ABOUT OUR FARM
Why flowers?
Flowers matter. Fresh flowers celebrate the beauty of the moment. Whether in a field or in a tabletop bouquet, their beauty feeds the soul.
Freshness matters. My blooms go from my field to market or to your kitchen table within 48 hours of picking. Unlike imported flowers that are shipped dry, in boxes into a grocery store, my stems have never spent a day outside water. Hand picked with care at just the right time, they go directly to our local retail partners or into bouquets at our farm stand. Freshly picked flowers will last longer.
Sustainability matters. Now more than ever, sustainable growing practices are critical to preserving natural resources and land viability. Farms sustain the working heritage of this land. If you love open space, sustain it by supporting local farms.
Local matters. When you purchase locally grown flowers, you invest back into the local economy. Dollars spent at our farm are dollars we in turn spend in local markets, restaurants, coffee shops and farm supply stores. We love supporting our neighbors.
Community matters. Our farm is part of local network. It is a place for community to gather for events, for learning opportunities, and to celebrate the beauty of this lovely hillside farm.
Farm History
Our 170 acre farm is our home to our flower fields, perennial gardens, greenhouse, floral design studio, farm store, and livestock menagerie. As landowners we are invested in maintaining the farming heritage of our land. Working farms are what makes Patten Hill special.
For more than 25 years, we raised woolly sheep for yarn. Spun at local mills, hand dyed by me, marketed to knitters, we sold our farm’s yarn under our label: Foxfire Fiber & Designs. Caring for our flock taught us respect for our land and the rhythm of the seasons. We still keep a small flock for wool production and because we love sheep. You can still purchase our yarn and you learn more about our history in fiber farming here. Our farm is also home to our rescue mini donkeys and Ethel, our guard llama.
In the true Yankee spirit of re-invent and re-use, we have seen our farm through a few changes over the years. This place has gone from a working dairy (under its former owners) to working sheep farm, to flower farm.
Fields have transformed from raising fiber to flowers. A shed that once housed farm equipment and then later served for storing and shipping wool is now repurposed as farm store and floral design workshop. The former “milk room” attached to the dairy barn now handily serves as winter growing space for tulips. While some of our land use follows the long traditions of mowing hay and grazing cattle, we strive to find new uses to keep up with changing times.
Located on Patten Hill in the small, rural western MA hilltown of Shelburne Falls, our farm is nestled in among some of the remaining working farmsteads in the area. Patten Hill is a recreational destination for walking the 3-Mile loop or hiking the High Ledges Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary.
We love living in Shelburne Falls. It’s a little town with a lot going on. The village is well known for the Bridge of Flowers (a trolley bridge spanning the Deerfield River, repurposed as an amazing garden), and it is also home to the dramatic glacial pothole stone formations at Salmon Falls. The village is home to art galleries, bookstores, working artisan studios, restaurants, inns and brew pubs. Just two hours west of Boston, (or one hour east of the Berkshires), Shelburne Falls is worth a visit.
More about me:
Farmer, florist, business owner, textile artist, author, sheep wrangler: I wear many hats. I love learning, teaching, making things grow, and working with my hands (which I don’t mind getting dirty). I believe beauty and creativity are essential to well being. They are part of daily practice here. In my 7th decade as citizen of this planet, I find all of this work to be deeply rewarding, the key to self preservation, especially in these challenging and uncertain times.