Sustainable, Seasonal & Beautiful Flowers in the Hudson Valley
“We like to make sure that when you get home your flower show starts, and you can have them as long as possible,” said Jennifer of Six Dutchess Farm.
Six Dutchess Farm is a 12 acre flower and fiber farm located in Dutchess County. Jennifer Kouvant and Hans Li, Owners of the farm have a sustainable and seasonal approach to farming. They grow with the seasons, are as natural as possible and treat their flowers with love and respect. They don’t like to use anything that’s toxic, or harmful to the environment, humans, animals or insects. Ensuring that the flowers are safe and beautiful for your home.
Hans had purchased the property shortly after 9/11, when it originally was a horse paddock. Overtime, they had transformed it into a beautiful oasis where everything on the farm works together to create one harmonious environment. They try to make everything on the farm edible, so anytime an old tree falls down they try to replace it with something edible for people, or for the pollinators. The process of turning it into a flower and fiber farm started in 2017. In the beginning, they started a very small flower CSA for some friends, then did retail flower sales to local shops and bakeries that they loved, and eventually they ended up doing their very first market which was the first of many as they are now doing a few markets each year.
Buying locally grown flowers has great benefits including high-quality gorgeous blooms, longevity, creating a smaller carbon footprint and supporting your local flower farms. Jennifer and Hans love being able to connect with people, and share the floral seasons with everyone at the markets. In preparation for market, Jennifer will often go out to the flower beds and freshly harvest each stem by hand the day before. After harvesting, she will curate the bouquets. One of the many things she focuses on is the color combinations, and what works together visually in each bouquet to capture the eye and look beautiful in a vase in your home. At the markets, she organizes the blooms by colors as well so you can go to what captures your eye. The second thing she focuses on is longevity, and making sure that you will be able to cherish your flowers and have them last more than a day. “I highly encourage you to check out locally grown flowers so you can see the difference, see how much longer they last, how gorgeous they are, and how much it means to your local farmers and small farms because it creates a sustainable industry and everybody wins in the end, said Jennifer.”
This will be Six Dutchess Farm’s first year at the Hudson Valley Farm & Flea. You can expect lots of gorgeous Dahlias in all colors including autumnal hues and blush pinks, scentless Asiatic lilies, long lasting Alstroemeria, mixed bouquets curated with Snap Dragons, Veronica, Verbena and more. Meet Jennifer and Hans and pick up a gorgeous bouquet this Saturday, October 12th from 10am – 4pm at Hudson Valley Farm & Flea in Monroe, NY.
