Graystem Farm began as a dream that became a plan and is now a reality.
We grew up in farm country, or to be more precise, in suburban homes surrounded by Standardbred horse farms. It was always my dream to someday have a farm of my own with horses, dogs and a beautiful garden landscape inspired by English country gardens, the important women in my life, and early lifestyle influencers like Martha Stewart and P. Allen Smith. In my mind’s eye I would walk along winding woodland trails, cross large green fields dotted with horses and sheep, passing tall hedgerows, down stone steps and everywhere I look – flowers. We finally made those dreams come true in Powhatan, Virginia.
Though horses and sheep are no longer part of the landscape, we still take pride in cultivating a vibrant array of special floristry blooms that thrive in our southern climate - including flowers you would expect to see in an English country garden – lavender, peonies, roses, clematis, delphinium, allium, snapdragons, and lilies. Growing right alongside these classics are colorful “New World” natives like lisianthus, zinnias, Queen Anne’s Lace, rudbeckia, echinacea, liatris and solidago.
Trudy
I inherited my love of flowers from Grandma C, Mom, and Asta - the childcare provider of my youth - all plant lovers and gardeners, each in her own way. But it wasn’t until I met John that flowers truly became a part of my daily life.
It all started with a dozen red roses.
We met through a mutual friend, worked for the same company, and became good friends over time. So imagine my surprise (and embarrassed delight) when he showed up at work with a dozen red roses….not to propose marriage, but to propose a date. Every person - man or woman - should have that at least once in their life!
Flowers have been a part of every significant event following that date - our wedding, holidays, illness, anniversaries, first home, births of our children. Even when times were tight, I would still receive flowers - picked from the garden or sketched on a little post it note left on my desk. always bringing a smile to my face and joy to my days.
I still receive great joy from flowers and the partnership that grows them.
John
My ancestry is 75% Italian so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I love food. I especially love tomatoes – eating them, cooking with them, canning them and growing them. Some of my favorite memories are of me and my grandfather Frank inspecting my tomato patch. As I proudly showed him my plants, he would produce a salt shaker he’d grabbed from the kitchen, pluck a tomato from the plant, sprinkle it with the salt and pop it in his mouth, finishing with a satisfied smile. At the end of our tour he would congratulate me on a job well done. We left behind a much smaller crop, but that didn’t matter, because that is what gardening is all about; sharing the harvest and bringing joy to others.
I was so happy when we bought our farm. I had just planted a veggie garden and my first patch of corn when the Deep-Water Horizon disaster occurred and I was shipped off with my unit for a cleanup operation. When we returned home, I was transferred to a deployable port security unit and sent to the desert. No veggie garden for a while.
When you deploy on a mission you expect to miss your family and friends, especially during the quiet times or when you have to say goodbye on Skype. What I didn’t expect to miss was GREEN – the color, the moisture of a temperate climate, even the smell of green. Yes, green has a smell!
Now that I’ve retired, I get to spend a lot of time in the garden. And even though my primary focus is veggies, an equal amount of time is spent with the flowers because flowers make Trudy happy, and a happy wife means a happy life!
Life hack: Give your significant other some flowers. You’ll thank me later!
The Farm Team
Farm Supervisors
Pest Control & Egg Production Team
“The owners are so kind and knowledgeable! Very willing to share their expertise. Gorgeous flowers. Met them at an annual plant sale at Reynolds in Goochland. I left with a new strategy to grow a favorite flower AND a new recipe! I cannot wait to visit the farm..”
- Ali N.