Field Trip: Brittany Hollow Farm

There is something about flowers. For centuries, people have been fascinated with them, gifting them to express our joy, love, sympathy, congratulations, and well-wishes for just about any occasion. They elicit emotion, bring smiles to faces, and beauty to the world. Flowers are one of nature’s many miracles.

I’ve always loved flowers; being around them makes me happy. Their wide range of colors, variety of shapes, and the pollinators they attract all fascinate me. I can’t help but smile when I am in their presence, and I can feel the stresses of daily life melt away whenever they are near. So, when I got the chance to visit Brittany Hollow Farm, I couldn’t wait to jump in the car. What could be better than spending a morning surrounded by acres of flowers?

Brittany Hollow Farm is a three-acre cut flower farm set in the Hudson Valley of New York. They have been growing beautiful cut flowers since 2008, offering a pick-your-own experience within the community. The farm is owned by the Mosher family, who have been farming in Rhinebeck, NY, for over 35 years. They provide buckets and clippers for those who want to pick their flowers as well as pre-picked bouquets when available. They also host bridal parties that wish to pick flowers for their events. Each year the farm grows new flower varieties. Still, you are sure to find some of the favorite cut flower types: butterfly weed, celosia, cleome, cockscomb, cosmos, amaranthus, gomphrena, snapdragons, statice, sunflowers, strawflowers, and zinnias.

My dear friend and I arrived at the farm early in the morning, shortly after opening. We chose this time to beat the day’s heat and pick the flowers while they were well hydrated for longer vase-life. When I stepped out of the car, I was in awe. The fields before me stood bejeweled with every color of the rainbow. Thousands of flowers gently swayed in the breeze, beckoning me to come and play among them. I was giddy as I pre-paid for my bright and cheery 1-gallon flower bucket (the farm operates on the honor system, accepting cash or check only, a fact that only endears me more to this family-owned business). Like a kid in a candy store, I walked up and down the rows of blooms, wanting them all. Many were familiar favorites that I could not resist; others were new-to-me varieties that I couldn’t wait to bring home. It didn’t take long for our buckets to start filling up.

We spent nearly two hours roaming the fields, perfectly content as we chatted and cut stems. Once in a while, we’d compare buckets and ooh and ahh over the other’s flower choices. Bees and butterflies wistfully went about their work all around us, occasionally landing on the flowers we’d picked in our buckets as if to admire our work.

Eventually, we had walked each row, and our buckets were bursting with beautiful blooms. I didn’t want to leave the magical flower fields at Brittany Hollow Farm, where I had blissfully spent the morning among the blooms. However, I knew that I would return now that the pick-your-own flower farm bug had bitten me.

Once home, I placed my flowers in a cool place to rest for a few hours before setting out to create an arrangement later that afternoon. As I took each stem out of the bucket before arranging, I admired their color, fragrance, and beauty. Then, like a jig-saw puzzle, I started placing each stem into place within the arrangement, humming while I worked. When finished, I stood back and once again was struck by how happy flora makes me. And, thanks to vases of cut flowers scattered throughout the house, this feeling can last well beyond the time I spent in the field.

I know I will return to Brittany Hollow Farm during this growing season and beyond; I cannot resist experiencing the joy of playing among the blooms, bees, and butterflies for long. Besides, my flower bucket is now empty, and it taunts me whenever I walk by; and we can’t have that.

To Find Out More, Visit: Brittany Hollow Farm