Fleurish Flower Farm Hosts You-Pick Events
A gravel driveway off of South Dakota Highway 50 leads to Fleurish Flower Farm. The farm started in the spring of 2021 and is now in its third season. Christy Heckathorn, who is the founder, farmer and florist behind Fleurish Flower Farm, started the farm as her creative outlet.
“I have a lot of actual floral design experience, but I didn’t really have any experience in growing flowers,” Heckathorn said. “So I had to learn the growing side of things, and once I kind of learned that, I knew that there were all sorts of flowers that I wanted to grow just because I’ve worked with a bunch of different things and I’m just interested in flowers in general. So what could have been maybe just a small little patch of flowers turned into a big patch of flowers.”
The Fleurish Flower Farm’s logo has a cottage, which is based on the history of the farm. The last people who owned the farm before Heckathorn were Thelma Kalstad and her family. Heckathorn has restored the cottage over the years to keep the history alive.
“I have a little cottage on it that is over a hundred years old that has vines that are growing on it and has a swing underneath the front porch,” Heckathorn said. “It’s just kind of become like the central part of the farm, probably the most noticeable thing when you come to the farm besides the flowers is this little cottage. We call it the summer kitchen because that’s what it was back in the day. It was a house that they used as a second kitchen to do all their cooking and canning and so they wouldn’t heat up their farm house.”
Fleurish Flower Farm offers both You-Pick and private events. You-Pick events are on every Sunday and Wednesday night from 5 p.m. till 9 p.m.
“For whoever comes to a You-Pick night, we have different sized containers out and you can pick a container or a cup or like a larger pitcher,” Heckathorn said. “We provide the clippers for you, the water and kind of a little bit of instructions on what to do. Then you go out and you can cut whatever you want for flowers. Sometimes people are out there for 15-to-20 minutes and some people are out there for like an hour and a half picking. It just depends on how many flowers they want or how detailed they are going to get as far as arranging them.”
You-Pick nights are not just about the flowers. Other festivities such as live music and food trucks are available too.
“The other thing I want to add is that on Sunday nights, we always have live music here,” Heckathorn said. “So I have local musicians and artists who come and sing. I always have like a coffee truck here and we usually have like one or two food vendors. So it’s not just the flowers, it’s kind of an experience when you come here.”
Although the season is coming to an end, Heckathorn is grateful for the business that she has gotten from local college students and their support.
“I am super appreciative of the USD community,” Heckathorn said. “We have a lot of college kids that come out here and I love it that they come here and they go back and tell their friends, and then they bring their friends. They come here to take pictures and hang out. I am very, very appreciative of that.”
The last day of the season for Fleurish Flower Farm is Wednesday, Sept. 27. For more information about You-Pick or private events at Fleurish Floral Farms, visit their website at https://www.fleurishflowerfarm.org/.
