Bear Creek Farm in Stanfordville, New York
Whenever time allows, I always enjoy visiting area nurseries, gardens, and flower farms to see their inventory, learn about their plant varieties, and talk with their passionate growers.
Not long ago, I visited Bear Creek Farm, an enchanting establishment in the tiny hamlet of Stanfordville, New York. It's where proprietor, Debra Kaye, grows hundreds of beautiful flowers - breathtaking dahlias, heirloom chrysanthemums, Japanese anemones, peonies, zinnias, and so many more. Bear Creek Farm sells an array of flowers, tubers and seeds and hosts several interesting flower workshops through the year. If you love growing flowers as much as I do, please go to their web site - just click on the highlighted link - to find out more about their offerings.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- At Bear Creek Farm this area overlooks the lavender and peony fields. In the center is a an antique Beauty Bush, Kolkwitzia amabilis, planted in 1901, long before Debra acquired the property. A Beauty Bush is a dense, upright arching deciduous shrub that features a profusion of small pink blooms in summer.
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- Bear Creek Farm is located in New York’s Hudson Valley, less than two hours from Manhattan. (Photo courtesy of Bear Creek Farm)
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- The farm grows hundreds of stunning dahlias. Dahlias are planted from tubers, which are underground bulbs that store energy for the plant’s growth. The bright orange blooms on the right are ‘Bizon Bronze’ which grow up to six inches in diameter. Behind them are the medium sized ‘Shaggy Chic’ dahlias and also ‘Lilac Time,’ a pretty lavender colored bloom. Dahlias come in a large array of colors including Dahlia colors include white, yellow, orange, bronze, flame, red, pink, lilac, lavender, mauve, purple, wines, and violets. Some dahlias even bloom in multiple colors at once, but there is no blue.
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- In the front are ‘Myrtle’s Folly’ and ‘Jowey Brochant’ – an award-winning flower that starts with a red-orange center that becomes more pronounced as the flower grows.
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- This variety is called ‘Belle of Barmera’ which boasts large dinner plate sized blooms in coral-raspberry with peach colored centers.
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- This is ‘Break Out,’ a light colored soft dahlia that features eight to 10 inch blooms on short stems.
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- This bold dark pink flower is ‘Omega’ – a standout variety loved for its large flowers and rich color. In fact, unlike plants that use scent to attract, dahlias rely on their amazing spectrum of color to make them attractive to pollinating insects.
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- ‘Vassio Meggos’ is another large dahlia in bold lavender. The genus Dahlia is native to the high plains of Mexico. Some species can be found in Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Costa Rica as well as parts of South America where it was introduced.
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- This dahlia variety is called ‘Hercules’ with eight inch blooms and a golden-orange hue.
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- ‘Islander’ is a giant salmon-pink variety with ruffled blooms and strong stems. The dahlia was first recorded by Westerners back in 1615. Back then they were called by their original name which was acoctli. The first garden dahlias reached the United States in the early 1830s. Today, dahlias are grown all over the world.
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- ‘Sandra’ or ‘Pink Sylvia’ is a popular miniature dahlia in hot bubble pink.
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- Here’s Debra in the conditioning room preparing the dahlias for shipping. This room is where all the dahlias are stored immediately after cutting. And here’s a tip: using a sturdy bucket, pour in two-inches of boiling hot water – 160-degrees to 180-degrees Fahrenheit and let flowers sit in the container for a little more than an hour. This will allow the water to be absorbed through the stems and help the blooms last longer.
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- Outside, I was able to see some of the planted garden beds. Here is a bed of dark pink Japanese anemones. I also love anemones and grow pink and white ones at my farm.
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- Here are some white Japanese anemones. The Japanese anemone, or Anemone hupehensis, is a perennial that produces delicate saucer-shaped flowers in pink, white and purple. It is also called Japanese thimbleweed or wildflower.
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- The cultivated gardens at Bear Creek Farm take up just more than seven acres – all meticulously maintained.
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- Debra’s husband wanted to create a relaxing area by their stream, so they reached out to an artisan to make three of these benches – all hand made with custom selected woods. Debra uses the space for flower arranging workshops. (Photo courtesy of Bear Creek Farm)
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- The vegetable garden is planted with many marigolds to keep pesky insects away.
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- This bed shows two rows of zinnias with a middle row ground cover of creeping thyme – it’s so pretty.
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- And this is one of several chrysanthemum tunnels. Right now, they’re just beginning to bloom – a little late this year. In spring, these houses hold hundreds of Iceland poppies.
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- And here I am joined by Debra and my friend, artist and owner of Clove Brook Farm, Christopher Spitzmiller. Please go to BearCreekFarm.com to learn more about its flowers and workshops.
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