Know Your Farmer: Piggly Petals Flower Farm

Meet Carmen and Sherri, the mother-daughter duo behind the beautiful blooms from Piggly Petals Flowers Farm! Piggly Petals was established just last year in 2018. Together, Carmen and Sherri grow both annuals and perennials on their Belleville farm.

Neither Carmen nor Sherri ever imagined they would once be flower farmers. 

Sherri has always had a passion for growing flowers. She passed this passion on to Carmen, who decided to study horticulture at Michigan State University. While at MSU, Carmen studied abroad in Ireland, where her passion for flowers grew, so after returning home she did an internship with a cut flower farm. After graduating, Carmen partnered with her mom to start Piggly Petals and share their love of flowers with their community. The mother-daughter dynamic is a strength for their farm, as they are already great communicators and know each other’s strengths.

With their combined love of flowers and floral design, it made sense for Sherri and Carmen start their own cut flower farm. This way, they can provide floral designs they are proud of because they can control the quality and freshness of the blooms. They can also grow their favorite varieties to add to arrangements! When I asked Carmen what her favorite flower was, she said, “this question is SO hard to answer.” Both her and Sherri look forward to when the peonies, lisianthus, sunflowers, astilbe, and dahlias bloom. But the lisianthus and dahlias are particularly satisfying because they are difficult to grow, and their blooms makes the labor and stress worth it. 

As new farmers, Sherri and Carmen are learning how to deal with these ups and downs, particularly when it comes to weather. This year, the wet spring delayed their ability to plant. They stay motivated with lots of exciting plans for the future of their farm and floral business, like the addition of another floral designer, and the hope to expand their 1-acre farm to 2-acres soon. 

Check out Piggly Petals Flower Farm for any of your floral needs! You can find them at the Saline Farmers Market and Canton Farmers Market. They also do flower arrangements for weddings and events, as well as bulk flower buckets for those who want to create their own arrangements. Follow them on facebook @PigglyPetals and instagram @piggly_petals, and be sure to check out their website www.pigglypetalsflowerfarm.com to learn more about how to book events sign up for their flower subscriptions!