Since I moved to Bonnyville, I’m always on the hunt for unique and fun activities I can do when I get some time off. Things I wouldn’t have the chance to do back home or if I was in a different area.
That’s why when I saw Providence Acres Flower Farm offering a u-pick event, I jumped at the chance to participate.
I didn’t really know what to expect when I climbed into my car, other than the fact that I was going to get lost. If you’ve read my column for a while, you know I’m a bit geographically challenged when I’m heading to a place I’ve never been before.
It’s why I wasn’t too surprised when my GPS failed me and I was driving aimlessly around trying to find the flower farm.
After a few wrong turns and a disapproving look from a llama (yes, a llama), I finally found Providence Acres Farm and met the owner, Lena. I’ve spoken to her a few times in the past and even suggested her to my friend who got married recently.
I don’t know who I pictured as an owner of a flower farm, but Lena certainly fits the title. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty and has a passion for the flowers she grows.
I was blown away by the variety of flowers she had available and was surprised when she said everything in her garden was an option for my bouquet. After instructions from Lena, I walked through the fields and decided to pick any of the flowers I thought were pretty. I ended up with sunflowers in more colours than I ever could have imagined and even some lilies. I also had a number of flowers I don’t know the names of, even though Lena told them to me on the quick tour.
Once I had them all picked out, I set to work putting my bouquet together and was surprised by how much I liked the result. It was a busy bunch of flowers, but every single one was chosen by me.
When I paused to look at the rest of the people there, it was nice to see all of the different combinations we had come up with. None of them looked the same and I think that’s what made the evening so much fun. Some of us did what I did and picked at random, while others picked a colour scheme and stuck with that. They were all incredibly beautiful and everyone was happy with the result.
Before we left, we even got to take some Instagram worthy photos of our bouquets and drove home trying to keep them from falling over. Spoiler alert: mine fell quite a few times but that didn’t take away from the beauty of it.
It was a great evening and I’ve told all of my friends to sign up for one. Lena said she would continue to do the u-pick events until the first frost and I hope as many people enjoy an evening at Providence Acres Flower Farm as possible.
