquet of flowers. We provide water to fill your vase, but you’ll want to bring your own vase and your own scissors to cut your flowers.
Payment is due in full upon booking to secure your date. We accept Venmo (@the-barn-1885), CashApp ($1885farms), and Zelle (richville5553@gmail.com).
ADDITIONAL RULES:
We do not allow guests to cut flowers from the raised beds. You’re welcome to cut from the fields.
You-pick flower appointments are limited to 30 minutes. Please be mindful of this as we have other appointments scheduled that day, including photography sessions.
*Please note: You-pick flower visits do not include a session with a professional photographer. Photography is an additional charge. Learn more: Photography
FIELD TRIPS
Come learn about flowers!
Mr. Matt, our senior flower farming specialist, is always happy to educate and inform groups on different aspects of flower farming. Topics can be tailored to compliment your current school lesson or curriculum. Previous topics have included learning about the life cycle of a flower; learning about the differences between corms, bulbs, tubers, and seeds; learning about milkweed and the Monarch Butterflies; learning about how to plant and harvest flowers; and more. Field trips always include hands-on activities such as planting flowers and arranging bouquets!
Please call 330-525-BARN or email info@1885farms.com for more information on setting up a field trip.
Annual Flower Festival
Each summer we host our annual 1885 Farms Flower Festival. This is a free event open to the community.
Come enjoy the beauty of the flower fields, cut and arrange your own flower bouquets, and enjoy family-friendly fun and activities for all ages!
We can’t wait to see you next summer!
Date: TBD
SAVING THE MONARCHS
Did you know?
Monarch butterflies have recently been removed from the “Endangered” list and moved to the “Vulnerable” list. Things are looking up, but there’s still a lot more work to be done to save this important species.
There are two reasons the Monarch population has historically been in decline – logging in Mexico’s forests (Monarchs migrate to Mexico each winter) and the increased use of herbicides that kill Milkweed in the U.S. (Milkweed is the only plant that the monarch caterpillars feed on).
Milkweed grows naturally in our fields and we have chosen to embrace it, rather than aiming to eradicate it with herbicides simply for the sake of aesthetics. We take pride in the fact that our land is a safe haven for Monarch Butterflies, and it is not uncommon to see many of them year after year returning to our fields to lay their eggs.
