Flowers at Grover Farms prepares for grand opening celebration

By Carol McIntire

Editor

A grand opening celebration is planned Sept. 28 for the newest agritourism business in Carroll County – Flowers at Grover Farms. 

The event will be held from 2-7 p.m. at the Grover family farm, located at 504 Steubenville Rd. SE, Carrollton, offers the community a look at the new facility, outdoor patio and water feature (waterfall), state-of-the art greenhouse and flower gardens. There will be door prizes, gift baskets and a bloom bar, as well as photo opportunities. High Hill Eatery will have a food truck on site. 

The cut flower business is the newest addition to the family farm, which dates back to 1965, and is certainly is the most unique.

“The Grover family operated a dairy farm for about 25 years and made the switch to crop farming in recent years. The operation included about 100 acres on the home farm with additional leased acreage of about 1,100 acres. 

“As a family, we decided 2023 was going to be the last season for crop farming,” explained Jill E. Grover Shifflett, owner/manager of Flowers at Grover Farms. “Uncle Glenn (Glenn Grover) who established the farming operation with his late wife, Susan, saw an article on flower farming early in the spring of 2023 in a magazine.” 

He mentioned it to his niece, Jill, and soon the idea bloomed. Grover Farms went from crop farming to flower farming within a year and is ready to share the new venture with the community. 

Once the operations plan was in place, Jill and her cousin, Renee, attended a seminar by Lisa Mason Ziegler, an author, speaker and renowned expert on cut-flower gardening, in Virginia.

While there, they placed their first order for flowers: dahlia tubers, which are now producing beautiful blooms in vibrant colors in the first set of 55 established flower beds.

The family worked with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) on a grant application for a a 96 x 30 heated greenhouse that will extend the growing season. Even though the grant application wasn’t successful on the first attempt, they team says they plan to apply again and gained valuable experience in the process.

“We are looking at having flowers ready for Mother’s Day and continuing the season through early November,” Jill explained. “The greenhouse will assist us with that goal.”

A 40×32 workshop offers a place to host workshops, kid’s activities and educational events. It is equipped with a walk-in cooler for the flower business, prep room, grow room and offers a TV for training videos and a covered outdoor craft area.  The building is handicap accessible.

An outdoor patio with a bar and outdoor seating is complimented by a large waterfall constructed with stones from the farm.

“We plan to rent the patio for parties, showers and events,” explained Jill, adding they are also making plans to host bridal party events where the bride and her attendants create their own bouquets.

Jill is assisted on the project by Tara Lemmon, administrator, and Rachel Scott, assistant manager. “This project wouldn’t be possible without the help and support of our families,” Jill said.

The trio says one of their favorite features is the Bloom Buggy, a wheeled cart, that will be filled with cut flowers in season. 

“The trailer is located near the front flower beds,” she explained. “We will fill the cart with cut flower bouquets in the early morning when it is cool and people can drive in, make their selection and deposit their money in the drop box.”  

Premium bouquets can also be pre-ordered and picked up at the workshop. 

Flowers at Grover Farms is a member of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. For additional information visit groverfarmsflowers.com or visit the Facebook page, Flowers at Grover Farms. 

At the present time, hours are by appointment. For information, or appointments, call of text 330-260-5741.