ISLAND FLOWER FARM

Some people in this world shine brightly; their everyday way of life aligning so completely with their values and the world they want to live in that it’s easy to be inspired.

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Summer’s bounty in the greenhouse. Flowers in bucket are zinnias. Photo by Taryn Pickard of Innocent Thunder photography (https://www.facebook.com/ InnocentThunderPhotography/)

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Cosmos. Photo by Taryn Pickard Parrot tulips (on top) and doublepeony tulips (bottom). Photo taken the first year tulips were grown on the farm. That year, 3,000 were grown; four years later, 10,000.

large image A lovely shot of the greenhouse taken mid-summer at dusk

Bronwyn Wheeler is one of

those people. She and her partner Chris Snook own and operate Island Flower Farm, 10 km west of Qualicum Beach. They, and their chocolate lab Charlie who helps out from time to time, grow tens of thousands of flowers on five organically-tended acres. The motto at Island Flower Farm is ‘Grown Not Flown’ and they pride themselves on providing their community with speciality blooms inspired by the west coast and reflective of the changing seasons without an enormous carbon footprint.

They grow over 300 different varieties of flowers—ranunculus, anemones, tulips, daffodils, dahlias, sunflowers, sweet peas, lisianthus— anything they can grow, they will grow. Bronwyn is self-taught and has learnt a lot from Chris who studied permaculture in Australia. While she clearly has a talent — and passion — for farming flowers, before she met Chris, she had never planted a seed. She had never managed crops or run her own business. It’s hard work but just as flowers are steeped in romance, so too is the life she shares with Chris. They are both from Vancouver Island and through the farm and the connection they have with their customers, the Island is feeling very homey these days. The couple met online while Bronwyn was going to school to be a social worker. They had their first date at the boardwalk outside the Visitor's Centre in Qualicum Beach, and they've been growing together ever since.

“We both felt so privileged in our own lives, and we're both motivated by wanting to make change in our community,” Bronwyn says. “We had a yearning and desire to give back. I always wanted a job to align with my views of the world and values

and morals and bring that to my work every day. I think Chris felt the same way. At first, we thought we could do that through food.”

When they started their farming adventure in 2013 as Vertgen Farms, Bronwyn and Chris only grew produce. They would take their harvest to the Qualicum Beach Farmer’s Market each Saturday and watch the customers line up at the other produce tents. They would haul their unsold food back home while others were selling out. “We were really struggling.” At that time, they had a little pot of flowers at their tent, and people kept asking for them. “That’s what made people excited. The food wasn’t doing it for them, so we went towards what people wanted. A farmer grows greens for salad mix. We grow flowers for bouquets.”

It’s a year of renewal for them, as this is the first year they have dedicated 100% of their efforts toward farming flowers, and now, it seems, the struggle has reversed. “Growth… it’s an ongoing battle between Chis and I, and for me in my own head,” Bronwyn says. “We really like to keep things small, but the flower side of me would love to expand and grow more flowers and have a huge farm.”

Island Flower Farm has been focussing on weddings lately and are now booking them a full year, if not more, in advance. “This winter, I really focussed on helping brides plan a more sustainable wedding. There aren’t a lot of conversations about having a low carbon footprint wedding, but I think it's getting there.” That low carbon footprint doesn’t usually come with the grocery store bouquets. Many flown-in flowers, wrapped in plastic, are already a week old – or more – by the time they reach your vase. Sometimes, they are even sprayed to smell nice because they’re bred for transport, not fragrance.

Bronwyn loves showing people new things. “There are hundreds of different varieties of daffodils, some date back to the 1800s,” she notes. “Daffodils can be scented. They can have two blooms, three blooms; they all have stories and history, and that makes them even more exciting to grow.”

Given the new COVID-19 protocols in place, Island Flower Farm can no longer sell flowers at farmer’s markets, so for the time being the best way to buy their flowers is through their website’s online ordering system at: islandflowerfarm.ca. You can sign up for their monthly bouquet subscriptions… and June has already sold out! They are also offering weekly, contactless bouquet pick-up/delivery service for flowers in bloom. These are posted every Monday for sale, and the orders are ready for delivery (or farm pick-up) the following Saturday.

And if you need some floral inspiration, follow their beautiful photos and posts on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest!

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Dahlias. Fragrant phlox