Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Deladurantey
Kathryn, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My grandmother (born in 1922) was passionate about plants and, well, most of all, if you couldn’t guess it by now, were flowers………Yes, she grew and grew all kinds of flowers. It was her greatest love.The one thing you and I could learn most from her is…..
“If your plant isn’t happy….Move it, and keep moving it until it is in a place where it is happy and growing well.”
Wisdom from a long-time avid gardener….
Though I never knew my grandmother very well.
Every bit of the flower gene was born into my mom……
Ever since I was born, my mom has had gardens stuffed with every kind of bloom!
Somewhere, there is a video of me, 3, years old, walking through her herb garden, trying to pronounce the names of the flowers. LOL
But my love for flowers and dream of bringing them to the public sparked in the years I grew up on our farm in TN. It was the perfect breeding ground for the love of nature.
We lived in the rolling hills of Santa Fe, Tennesee, in a yellow Victorian house, and the grounds, gardens, old rock walls, and huge sweeping trees… It was perfect!
Arranging as many bouquets as I wanted, and that is where it all started.
After graduating…..
I steered in the direction of flower farming, and good thing I did…..
After being in the flower farming world for one year, I tried to work in a floral shop.
Yes, I “Tried”
But what happened…Well, on my second day, I started unboxing flowers that had just been shipped in, and…it hit me.
“I was looking at hundreds of blooms, and it was as if they didn’t exist; why wasn’t I overjoyed with all these flowers that it would have taken me ages to grow, hours of labor, sweat, tears, and planning.”
These commercial flowers felt dead; no joy, love, or excitement radiated.
So, I never went back to the flower shop world.
I was cured….Please give me my flower farm back and all its hard work.
There is nothing in the world like planting seeds, and it actually sprouts, caring and patiently waiting for it to bloom while keeping it alive, that plant, once it blooms is far more beautiful than loads of commercially grown flowers could ever give you.
So, why am I here????
I am here to bring inspiring designs filled with blooms you can’t get at a flower shop, flowers that have tears, blood, and sweat dripped over them, and maybe that is what makes them radiate with intense beauty; it’s because of the love poured over them and the Texas sunshine.
I started the farm with no social media no clients and hardly any connections.
I began going door to door with my flowers, selling them one bouquet at a time.
This led to supply banks, and individual customers with a weekly delivery schedule, opening the door for teaching floral design at small pop-up events held with local businesses!
As time went on I landed on supplying three grocery stores, including the Isodore restaurant with edible flowers for their cuisine.
The truth has been for me that fresh and local flowers bring so much joy into people’s lives, lowering stress, and helping people connect with nature through a healthier product.
But what we are all missing mostly in life is unique places and spaces that create joy in our lives, and help us connect with loved ones in our lives, most kids never get a chance to be on a real farm or understand nature and how things grow!
That is why we now open our farm to the public every Friday from 5-7 pm giving families access to all the above lost loves and joys. By bringing family and friends to the farm to build their own flower bouquets right In the field through our U-pick program.
We also host a celebration of spring event called “Market on the Farm: Ag weekend” When the flowers are at their height, and promote our love for sharing lost trades and the ways things are made we bring in many vendors that share their craft and trade through hands-on displays with the public, along with live music and food trucks. This is one of the most special weekends taking place May 16-17 4-7 pm.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Starting any business is never easy it takes determination and a love for who you are serving.
To overcome the fear of failing, fear of rejection and embracement…..You must have a greater purpose to propel you forward.
Texas is not the easiest place to flower farm, between droughts, poor soil, insects, and water pH levels…..none of it is easy.
My first summer season was filled with rainy and cool days perfect for flowers… That fall with my limited experience I woke up one morning to whole flower heads completely gone to a huge caterpillar infestation, and then to wild hogs tearing up my garden.
This was a valuable lesson in understanding seasons and what to prevent when.
The following year, summer came and I suffered a large and long drought, which then created a grasshopper plague. They destroy leaves and flower petals to an insane level.
I was learning how to prevent these things in a way that was safe and promoting a healthy garden while still trying to produce vibrant and beautiful blooms.
I still had to tackle how to sell these flowers. Finding customers is every new business struggle. Like I said I went door to door….and being turned down is every door-to-door salesman’s struggle.
Being turned down so many times can become very discouraging. And having a big support system behind me is what kept me moving forward.
After growing and building Sunny Hill….I almost quit flower farming altogether, I hit a huge loss after I lost 6,000 tulips in a refrigeration error. I found myself hand scooping up 6,000 mushy moldy tulips off a concrete floor, staring at my entire spring flower crop. Having to call customers to refund money and eat this cost almost broke me….But those around me told me to pick up and keep moving.
That year I was hosting one of my largest events at the farm, when the night before this event a hail storm hit the farm, as I watched the rain pouring down. Just praying and hoping the flowers would make it through this very scary time. As the sun rose the next morning we surveyed the farm by some miracle not one plant was damaged and we moved on to host around 400 people that weekend.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a flower farmer growing fresh-cut flowers for my local community.
We do not only deliver flowers to weekly customers, but teach floral design classes, and floral design for large events and weddings.
But also my passion is to unite people with nature and agriculture by opening our farm and our flowers to the public. Most flower farms do not give people access to the farm. We open our farm every Friday 5-7 pm for families and friends to cut and build their flower bouquets in the field.
We also have such a mission to educate young and old through our farm, by hosting educational events through our event Market at the Farm May 16th-17th where we bring in so many educators from lost arts such as in leather working, blacksmith, woodworking, homesteading, and agriculture. Giving people space and experience for some of the best memories to make in spring as you wander through the blooms, with a live band playing, while tasting unique and fun cuisine, also bringing fun kid experience through farm games, hay slides, and live farm activities.
We also allow bookings for field trips to the farm, where we share with our young visitors, seed starting, and natural dyes!
There is nothing even better than capturing memories in local flowers. We also allow photographers to book mini sessions at the farm for so many beautiful families to save these years.
We are also unique in the fact that if you are looking for a fun and creative space to host a baby shower, wedding shower, or teambuilding event we rent our farm out for all these lovely gatherings.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck for me has nothing to do with it….All good things come to those who work hard, serve others, and trust God with the outcome.
I am a Christian, so I know and trust that He is working everything for my good according to His will for his glory!
Pricing:
- $25 to cut flowers at our weekly U-pick every Friday starting April 25th *Prepaying for your ticket online is required
- 10 for parking at our Market at the Farm Ag weekend
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sunny-hill-flower-farm.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunnyhillflowerfarm2023/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091954042512
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzLKQJaA7WAFF_U4ilf2Osw
Image Credits
Photographers:
Shiloh Photography
The photo Studio Lockhart
