The world travels at a breakneck pace, but at Bloom + Breeze Farm in the Squamish Valley, time slows down and seems to melt away.
Part of the calm of the place comes from the fact that there is no cellphone service at the family-owned and operated flower farm.
But the peace is curated by being immersed in a field of lavender, and in the U-pick flower experience on offer.
Guests can literally fill their cup—well, in this case, an adult or kid-sized vase—with blooms they pick themselves, after moving through the rows of dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers and more.
"It's perfect for families, stagettes, kids, a girls' night out or just because," says farm co-owner Paula de Jong.
"We just want you to get lost in the flower joy."
In addition to the U-pick aspect and garden parties, and a farm stand, the business offers a bulk bucket of flowers that can be purchased. The flowers are sold at the Squamish Farmers' Market, with local Nutrient Dense Farm's produce.
"They have our flowers at the market every weekend, so you can get the local Squamish veggies and flowers every Saturday," de Jong noted.
In the spring, the farm blossoms with thousands of tulips.
In the winter, the farm sells dahlia bulbs.
How it started
De Jong moved to Squamish at 19, about 20 years ago. Over the years, her family always eyed the Squamish Valley, but it was hard to find a suitable property. Then, about 10 years ago, she and her husband found this piece of their paradise.
"We stumbled across this, and it was just empty, raw land," she recalled.
"So everything on the property, from the wells to the septic, has been built by my husband and I—well, my dream, he's the builder," she said, with a laugh.
As for the flower farm, de Jong said she had always been drawn to lavender, but it was visiting a U-pick dahlia event in the Lower Mainland with her mom and then-baby daughter that sparked the idea for the current state of the farm.
"We were trying to think of what we could [grow] on the property," she recalled, "and it was such an incredible experience being out in the flowers in the evening as the sun was setting... I was like, this is what we need to do in Squamish."
That was three seasons ago.
The farm opened to the public in 2023.
Where it’s going
As for the future, De Jong said that every year they are continually growing and learning.
"Every single year, there are really big learning lessons. I'm constantly taking notes and adjusting what my crop plan is," she said. "Certain flowers are better for U-pick, other flowers might just grow once and then die off, so it's just taking up a lot of space. I'm constantly fine-tuning, and once I get into something, I really learn by hands in the dirt."
The farm is located at 14988 Squamish Valley Rd. Visits have to be pre-booked online. Go to the Bloom + Breeze Farm website to book or learn more, or visit the business on Facebook and Instagram.
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