Flower Moon Farm - Our Story

Flower Moon Farm was named for the day that we bought the farm.

Like many other folks, the high price of rent forced us out of our home of almost twenty years in Canmore, AB. It was a very sad day when we were forced economically to leave a place where we had established our friendships, our family and our community.

Like many settlers down through the ages, 'economic eviction' and displacement is a commonplace occurrence in Canada with housing prices and housing security being what they are. And so, with the help of family and friends, we started looking for a new place to call home. There were many days we thought we would be living in our trailer, and we were thankful to think that we could even DO that.

After seven offers on six different places all over Alberta, we were fortunate enough to find this idyllic 11.25 acre farm that had been settled and farmed by the Dzivinski Family for five generations. Severed from the original quarter, the home, barn, gardens and fields were heaven and haven to us - a perfect place for us to call home, in Westlock County.

We inked the deal on the date of the "Flower Moon" (the full moon in May) and thus, our new home became "Flower Moon Farm". It was a scramble to move our belongings, children and animals from Canmore to Westlock County and we did it all ourselves. Using our horse trailer, it took quite a few loads on a 12 hour return run to get us up here.

Two days after we closed the farm, Kevin lost his job and we found ourselves in the untenable position of moving, seeking work and relocating our children to a new and unfamiliar community and life. We will be very honest - it was not and has not been easy.

Our son was unable to find work, and after a few months, had to set off find his own way in the world. Our daughter barely had time to unpack her bags, settle into her room and then repack to head off to her first year of university in Ontario and our oldest son and daughter-in-law continue to reside far away in Banff.

Through the fall, we lost two close family members, and the cold winters of Northern Alberta set in. It just seemed like one thing followed another and our family was scattered across the country. Our bottom line was just "Keep all the animals and people alive. Spring will come..."

We spent time in the evenings, continuing to unpack and settle in after our hurried departure - trying to meet some new folks around but exhausted by the ordeal. We began watching "Gardener's World" on the BBC as a relaxing way to end our days. We were inspired to think freshly about this new place and we recalled the quote, “Bloom where you are planted.” -  attributed to the Bishop of Geneva, Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) and perhaps more recently by popular American folk artist Mary Engelbreit. 

We have talked about how beautiful this place is and how much potential there is in the buildings and the land. We shared a number of the photos of sunsets and the land with friends, family and on social media.

One particularly cold day in February, we started thinking about my dear departed Dad, and all of the gardening he did when he was alive - how beautiful his garden beds were and how much he enjoyed it. How fortunate it would be if we could use the land to create the same joy for ourselves with an array of gorgeous flowers. After all, we had hurriedly thrown in some sunflowers in late June when we arrived, and they grew over 10 feet tall in the fertile soil! Surely we could garden the heck out of what was here. (Full disclosure - we can also grow a heck of a lot of thistles, crab grass and dandelions.)

Our thoughts and worries also turned to our daughter and whether or not she would be able to secure gainful employment in our more remote location. Would it be enough to return for her second year of university? So many questions, hopes and ideas but no real answers to that question. We knew it would be very difficult financially now to get her back for her second year of university and we then made the connection - why not create a job/business FOR her?

Our souls were hurting. We had lost our home, family members and our family was scattered to the wind. Watching Monty Don and his crew through the cold winter nights made spring seem right around the corner, and "Gardener's World" inspired us with the peace and beauty that a well-tended garden offered us in our stressful lives.

Flowers! How beautiful they are and what resilience they have. They don't ask for anything - they just provide beauty; they bring joy and happiness in tough times. It was just what we needed...and if we needed that kind of soulful joy, we were certain that there were others who would benefit from the beauty of farm grown bouquets.

Suddenly, the signs were everywhere. Flower Moon Farm! Soul Blossoms! Art! Curated Bouquets! Workshops in the Flower and Sunflower Fields! Rejuvenation! Summer job for Grace! The calling was upon us and we set out fervently to research everything we could to find out how to best grow what we could in our short Zone 3b growing season.

And thus, Soul Blossoms from Flower Moon Farm was born. It has been anything but easy. Stuffing your new, unpacked home with thousands of seedlings, grow lights and soil is not ideal. The weather this first spring has been cold and wet and then....deathly freezing in a two day late frost in June. We cannot tell you how many times we have wanted to "quit" flowers. Still....like the flowers, we remain resilient, our souls strong and pointed in the direction that the Creator is unfolding for us, one step at a time.

Our story is never-ending. It is filled with ups and downs, and we are happy to share what we have and who we are with our new community in Westlock County: an artist, a carpenter and an illustration student. Now, flower farmers!

Here, we've found people coming to our rescue and helping us through some very tough times. For that, we are so very grateful. Stay tuned...the soil is warming up, the flowers are growing and our wounded hearts are opening again, one petal at a time. Life is happening.

Thank you for supporting us and for supporting Grace and her education in purchasing a Soul Blossom bouquet or attending an Art & Soul Blossom Workshop (coming soon).

We aim to artfully put more love, soul and care into the world, through our bouquets of locally grown, seasonal flowers.

Your Farmers and FarmHers,

Kevin, Janice & Grace.

To follow our shenanigans ::

Instagram: @therealflowermoonfarm
Facebook Page: Flower Moon Farm