Day-trippers and locals flock to Shoppons Run Flower Farm in Stockton not only for its burgeoning blossoms but to share sparkling conversations with proprietor and master gardener Peter McCrohan.
"I work with all kinds of customers—the floral designers who order large quantities of just one or two fancy varieties, as well as locals who prefer a humble bouquet wrapped in a rubber band," says McCrohan, who grew up in Princeton.
His goal is to plant just enough each season to meet market demand. "I find a home for mostly everything I grow," he adds. Quince blooms in March and April; then come peonies in May and June. In August through October, the dahlia crop, for which McCrohan is best known, is at its most vigorous and colorful. The farm also raises lilacs, tiger lilies, nerines, bittersweet spider lilies, and trumpet-shaped crinums.
Shoppons Run took off in 2021 when a New York Times real estate-section article raved about Delaware Township. One of the images showed McCrohan, in his signature cowboy hat, cutting flowers in his bucolic field. Soon after, he was featured in Princeton-area publications and even snagged a magazine cover photo, making him a bit of a local celebrity.
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