Pollins Flowerstead

Pollins Flowerstead Flower Farm + Homestead planted near Collins, Wis
Connecting you to locally grown flowers

September began steamy, but the lovely thunder-showers seem to have cooled the air somewhat. As we begin preparing for t...
09/03/2026

September began steamy, but the lovely thunder-showers seem to have cooled the air somewhat. As we begin preparing for the end of fresh flower season, the flowerstead invites abundant reflection.

This season marks the very first year I’ve gotten Lisianthus to bloom. This variety was about to be cut from our offerings, since I have tried for several years to grow her successfully. What makes this flower a challenge is the extreme slow growth. It is recommended to sow the seeds in late fall/early winter; but we don’t use a heated greenhouse, so that has never worked out well. Last summer I spoke with a local Amish flower grower, Marlas, and she offered some tips. Sow two seeds per soil block, keep them on heat, and cover.

With hope in my heart, I sowed two seeds per soil block on Valentine’s weekend, kept them covered with a mini greenhouse, and placed the trays on heat mats. Think of them as heating pads for the plant world. I’ve used these here & there as a way to keep baby plants alive if a cold overcast day was followed by a very cold night.

Well not only did many germinate, they evidently had enough growing time to gift me with gorgeous rose-like blooms, too! Not enough to offer in our regular bouquets, but enough for this flower farmer and her years of trial & error. If you are one of our Bouquet Subscription recipients you may spy a few of the dark & brilliant purple variety in your dark & moody arrangements this week. There are some left in the field too, so come out to the farm this Friday evening for our second to last U-Pick evening of the year!

♡alicia

My written musings have been quiet this Summer, the flowerstead has been quite the opposite! Between our U-Pick evenings...
08/27/2026

My written musings have been quiet this Summer, the flowerstead has been quite the opposite! Between our U-Pick evenings, private events, spontaneous pop-ins, and workshops; this has been our busiest on-farm year yet!

We moved our vegetable garden to make a new parking area, added additional signage, and found a great groove welcoming visitors to enjoy the flower field. The private groups that set a time to enjoy the flowerstead lingered, conversed, and gathered fabulous flowers. We’ve had team building events, friend groups, families, and even a newborn family photo session. The repeat guests make my heart ever-grateful, you’ve chosen to check us out and continue to return; often bringing additional friends to enjoy the blooms. To all of you - THANK YOU.

Beyond flower friends, our pond is flourishing with life. We had our first tadpoles and a turtle has decided to move in too! It feels like we finally have some regular dragonflies and the first orb weaver spider has been spotted. I mingled with a Bald Faced Hornet while harvesting flowers and our silo pigeons are hatching squabs. Yup! That’s what baby pigeons are called.

Earlier this summer we spotted a Brown Thrasher digging through leaf litter for insects. We had to grab one of our bird books to identify it - we were amazed at the length of its tail feathers. Our current Purple Martin colony is thriving, so we will need to add additional houses for next season. Older males, called Scouts, return first to reclaim their previous nesting grounds, females & younger males return shortly thereafter. Having the additional houses in place for Spring, could also encourage additional colonies to move in.

Seeing all of our hard work we’ve invested into this property over the last six years come to fruition has us planning more improvements with wildlife habitat first & foremost. Sharing this place with all of you is simply icing on the cake! Send me a message for this evening’s U-Pick event from four to seven. Then we have just two remaining U-Pick events in September and then onto our Autumn & Holiday Workshops.

Thanks for loving local flowers & connecting with your loved ones in nature.

♡alicia

John Dewey stated, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”; our philosophy does not limit our...
08/24/2026

John Dewey stated, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”; our philosophy does not limit our education to the typical school year, but an ever-constant journey of experience & reflection. We began the bookwork portion of our homeschool today; sit-down lessons, the return of routine, dedicated time to gather, converse, & dive deep.

August often enthusiastically invites routine back in. After a full summer of adventure, memories, and plenty of sunshine, we are all ready for the comforting rhythm of steady learning chapter by chapter, lesson by lesson with a bit less spontaneity & fewer side-quests. Amid the hustle & bustle of our summer, I’ve been working behind the scenes on personal structure. Redesigning how I track our tasks, write my lists, and plan our days.

Surprisingly I’ve returned to a more analog approach to calendar keeping. Written lists, paper calendar, copious amounts of notes to myself. The physical act of writing out my week invites reevaluation, careful consideration, and often a reality check. If I run out of paper-space, I will likely run out of actual time as well. I include more than the daily to-dos; items such as read, write, and notes regarding ongoing creative projects are listed & looked forward to. It is all too easy to focus on all the doing of housekeeping, family connecting, and flower farming, so having these pauses throughout my days encourages a bit of rest & creativity.

As we shift into this next season of our year, I am able to reflect upon my chosen word of the year: Keeper.
♡Have I deepened my presence amid all the precious blessings of this one beautiful life?
♡Are the small daily acts creating a life I fully inhabit?
♡Do I feel rooted, whimsical, and rested?

I recognize that my energy is a finite resource. I continue to choose sustainability over urgency. I continue with intentional care & steadiness as I keep a home. Keep a garden. Keep watch. Keep faith. I tend what has been given & gather gratefulness.

♡alicia

What a dreamy weekend the flowerstead had. ♡ We hosted the inaugural Bloom Ball for our teen homeschool community. Flowe...
08/03/2026

What a dreamy weekend the flowerstead had. ♡ We hosted the inaugural Bloom Ball for our teen homeschool community.

Flower crowns, bouquets, music, & dancing - cultivating beauty & connection is what this place does best.

With an event like this finally & officially in our wheelhouse, we're busy brainstorming other grander community offerings. Bringing people together to create unique experiences & lasting memories with local flowers.

Huge thank you to all mommas that helped make this event happen! So thankful you're part of our community.

♡alicia

This rainbow of beauty is ready to make your day extra beautiful. Come visit us in Francis Creek at On A Whim Sweet Trea...
07/18/2026

This rainbow of beauty is ready to make your day extra beautiful. Come visit us in Francis Creek at On A Whim Sweet Treats this Sunday (tomorrow!) from 8a-1p for their July Farm Market. ♡

Giant Cinnamon Rolls, delicious coffee, a wonderful variety of vendors, and these beautiful blooms!

Make your own bouquet from our Bloom Bar or take one of our Farmers Choice Bundles home. I'm always happy to put one together for you, too!
https://facebook.com/events/s/on-a-whim-july-2026-market/1186794430186455/

Flowers are harvested & hydrating overnight - see you bright & early flower friends! 🐝

♡alicia
AgeratumBasilCalendulaDillForget-Me-NotsHoneywortKiss Me Over the Garden GateNicotianaPeppermintRussian StaticeScabiosaSnapdragonsStaticeStrawflowerSweet AnnieWinged EverlastingYarrowZinnia

From seed to stem, our flowers are grown right here on our farm with pollinators always considered. No sprays or chemicals, just a robust, healthy ecosystem to help us manage the pests naturally. 🐞🐝

Two lovely U-Pick bouquets to brighten your smoky Thursday evening. ♡ Florals chosen & arranged but the nicest duo of lo...
07/17/2026

Two lovely U-Pick bouquets to brighten your smoky Thursday evening. ♡ Florals chosen & arranged but the nicest duo of local high school seniors. Thanks for coming out you two!

The deep hued berry colored stunner is featuring Basil, Snapdragons, Scabiosa, Zinnias, Flowering To***co, and Celosia.

The cheery blue & yellow beauty has Basil, Snapdragons, Forget-Me-Nots, Zinnias, Bachelor Buttons, Calendula, Fleabane, Scabiosa, Yarrow, and Russian Statice.

Same flower field. Same evening. Wonderfully different masterpeices! Mark your calendars for our next U-Pick dates.

♡alicia

We’re in for another hot & humid stretch of days this week. The AC will be keeping us & the flowers comfortable as harve...
07/14/2026

We’re in for another hot & humid stretch of days this week. The AC will be keeping us & the flowers comfortable as harvests happen for deliveries, the first U-Pick of the Summer on Thursday evening, and our first market of the year at On A Whim Sweet Treats in Francis Creek on Sunday.

Last week’s flower subscriptions featured a gentle nod to our nation’s 250th birthday. Made with:
Baptisia greens
Peppermint
Orleans Red Snapdragons
White Yarrow
Blue Sea Holly (Eryngium)
Ivory Princess Calendula
Winged Everlasting
Bunny Tails
Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate

In between flower harvests, I’ll be tackling some inside projects during the most intense heat hours - rooms need to be cleaned, areas organized, and admin/planning tasks need to be completed. We’ll make sure to set aside some time in the water and at the end of the week we have a swimming day planned with friends.

Stay hydrated friends!
♡alicia

I have been sharing memories, stories, and thoughts on this platform since 2006. Twenty years! Each day I try to log in ...
07/12/2026

I have been sharing memories, stories, and thoughts on this platform since 2006. Twenty years! Each day I try to log in and use the Memories feature on both my personal page and the flowerstead page to collect those writings into one document.

I am so thankful to have these little glimpses of our life over the years. There are silly moments, inspirational quotes & articles, lessons learned, goals made, and dreams come true. Rereading these posts day after day has invited so much reflection. Noticing the ebbs and flow of Mother Nature, appreciating the struggles, and celebrating growth.

Our story on this farm began in late 2019. We found this property by chance and decided to make the leap, moving in early 2020. The few months between were spent learning everything there was to be read about flower farming. Plans were drawn up, seed sources explored, and spreadsheets made.

I still use some of those early sources, reread some of those first books, and constantly tweak those first spreadsheets. Each season has brought the opportunity to reevaluate and make moves to do the flower farm thing better, but more importantly to consistently rebalance priorities to relationships first. We have weeks where family time is simply working together, but mostly we rely on the daily routines that have built-in quiet family time at the end of each day.

Reviewing words from 2024 revealed we received over ten inches of rain over a short few weeks, this year we’ve had almost none. Each of these contrasting growing seasons has come with its own challenges. The crops that survived in 2024 were absolutely bountiful by early July, but much of the flower field was a total loss. This year most everything is alive, if a bit “behind schedule”. On top of little to no rain, we experienced low 40s overnight well into June, which simply made the tiny plants remain somewhat dormant.

Being able to reread these experiences is such a gift. I thank each one of you for being here, reading my ambling thoughts, and loving fresh, local, flowers as much as I do.

♡alicia

Between the extra warm temperatures and America’s 250th birthday the last week has felt like one big celebration of all ...
07/07/2026

Between the extra warm temperatures and America’s 250th birthday the last week has felt like one big celebration of all things Summer. Time with loved ones, sunshine, water-filled fun, cold treats, good ol’ fashioned fried fish, and plenty of pages read.

Somehow our little corner of the world keeps missing out on all the rain. Everything keeps heading just North or just South of us. So a first here on the flowerstead is regular waterings of the flower field. It paid off, with the extra heat and diligent care, the field has really started taking off - just in time for our Flower Subscriptions that begin this week! We still have a few available, so head to our website and treat yourself!

On the list this week is a thorough tidy of the Milkhouse Creators Studio so I can begin to refill it with dried florals for Autumn & Winter Workshops. Also having a dedicated space to create countless bouquets is quite wonderful as well! Taking over my kitchen is a thing of the past, thankfully.

The time of abundant & overflowing flowers is nearly upon us, stay tuned friends.

♡alicia

I share with you today a collection of photos that capture our June beautifully.Strawberries picked together with my kid...
06/28/2026

I share with you today a collection of photos that capture our June beautifully.

Strawberries picked together with my kids at Greilings Gardens, a morning of processing strawberries, late evening sunsets, unexpected flowers popping up amid our various wild areas, and most surprising a mama hen & her ten little babies. We have no idea where she was nesting!

Between these moments captured; seeds have been planted, flowers watered, weeds addressed, a deck has been built, and housework has been left undone. Our days have been overflowing. Today we plan to end our work early and enjoy some time together in the water. One really neat thing I’d like to mention is that we built this deck from dead ash trees harvested from the nearby woods, which Paul then milled into the lumber needed. To give these lost trees another purpose to serve is one more way we live sustainably.

So before more of the morning slips away, I’m out to plant more seeds!
♡alicia

Address

Hickory Hills Road
Collins, WI

Telephone

+19202024244

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