Treehorn Farm

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Treehorn Farm Flowers, ducks, sourdough, willow, books, and events in the Hudson Valley. Woman-owned, family-managed.

May through October, open Saturdays & Sundays, 11:30am-5:00pm
220 County Route 26 | Climax, NY

Yep, we're in a town called CLIMAX!

Oh, September! Our fields are filled in equal parts with weeds and flowers (perhaps a few more weeds). The flowers are b...
09/15/2026

Oh, September! Our fields are filled in equal parts with weeds and flowers (perhaps a few more weeds). The flowers are breathtaking. And just covered in monarchs, which makes us happy.





The days are long and the years are short. How on earth is it September? The flowers are bountiful. The deer are devouri...
09/05/2026

The days are long and the years are short. How on earth is it September?

The flowers are bountiful. The deer are devouring our apples. The geese are honking overhead. Last night I had dreams about the trees migrating.

Interesting times we live in.

Designers, hit us up — we have dahlias growing up to our ears right now. Also cosmos, sunflowers, zinnias, and more.





Not sure what’s more perfect — our flowers or spending time with new pals who drove across state lines to visit the farm...
08/16/2026

Not sure what’s more perfect — our flowers or spending time with new pals who drove across state lines to visit the farm.

Thanks, Belinda and Zoe! We hope you love your flowers, new books, and more! And we love all the paper cranes Zoe made for us while you were here and the new music tips. 🌈

Belinda Power mark degli antoni



The first photo — !!! — that’s a dahlia called “Terra Cotta.” Breathtaking. Terra cotta. My eye always gravitates to thi...
08/13/2026

The first photo — !!! — that’s a dahlia called “Terra Cotta.” Breathtaking.

Terra cotta. My eye always gravitates to this warm hue. It reminds me of the second photo — of a lithograph by Emmi Whitehorse that has has featured prominently on my walls since my daughter was a baby — except for a few years when it hung on a dear friend’s wall before circling back to me again. Isn’t it lovely?

So, terra cotta reminds me of my daughter. Of love. Of care. And orange is my son’s favorite color, so now I think of terra cotta and orange as cozy kin.

Also:

Sunsets
Fires (camp, hearth, and forest)
Cosmos
Italy
Climax

Thanks, flowers. You fill us up.

Want some of your own? Reach out. 🍊





Dahlias have fully arrived, including some of the massive dinner plate varieties. So have our zinnias. These two types o...
08/11/2026

Dahlias have fully arrived, including some of the massive dinner plate varieties. So have our zinnias.

These two types of flowers tell very different stories.

Once upon a time, there were only a few varieties of dahlias, in Central and South America. They were grown for their edible tubers, not their flowers.

Hybridization and the quest for newness means that today there over 57,000 registered cultivars, most grown for their profusion of petals.

We went all in on them when we first bought the farm. But last year, I realized that pollinators didn’t love them — except for the ones that were open-faced (called “collerettes”), they couldn’t reach the pollen.

This is functional diversity. Or rather, a lack thereof. Where our tinkering and hybridization has led to the flowers contributing less to a functional, healthy ecosystem.

I cried when I figured it out. Then, shifted gears. Yes, we’d still grow dahlias — but we wouldn’t add to our collection. And we would grow plenty of flowers around our dahlias that attract pollinators — like the zinnia shown in one of the photos with a sleepy bee on it.

This fall, we’ll divide our dahlia tubers and prepare for a tuber sale. But we’ll encourage buyers to grow them in small patches or rows tucked between other rows of blooms.

And, slowly, we’ll also increase the number of native, pollinator-Living plants we grow — not only flowers, but vegetables, fruits, bushes, trees…

These little things matter. It all matters.

Our dahlias are no less gorgeous for their functional diversity ineffectiveness. But they do tell a different story.

Look at the photos — can you tell just by looking at them which ones will attract pollinators? (Hint: See if the center is exposed or hidden.)





TONIGHT! Saturday, June 20th!Climax History Talk with Michael RauschYou might’ve attended one of historian Michael Rausc...
06/20/2026

TONIGHT! Saturday, June 20th!

Climax History Talk with Michael Rausch

You might’ve attended one of historian Michael Rausch’s popular history talks and slide show series at the American House in Coxsackie — including one he recently gave on our little hamlet, Climax.

But you haven’t heard him give one IN Climax, ON Climax!

Join us for local lore — with special guests to share their stories about this special corner of the world.

It’s also Mark’s birthday… Yes, there will be cake! And we're wishing our lovely neighbor, Henry Boehm (of Boehm Farm) a Happy Birthday as he celebrates 94 years young.

Doors open 6:30pm
Doors close about 9:30

Space/parking is limited — Text 917-216-4572 to reserve a spot. (Most parking across the street along road.)

Suggested donation amounts are $5, $10, or $1,000,000. (Any amount is welcome.)

Event is outdoors under the covered tent by our store.

Treehorn Flowers & Books reopens for the season next weekend! (If you get our newsletter, please note that the date has ...
05/23/2026

Treehorn Flowers & Books reopens for the season next weekend! (If you get our newsletter, please note that the date has changed).

🌳 Saturday, May 30th & Sunday, May 31st
🌳 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm

Books
Blooms/bouquets
Edible flowers
Duck eggs
Sourdough bread
Gifts
Fine conversation

Hope to see you next weekend!

“Tiny things.” Part 1 of a weekly series.A DYING BEEBees have short, intense lives. Some of them sleep on flowers if the...
05/15/2026

“Tiny things.” Part 1 of a weekly series.

A DYING BEE

Bees have short, intense lives. Some of them sleep on flowers if they’re too far from their nests at night and take respite under blossoms when it rains. In the morning, they wake and fly off, ready to work for another day.

But others don’t wake. They’re either older bees, or they have been hurt by predators, parasites, or pesticides.

I observed this bee yesterday evening and wondered how it was faring. Its furry body covered in pollen. Its legs grasping a dandelion, used like an umbrella.

What must it be like to be a bee? Studies suggest they have something akin to an emotional life, and that they experience optimism, fear, even happiness. Stressed out bees even tend, as journalist Jason Castro wrote in Scientific American, to “see the glass as half empty.”

We can only guess the full breadth of bee cognition. We can never know how they feel. But in knowing that they do have minds and emotions, we can throw a little empathy their way.

This morning, I immediately went outside to see if the bee had flown off. Alas, no. It’s still cool outside, and the sun isn’t strong, yet. Perhaps there is still a chance the bee will wake. When I was younger, I might have been compelled to “save” the bee. To attempt reviving it. But now, I know that bee might just be at the end of its natural life. And who can begrudge a creature a gentle passing?

Many humans say we are born and die alone. Hardly. I was with my mother when I was born. My children were born with me. And even if we seem alone when we die, there are millions upon millions of microbes that reside within and around us. Life surrounds us at all times.

The world is abuzz around the area where the bee sits under its flower. I’ll wait to see what happens.

(Oh, and if you drive by our house, you’ll think it’s a mess with its long grass and thousands of dandelions. I assure you it’s an intentional choice. Bees find us easily, and we invite them to stay. Once we have more blossoms, we’ll commit to better-looking lawn care. Until then… buzz, buzz, buzz.)





Just launched our May newsletter! It contains:🌻 Info about our shop reopening🌻 New farm stand update🌻 Event: Climax Hist...
05/14/2026

Just launched our May newsletter! It contains:

🌻 Info about our shop reopening
🌻 New farm stand update
🌻 Event: Climax History Talk
🌻 Shop: New book titles & Gifts
🌻 Sourdough & Eggs
🌻 What's Growing
🌻 Musical ditties by Mark
🌻 Recipe
🌻 One Bad Duck Joke
🌻 Photo of the Month

Let us know what you think!

—Melissa & Mark





Address

220 County Route 26
Climax, NY
12042

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