Flowers are a real crop, and there is colourful proof of that at an all-natural cut flower farm in North Glengarry. Sunwheel Farm, located at the end of Lapensée Lane, is owned and operated by Ana and Flo Valean.

The couple immigrated to Canada from Romania in 2010 and first settled in Pointe-Claire. Less than four years ago, they relocated to Alexandria where they live with their two sons.

“We wanted to get out of the city,” Ana said.

The couple also wanted to teach their sons, now ages 12 and 15 about working and living outdoors. Ana’s career background is in the hospitality industry, and Flo works in software development. While planning their agricultural adventure, they first considered starting a small vegetable farm.

“In Romania, everyone has a vegetable garden,” Ana explained. She said that during the country’s years as a communist dictatorship, it was the only way many Romanians had enough food to eat. The Valean’s eventually bought 57 acres north of Alexandria and Sunwheel Farm began. Originally, most of the crops were vegetables, but flowers eventually became the main commodity.

“We grow everything organically,” Ana said. However, Sunwheel Farm is not certified as an organic facility.

“I don’t spray,” Ana remarked.

The land is surrounded by forest and wetlands.

Flowers grown at Sunwheel Farm include anemone and ranunculus, foxglove, peony, snapdragon, and zinnia. Ana said the ranunculus are a particularly popular flower for event bouquets.

Sunwheel Farm offers an on-location farm stand every Thursday from 4 pm to 7 pm and each Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm. For people who enjoy having fresh flowers in their home all the time, a subscription service is available where subscribers receive a fresh bouquet every two weeks.

“It’s fun to see that. They won’t know what they’re getting,” Ana said.

Sunwheel Farm also supplies bulk flowers for people wanting to choose their own designs for events.

The next you-pick event at Sunwheel Farm is on August 16 from 10 am to 12 pm.

Sunwheel Farm is located at 20397 Lapensée Lane in North Glengarry. For more details, see https://www.facebook.com/SunwheelFarm or https://www.sunwheelfarm.com/.

Photos: James Morgan