Flower farms are popping up in urban and rural markets all over the United States. In Plymouth County, Living Treasures, Furrow Flower Farm and Petal and Thorn are three of those farms.
Laurie Taylor dreamed of opening a flower farm while working in florists shops for over 20 years. Then she met Ray Zenk of rural Le Mars, and her flower farm idea flourished along with their relationship. For five years now, Taylor and Zenk have grown thousands of varieties of chemical-free flowers at Living Treasures Flower Farm thanks to 19 rabbits that produce organic fertilizer.
“There was a shortage of organic fertilizer during Covid, so we decided to raise rabbits to have organic fertilizer,” said Taylor. “After working in flower shops for so long and seeing florists have chemical reactions to flowers, I wanted to provide a fresher product that’s chemical-free.”
Living Treasures’ flowers are available by the stem or bouquet at the Sioux City Farmer’s Market every Wednesday and Saturday from May to October. In addition, Taylor takes the flowers to special events and pop-ups, including one at the Jefferson Beer Supply Farmer’s Market on Sunday, August 20.
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