We recently connected with Kathryn and have shared our conversation below.
Kathryn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
Who we are and what we become in life is set by a series of times and events that we will never know in places we will never visit.
I can’t tell you exactly how or who this lovely lady standing in a cotton peach dress on a gravel road by drooping bushy mounds of rose bushes is…..But I know somewhere in the course of time and family events she is related to my grandmother, Dorthy, who was born in 1922…..Whether gardening was a venture she was taught by generations before her. Or one made and traveled by her own…..I cannot tell you.
But her love for flowers and gardening was something ignited in my mother’s heart!
And something that my Mother carried into her daily task as she raised her 11 children in the country, creating a home built on pure hard work and love for her family.
I was homeschooled and mainly raised in what as a child I thought was….a castle! But to be honest a 1840s Victorian Farmhouse.
I think one thing I can truly say by those years living there is that they were days of sweaty magical moments.
The house had been let go….and no one really ever lived there for many years. But little by little, we immersed ourselves in the community and brought the once-thriving farmhouse back to its former glory. From stripping all the paint off with heat guns and repainting. Replacing trim work, fencing, and cleaning. But it also meant building up and cleaning the gardens all around.
We planted cascading roses on the rock wall. And herbs off of the kitchen porch. Built up a family garden, and dug in deep with the berry bushes.
As I now close my eyes….I can still see myself standing beside my Mother as we both slipped strawberry cuttings into rooting powder….and then tucked them into dirt. I can still hear those very same words…..”We could make a business doing this Mom!!!”
And to be sure 10 years later those words ring true!
Not without many hardships of rejection, redirection, and evaluation.
I believe the best groundwork for life is laid by parents who know the very lifeblood their children need.
Those years with my Mom teaching us to work hard and bear hard truths. Gave me the courage to fight the trenches of starting something brand new.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My grandmother, born in 1922, had an unmatched passion for plants—especially flowers. She grew every kind you can imagine. Her simple but profound gardening wisdom still guides me today:
“If your plant isn’t happy… move it. And keep moving it until it is.”
Though I didn’t know her well, that deep love for flowers was passed down to my mother, who filled our lives with gardens overflowing with blooms. Somewhere there’s a video of me at three years old, wandering through her herb garden trying to pronounce flower names. That curiosity became the seed of something much bigger.
My love for flowers truly blossomed during my childhood on our Tennessee farm. We lived in the rolling hills of Santa Fe, in a yellow Victorian house surrounded by ancient trees, old rock walls, and garden beds bursting with color. I was always arranging bouquets. That’s where it all began.
After graduating, I followed the path of flower farming—and I’m grateful I did. I briefly tried working in a flower shop, but on my second day, as I unpacked boxes of shipped-in blooms, I felt… nothing. There was no joy, no connection. The flowers looked beautiful, but they felt lifeless. That’s when I realized—I wasn’t made for the flower shop world. I was made to grow the beauty myself.
There is nothing like planting a seed, nurturing it with patience, and finally seeing it bloom. The beauty of a farm-grown flower carries the weight of care, time, effort—and love. That’s what I want to share.
Building Sunny Hill Flower Farm
When I started the farm, I had no social media, no clients, and hardly any connections. I went door to door with fresh bouquets, introducing my flowers to the community one home at a time. Slowly, that opened doors to weekly delivery customers, partnerships with local banks, and pop-up floral design classes at small businesses.
Eventually, we began supplying three grocery stores and even partnered with Isidore restaurant, providing them with edible flowers for their cuisine.
The more flowers I delivered, the more I saw something powerful—local blooms spark joy, reduce stress, and help people reconnect with nature.** But beyond the flowers, what we’re really missing today are the places and moments that bring us together. Most kids have never been on a real farm, touched soil, or seen how things grow.
That’s why we now open Sunny Hill Flower Farm to the public every **Friday from 5–7 p.m.** for our **U-Pick experience**, where families and friends can come out to the field and build their own bouquets.
One of our favorite events each year is **“Market on the Farm: Ag Weekend”**—a spring celebration of flowers, heritage, and community, held during peak bloom season. Taking place **May 16–17, from 4–7 p.m.**, this event brings together local artisans, educators, and families. Guests can enjoy:
* **Live demonstrations** in lost trades like blacksmithing, leatherworking, woodworking, and homesteading
* **Live music and food trucks**
* **Kid-friendly farm activities**, including hay slides, games, and more
* **Fields full of blooms** to walk through and pick from
This weekend has become one of the most meaningful ways we connect people to agriculture, beauty, and each other.
Lessons Along the Way
Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth.
Starting a business takes grit—and Texas isn’t exactly an easy place to grow flowers. From droughts and poor soil to caterpillars, wild hogs, and grasshopper plagues, the challenges have been real. I’ve faced major setbacks, like losing 6,000 tulips to a refrigeration failure or watching hailstorms roll in the night before our biggest events.
Each hard season has taught me more about resilience, timing, and trusting God through every bloom and every loss. What kept me going was the people around me—and the bigger purpose behind what we’re building.
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What We Offer Today
Sunny Hill Flower Farm is more than just a flower business. We’re here to **create beauty, connection, and joy** in the lives of others through:
* **Fresh, seasonal, local flowers** delivered to homes, businesses, and restaurants
* **Floral design services** for weddings, events, and special gatherings
* **Creative workshops and design classes**
* **Field trip bookings** to teach kids about natural dyes, seed starting, and more
* **Photographer sessions** during peak flower seasons
* **Venue rentals** for baby showers, bridal showers, team building events, and more
* **Weekly U-Pick Fridays**, open to the public during the growing season
* **Annual Market on the Farm** event celebrating agriculture, music, food, and community
We are not your typical flower farm. We open our gates and welcome people into the process—to see, touch, smell, and pick the blooms themselves. Because we believe **beauty is meant to be experienced, not just observed.**
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Whether you’re here for a bouquet, a workshop, or an unforgettable family memory—you’re always welcome at Sunny Hill. Thank you for supporting local flowers, small farms, and the joy of simple things done with great care.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
Time and technology may change…But the basics of how this whole world functions are completely the same!
Whether we are selling through a general store in the 1800s or on Instagram in the 2020s…….The same rules apply!
As business owners, we are here to serve others, add value!
Because truth be told….This whole thing isn’t about you, or your dreams. It’s not about the t-shirt with your logo on it, or the coffee mug with your favorite saying on it that you made. Those things are fun…..But they don’t build your business one way or another.
I want to tell you a little story…..and in this story I want you to place yourself in it! When you do….I promise it will never leave you the same….I MEAN THAT!
So, imagine you have started a lemonade stand!
Your are thrilled to get it launched. You fitted the stand out with everything you can possibly think of…….I MEAN EVERYTHING! From the cups to the napkins, even thinking of unique flavors.
You know you have set yourself apart with this…..as Everyone says yours is the best!
You decide that this Saturday is the day, you are gonna pull that trailer onto the local beach….and for sure SELL OUT!
The day has arrived and you stand looking out from your little establishment just beaming and soaking the crashing waves in.
But then it hits you. This is 5 hours into your day…..what is wrong….Your gut begins to knot and your face is forming wrinkles just as you stand there.
You haven’t sold a single cup…..You look around, you yell, you weep……
But dear reader this Lemonade stand was placed on a beach with no people on it!
You can have the best product in the world, but if you never place it in front of people including “THE RIGHT PEOPLE” you will probably never sell a single thing.
See the beach situation is exactly what happens to all of us on social media!
SO….what do we do??
I tell everyone this same advice. Who is your customer? Where do they hang out?
Are they a Mom??? Well, then they probably watch Mom influencers on social media.
Now go find all those influencers and do a partnership with them on Social.
This means some kind of collab on social media where you give away a product to their followers!
And BOOM….this is all you will ever need to know.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
Let’s be honest we head into life, projects, and new adventures with a plan, a direction, and a train of thought….
Because as we all know people without a vision perish Prov. 29.
So of course we have to make decisions and plans it is a part of life.
BUT…………sometimes, after we made those plans, we also find out that maybe those were not the best decisions.
Here are a few things I plan to change around the farm in 2025.
NO MORE PLASTIC!
So almost for the past 4 years, I have covered all the dirt in plastic ground cover.
Not only is this a hassle when you go to take out an old corp and plant a new one but it is also not that great for the soil.
I also found the weeding of the rows became more complicated, and as we expanded the farm I could not cover all the walkways and rows in plastic…it would be unreal!
NO MORE DRIP TAPE:
This one I am on the fence about and in case you are already at a loss of what I am talking about…LOL drip tape is an irrigation system with water omitters every 6″.
I plan to stop using this irrigation system for a couple of reasons.
First, it does not seem to supply enough water for my long runs.
Second to pull up the tape and lay it down again is insane and to me it is not worth it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sunny-hill-flower-farm.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunnyhillflowerfarm2023/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091954042512&ref=_xav_ig_profile_page_web#
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sunnyhillflowerfarm6997
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