Pumpkins and colorful blooms abound on this South Dakota flower farm, which has quickly become a beloved hub in its community with its special events and U-Pick gardens.
Christy Heckathorn lives in “one of the prettiest places in Union County, South Dakota,” a title bestowed by those familiar with her patch of paradise. Seeing these photos on these pages is all the proof you’ll need to agree. The farmer-florist owns Fleurish Flower Farm with her husband, Chad, a corn- and soybean-seed dealer and row-crop grower, and she spends her days on a half-acre fairytale farm bursting with blooms.
“We host public U-Pick events, which run from mid-July to October, and also sell specialty pumpkins that we raise,” Christy says. The farm has become a central heart of the community, coming alive not only with flowers but with the pulse of the guests who pick the blossoms while enjoying a local coffee truck, live music and sweet-treat vendors. Everyone gets to leave with their souls, spirits—and arms—filled by nature.
New Ground
When the Heckathorns purchased the farm in 2015 it was because Chad needed a larger facility to store his seed-treatment business. “At that time, the idea of having a flower farm hadn’t even entered my head,” Christy says. But soon the first seeds of the idea took root and sought the sun of possibility, resulting in the flourishing little Garden of Eden that it is today, bursting with zinnias, dahlias, bachelor buttons, black-eyed Susans, cosmos, snapdragons, strawflowers, amaranth and more.
It was new ground for the couple. “We are a farming family that has roots in agriculture, and I have lots of experience as a wedding florist,” Christy explains, “but starting a flower farm exclusively for flowers was definitely branching out for us.” She took a flower-farming class during the pandemic and got her hands dirty, converting a small alfalfa field on their property into the flower farm. “I was determined to run the tiller myself to get the area ready for flower beds and rows of flowers,” she says. It took many passes with the tiller to get the ground ready. The first two summers of the flower farm were extremely hot and dry, and the couple was forced to run their irrigation constantly. Soon, it became a round-the-clock endeavor to keep the flowers alive, but eventually the weather improved and the flowers began to thrive.
Sweet Memories
One of the many heartwarming aspects of the flower farm is the small summer kitchen—a relic from the farm’s past where cooking used to be done during the hot months to avoid overheating the home. The original farmhouse itself was far beyond repair, but Christy found herself drawn to the charmingly rustic structure and the story of the woman who had once lived there, Thelma Kalstad, and also poured herself into the land. Some of Thelma’s flowers still bloom around the summer kitchen, including iris, forget-me-nots, phlox and lily of the valley. “It’s a living piece of history,” Christy says.
Now it is home to vendors who display their goods there and the doors are always open, inviting guests to wander around and see a snapshot of life in days gone by. Visitors love to take their picture in front of the farmhouse or while sitting on the swing after they’ve picked their bouquets. Christy often sets the table with pretty dishes and floral arrangements. The summer kitchen is in the farm’s logo and signage, and has become symbolic of the flower farm.
Visitors love being able to explore the flowers and experience the sights and smells of rows and rows of blooms. Christy loves venturing out to chat with the flower farm’s guests. “We always bond over our mutual love of flowers, and people will share their stories with me of how flowers have been a part of special memories for them in their own lives,” Christy says. “I get lost so easily in flowers, and it’s wonderful to create a place where everyone else can too!”
To learn more visit @fleurishfix on Instagram.
