Kristi Gill of Gill Hill Flower Farm in West Friendship, Maryland, works hard to preserve and protect the earth. “I want to provide an environmentally responsible alternative to sourcing flowers from abroad that are heavily treated with pesticides and chemicals,” Kristi said. “I spray zero chemicals, and try to use the most sustainable practices I can. In addition to flowers, I have planted lots of vegetable and fruit trees, put in bee hives, and we keep chickens, all in an effort to grow and produce as much of our own food as possible.”
This year will be the second year that Gill Hill Flower Farm is growing commercially, and Kristi’s focus is on selling to florists. To help ensure a consistent availability list, Kristi uses the Rooted Farmers platform. “It’s free to sign up and super easy to use, and I highly recommend that all florists interested in using local products check it out if they haven’t done so already. I update what I have available on the site twice a week, and any buyers connected with me receive notification when I have done so.”
Gill Hill Flower Farm was established in 2021, and is 100% female owned and operated. For Kristi, farming offers autonomy, something she appreciates as a Mom. “I wanted the flexibility of working for myself and controlling the direction of my farm business, while still being able to be home for when my child gets off the bus after school.”
Growing flowers gives Kristi the opportunity to share her love for them, and, as she says, bring, “color and cheer to my little corner of the world. I get to work outside with nature, constantly challenging myself physically and mentally.”
Gill Hill offers early crops in March and April, including daffodils, anemones, and ranunculus. These give way to a variety of cool hardy annuals in May, including feverfew, bupleurum, Bells of Ireland, dianthus, nigella, scabiosa, snapdragons, as well as peonies and irises. Main crops in summer are sunflowers, zinnias, ageratum, asters, gladiolus, cosmos, celosia, lisianthus, amaranth, and gomphrena, followed in fall by dahlias and marigolds. Herbs and grasses provide unique foliage options.
Like other growers, Kristi has found the flower farmer community welcoming. “I greatly admire and respect the sense of community and camaraderie that growers share,” she said. “My mission is to educate the public about the realities of the floral trade as they know it, and to be an inspiring example of small-scale, regenerative agriculture for the next generation.”
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