In her second season growing and selling flowers, a Saanich farmer looks forward to meeting some of her patrons with a build-your-own bouquet bar.
Now entering their fourth summer on the farm, Kaitlyn Matulewicz, partner Erik Beerepoot and more recently their little one, started selling a little veg, potatoes and garlic at the House of Orange Farm stand on Oldfield Road.
“As I started to get more involved with the farming, I started gravitating to the flowers because they spread joy,” she said. That investment only grew during her maternity leave, and after struggling to find childcare, she turned to the Sidney market as a new source of revenue. Last summer, the farm attended every other market, and this year, the couple will double down and be there each Thursday evening starting in June.
With a broader selection available and some bigger events under her belt, Matulewicz is embarking on a fun event to mark Mother’s Day. The stand will feature ready-made bouquets on May 10 and 11, but Sunday is the fun day.
She’s put together a two-hour event from 2 to 4 p.m. where folks can bring by a loved one, or just swing past themselves, and create at a build-your-own bouquet bar. “And then they get to meet their flower farmer,” she said.
Matulewiz selects seasonal flowers for their colour, smell and form, including some specialty varieties.
“We’re located in Oldfield Valley, which is gorgeous, and one of our core values is that we want to care for the environment as we grow the flowers,” Matulewicz said. “We are a small regenerative farm and we don’t use harmful sprays; we use a lot of beneficial plants and bring in insect predators if there is a pest problem.”
Everyone’s been supportive, evidenced by the zealous response to citrus appearing in the stand this winter. “We don’t have a lot to sell other than dry flowers and holiday wreaths (at that time),” Matulewicz said, adding the community vehemently answered her partner's question of “is anyone going to buy lemons?"
They sold out in two weeks.
“We had people knocking on the door asking if we had more. It was wild. It blew their minds we could grow citrus here,” Matulewicz said.
The next crop is anticipated at the end of the year.
In the meantime, those looking for cut ranunculus, tulips, sweet peas and more on Mother’s Day can visit the stand at 5987 Oldfield Rd. Pop by between 2 and 4 p.m. to meet the grower and build a bouquet. Visit houseoforange.farm for more information.
“We’re nestled in the gorgeous valley surrounded by other farms and farm stands,” Matulewicz said, encouraging folks to make a day of it. “There’s lots to do around here.”
