A sign reading ‘Holland Flower Farm’ hangs unpretentiously on its post on the side of the road. Further down the drive a metal windmill spins silently, people pose for photos between rows of flowers with their self-curated bouquets, and groups arrange flowers at picnic tables gleefully. Cows peek curiously over the fence from the neighboring pasture to find out what is going on. A hazy yellow and orange sunset casts a gentle light over the scene.
Those who tread these rows get to return home with an armful of this paradise, scattering beauty and color, as fresh flowers end up in living spaces and photos that, inevitably, show up on hundreds of Instagram feeds.
For Jade Hubers, owner of Holland Flower Farm, the dream began in 2018. “I’ve always loved working outdoors and I have a huge passion for agriculture, so I knew I wanted a career that reflected that,” Hubers said. “I also was incredibly lucky to have a childhood where I grew up on a farm and it taught me a lot of valuable life lessons, so when I had my daughter in February of 2018, I knew I wanted to raise her with similar values that farm life taught me.”
Among its various floral services, Holland Flower Farm offers weekly U-Pick nights from mid-July through late September, which have drawn many Northwestern students to the farm.
At these events, customers choose a bouquet size and are then given free rein to pick any of the farm’s flowers.
NW students speak highly of their experiences at the farm. “I could not describe a more perfect evening than my evening at Holland Flower Farm,” said Rachel Henriksen, a junior nursing major. “It was such a wonderful activity to do with friends, especially when the weather is so beautiful during this time of year.”
Another NW student, Anika Snow, a junior graphic design major, expressed her appreciation about her U-Pick experience, emphasizing the opportunities it allows for interaction with God’s creation and personal creativity. “This experience was unique because it provided a peaceful space to walk around, opportunity to choose different colored flowers that match your personality, and an amazing sunset as we were picking flowers,” said Snow. “My favorite part was arranging the flowers in a jar at the end to create my own unique bouquet!”
Hubers loves how U-Pick nights bring people of all ages together. “We all have a special connection to flowers or a first memory with flowers,” Hubers said. “For me, it was making flower crowns in the front lawn with the little white clover blooms.”
NW’s social work department took advantage of Holland Flower Farm’s U-Pick night on September 26 as the setting for a community-building event. “We want to put events on so that we can all get united as a program,” said Alaina Rozenboom, a freshman social work major, who was involved in planning the event. “The farm is a good setting as it allows its customers to do their own thing, while creating a pretty and fun environment.”
Holland Flower farm also offers flower subscriptions and full-service weddings, hosts special events and tours and sells dried flowers, evergreen wreaths and tulips in season.
With another successful summer season complete, Hubers looks to the future. “Our second daughter joined our family in June and being a mom is the most important job to me,” said Hubers. “I’m looking forward to taking the winter months to recharge and make a few shifts in my business so I can be more present at home during this season of raising littles.”
