The Bumbling Bee Flower Farm was established in April 2021 , and it ’ s thriving in the cool climate of Erie County . Kristin Smock grew up around farming , with grandparents who owned Happy Valley Orchards , a 14-acre farm in East Springfield that produced peaches and apples for the local schools and grocers .
“ I always wanted to farm , but I started out as an interior designer . Now I work for a construction company . But I still wanted to do something creative . Growing flowers seemed like the perfect combination of two things I love — farming and design .”
She grows anything that you ’ ll see in a flower shop , except for roses . She also has plenty of flowers you may not typically find , with 45 to 50 varieties . One of her more unusual offerings are her dahlias , and she usually has about 2,000 of them ! Kristin also grows sunflowers , lilies and lots of tulips . Tulips do well in the local climate . She plants several cool flower varieties in mid-March that bloom in May .
Though many of her flowers are grown outside , she also grows in greenhouses and will have fresh local flowers available until Thanksgiving . At Christmas she offers wreaths , garlands and other decorative items . Spring will be a busy
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“ It ’ s very important to our family to be a part of the community and produce something that makes people happy .”
WEST COUNTY ❘ SPRING 2024 13