beauty Home Grown

In a world of faster is better and time is money, there’s nothing quite as refreshing as stopping to smell the roses.

“I’ve never felt so driven to do something,” Joy says. “I can see myself doing this as long as I can walk and talk.” The joy of this experience has made a lasting impression on her. With each flower Joy plants, she is reminded that the hardships and trials we face ultimately lead us exactly where we belong.

JJoy Holway, owner of Joy’s Cut Flower Farm, never fully appreciated the beauty and warmth flowers can add to one’s life until she needed it the most. Having grown a vegetable garden for most of her adult life, she did not see purpose in anything that did not provide physical sustainment. “Why would I grow something I couldn’t eat?” she would ask herself. “Why waste time on something that wasn’t edible? But now, I don’t want to grow anything but flowers.”

When she suffered a personal loss, she found solace surrounded by fresh air and new life. “It’s been through a period of emotional sadness that this was born,” Joy admits. “Flowers are healing. When you’ve had a loss and you plant a seed, there’s hope. That is what gardens represent for me.” In the summer of 2020, the flower garden became a place of beauty that Joy nurtured and comforted through her own suffering and pain.

When starting her business, Joy admits, “I was foreseeing all this negativity and bracing myself for it, and I haven’t had any of that. I’ve only had encouragement, appreciation and admiration for what I’m doing.” The community has embraced Joy’s Cut Flower Farm in a way she could have never predicted, and the outcome is overwhelming.

In addition to working as a dietitian consultant for Skilled Nursing Facilities, Joy teaches barre and roller classes at a local yoga studio. Wanting to share the beauty from her garden with others, Joy began taking fresh flower bouquets into the yoga studio. “The studio owner would lay them on the front counter,” Joy says. The fresh arrangements sparked many conversations with yogis, and soon people were requesting to buy Joy’s bouquets.

“It was practice for me and it was a way to try different things, make mistakes, see what lasted,” Joy says. Excited by this new prospect, she quickly got to work and arranged beautiful bouquets on demand. Before long, Joy’s Cut Flower Farm had blossomed into the beautiful business it is today.

With the sky as her limit, Joy planted flowers she had never even heard of before. “When I began looking into what you could grow, it was so different,” she shares. “I planted seeds I had no idea what they were going to look like when they bloomed because I’d never seen them before.”

Joy loved the novelty she found with every new flower she grew. She planted scabiosas, perennials, zinnias, dahlias – you name it.

“What’s really fun about this area is you can plant seeds in the fall,” Joy explains. When she plants flowers in October and November, they grow slowly over the winter months and bloom in the early spring. “You barely have to weed; you barely have to look for pests,” she says. Once bloomed, these flowers continue production through the summer. “I got an extra three months of flower production because I planted in the fall,” she tells me.

Joy adds her own unique touch to the garden. Each day, customers are greeted by an adorable sign that welcomes them into Joy’s Cut Flower Farm. They enjoy browsing her plants and walking the beautiful, fragrant grounds. Many customers select a fresh bouquet for their own enjoyment or that of a loved one. Joy sells her bouquets for a flat rate of $30 and customers love the consistent quality of each one.

In addition to a single purchase, Joy offers bouquet subscriptions for those wanting more than one arrangement…with the option of a fresh arrangement once a week for a month, once a month through the growing season, or once every other week, customers can enjoy a constant flow of fresh beauty in their homes. “With the seasonality of flowers, I can cater color choices to light and pastel to dark and moody tones,” Joy says.

To make her flowers accessible to the public, she enjoys participating in local farmers’ markets. “I have been to Tift Community Market selling hand-tied bouquets,” she says of the spring time Saturday market. “People seemed to enjoy when I had all the individual flowers in a bucket and arranged the bouquets live in front of them.” Through this market, she has made valuable friendships with local shoppers and other vendors as well.

However, she adds, “I prepare people that their selection of choice is limited to what is growing.”

Committed to selling the best flowers of the moment, Joy says, “I only use what is most beautiful in bloom in that week. In two or three weeks, it will be another flower that is beautiful and primed.” Her customers appreciate this level of dedication and trust her to make a wonderful arrangement.

In addition to a single purchase, Joy offers bouquet subscriptions for those wanting more than one arrangement…with the option of a fresh arrangement once a week for a month, once a month through the growing season, or once every other week, customers can enjoy a constant flow of fresh beauty in their homes. “With the seasonality of flowers, I can cater color choices to light and pastel to dark and moody tones,” Joy says.

To make her flowers accessible to the public, she enjoys participating in local farmers’ markets. “I have been to Tift Community Market selling hand-tied bouquets,” she says of the spring time Saturday market. “People seemed to enjoy when I had all the individual flowers in a bucket and arranged the bouquets live in front of them.”

Through this market, she has made valuable friendships with local shoppers and other vendors as well.

When she suffered a personal loss, she found solace surrounded by fresh air and new life.

“It’s been through a period of emotional sadness that this was born,” Joy admits.

“Flowers are healing. When you’ve had a loss and you plant a seed, there’s hope. That is what gardens represent for me.” In the summer of 2020, the flower garden became a place of beauty that Joy nurtured and comforted through her own suffering and pain.

While passionate about what she does, Joy is not unaware to the woes of working in the garden. “Gardening is not fun,” she admits. “Gardening is sweaty, dirty, extra laundry, dirty shoes.” However, the reward comes when the flowers bloom. “The best part is sharing the flowers and seeing the look of people’s faces when they see my bouquets.”

While gardening is not an exact science, Joy explains she is constantly learning and growing as a gardener.

“If a plant doesn’t work out, that’s just normal,” she says breezily. “It’s okay. Try again, do some research and find out what that plant likes.” Her candid approach to gardening creates a calming atmosphere that draws people to her business.

In addition to local vendors, Joy speaks highly of florist and business owner Diane Goff of Way’s House of Flowers. “She’s been doing this, I think, 30 years,” Joy says. “She has been so supportive of my locally grown flowers.” Joy is thankful for the graciousness of others that continue to support her throughout this process.

When starting her business, Joy admits, “I was foreseeing all this negativity and bracing myself for it, and I haven’t had any of that. I’ve only had encouragement, appreciation and admiration for what I’m doing.” The community has embraced Joy’s Cut Flower Farm in a way she could have never predicted, and the outcome is overwhelming.

Through a time of uncertainty and loss, Joy channeled her energy towards healing and chose to grow through the pain. Her dedication to fostering new life is a beautiful representation of the beauty that can be found through every stage of life.

“I’ve never felt so driven to do something,” Joy says. “I can see myself doing this as long as I can walk and talk.” The joy of this experience has made a lasting impression on her. With each flower Joy plants, she is reminded that the hardships and trials we face ultimately lead us exactly where we belong.ALM