UNDERGARDENERS
A backyard flower farm
Rooted in Charlottesville, VA, and the everyday magic of growing things
What's coming up in 2026
We’re guided by seasonal offerings and simple, sustainable, soil-forward practices that respect both the land and the pace of family life. Here’s what we’re anticipating in the field this year:
PEONY
Dozens of varieties in white, cream, yellow, coral, pink and red.
850+ plants total. Second-year blooms will grow on 100 plants in Spring 2026, with the remainder maturing in 2027–2028.
ECHINACEA
Long-stemmed coneflowers in pink sherbet and orange creamsicle hues. Blooming Summer through Fall 2026.
LAVENDER
Provence and Munstead varieties (about 50 plants total) will be ready to harvest in Summer 2026. An additional 50 Grosso and 50 Provence plants are expected to mature in 2027.
NARCISSUS
Classic daffodils with unique variations: frilly petals, bright centers, unique shades. We anticipate a strong showing in Spring 2026.
LISIANTHUS
Shades of cream, lavender, pink and orange—a first-year trial for us growing Summer and Fall 2026.
RUDBECKIA
Black-eyed Susans in golden summer hues and warm fall shades, .
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Seasonal notes, flower availability, behind-the-scenes stories.
In our growing era
Five acres of wild possibility
With two wildlings often underfoot, we’re slowly planting our backyard flower farm one season at a time.
Most mornings begin with picking posies together for the boys’ teachers and friends, and our days end with hosing each other off in the kitchen garden. Even the little ones carry perennial dirt (red clay, let’s be honest) under their fingernails and maintain an impressive collection of tiny tools for prepping, planting and harvesting. They’re our original undergardeners (assistant gardeners).
In this season of life, we adults feel like undergardeners, too: learning, listening and growing. Downtime is for field experiments and work (after bedtime, headlamps on).
At this rate, we may never finish planting the sunniest corners of our five-ish acres, but we can’t wait to see what grows here. (Anyone have a good source for truffula tree seeds? Asking for a four year old.)
Where our flowers will go
We hope to make a healthy impact on both the community and the natural world.
Look for our flowers at:
Fundraisers
donating a portion of proceeds to local schools and other important groups
Markets
simply and sustainably bringing bouquets directly to other flower lovers
Gathering Places
adding wonder to the shops and shared spaces that make our area special
On giving, from day one
We used to think we’d start doing good with this business once we were “big enough.”
Then we realized these early years are actually the perfect time to begin.
Right now, we’re:
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trialing lots of new-to-us flora
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ordering wholesale plug quantities that exceed our prepared growing space
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expecting beautiful blooms from crops we don’t yet plan to sell
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fueled (perhaps naively) by the energy of starting something new
We’re also inspired by brightening everyday places with quiet acts of care.
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Can we tuck an extra peony tuber into a forgotten corner of a bare cemetery?
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Could we soften a waiting room full of uncertainty with a small bucket of free flowers?
If you have ideas for how we might put our resources to good use, we’d love to hear from you.