Adel, GA

If you’re looking for a little flower power around the city of Adel, you need look no further than Bailey’s Buds and Blooms, where a recent college graduate has turned her passion into a thriving business.

“I started working at one of the largest ones in Georgia in North Georgia called Whimsey Flower and I just really found my passion,” says Bailey Rayfield, Owner of Bailey’s Buds & Blooms. “I moved back down south, and I decided to invest in my business, so, I started building my greenhouse, built my flower barn and then I started cultivating my land here behind me. Ever since then, this is my third growing season and it’s just where my passion is.”

In those three years, Bailey has learned a number of valuable lessons such as time management, planting techniques and of course, dealing with the unexpected.

“No season is ever the same. This season has been by far the weirdest because we’ve actually had a spring here in South Georgia, which is usually unheard of,” says Rayfield. “So, you know, my flowers are a little bit later than usual. I planted some earlier in the greenhouse this season and the cold got them. That’s just kind of the things you have to adapt and change.”

Owning and operating a flower farm is anything but easy, as months of preparation and hard work in the fields go into creating each and every one of these bouquets.

“I start everything in the greenhouse from seed about the beginning of March. I try not to plant too early, kind of depend on that Easter rule that a lot of farmers go by. After they become seedling plugs, I transplant out into the field. I typically transplant into mushroom compost and then before I go into planting, I cultivate my land, till it, take soil tests, and add in fertilizer and Lyme when needed,” says Rayfield.

A couple months later, the flowers are ready to come out of the field. But to make sure you get the most out of all that time and effort, the proper timing and technique is essential.

“When you’re cutting a flower, you have to make sure you’re not cutting blooms. You have to make sure that you’re cutting at appropriate length, all those types of things. You wouldn’t want to cut them too late, and you don’t want to cut them too early. With sunflowers, you have to make sure that if you’re going to want it for several days then you’re going to have to cut it when it’s still closed up and then let it open out. A zinnia, the same thing. My bouquets typically last ten to fourteen days on a counter,” says Rayfield.

Those in the area will get a chance to check out this operation firsthand on June 17th, as it will host the area’s first ever Pick N’ Shop event, which will honor the Georgia Farm Bureau’s Birthday.

“You come to the farm, fifteen dollars to get in. That includes your U-Pick flowers for the day, and you’ll get a personalized Bailey’s Buds and Blooms cup as well to put your flowers in. You’ll get a decorative cookie and a water bottle, but, if you become a Georgia Farm Bureau member that day, you get in free and you still get U-Pick and all those types of things as well. So, we’re really looking forward to hosting this event at the farm. We hope to bring out the local communities, people throughout the state in to come see the farm, enjoy the outside. It’s a family friendly event,” says Rayfield.

By: Damon Jones