Petals in paradise: Washington Fields flower farm is blossoming with events and workshops

Written by Jessi Bang
July 28, 2024

ST. GEORGE — Nestled in the heart of Washington Fields lies The Flowering Cottage, a hidden lower farm where rows of colorful blooms stretch toward the sun.

Jennica Burnett is the other of The Flowering Cottage, where she offers fresh cut flowers to individuals and businesses, St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Bernett, St. George News
Jennica Burnett is the other of The Flowering Cottage, where she offers fresh cut flowers to individuals and businesses, Washington City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Burnett, St. George News

“People don’t realize there’s a lot of flowers that you can grow here,” The Flowering Cottage owner Jennica Burnett said. “I grow so many things out here. Too much to count. But it is really fun. It’s fun to see what you have success with.”

The Flowering Cottage is a mini flower farm on 8.5 acres in Washington Fields that features 22 raised flowerbeds. From engaging flower workshops to the unique “Bloom Bars” where you can handpick your own arrangements, The Flowering Cottage offers the community a chance to immerse themselves in a vibrant array of heat-loving flowers.

Her main flowers? Zinnias, sunflowers, Queen Anne’s lace, Dara, Celosia, Statice, Globe Amaranth and a variety of different greeneries, including eucalyptus and baby’s breath.

The farm features manicured lawns, perfect for hosting workshops, yoga meditation sessions and flower-cutting activities. Classes include flower arranging workshops where participants learn to create floral arrangements to take home, using flowers exclusively from The Flowering Cottage garden. These workshops are popular for date nights and girls’ nights out.

A flower workshop takes place at The Flowering Cottage in St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Bernett, St. George News
A flower workshop takes place at The Flowering Cottage in Washington City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Burnett, St. George News

“They get matching aprons and all the flowers are out and they just have such a good time,” she said.

Another workshop focuses on teaching participants how to grow cut flowers. This session complements the flower arranging class, concluding with a detailed explanation of her techniques and practices for cultivating beautiful cut flowers in the desert.

For weddings, she offers a bachelorette workshop where brides and bridesmaids create their own centerpieces for the big day. With all the bride’s chosen flowers laid out, she guides them through the process of centerpiece creation. Additionally, her wholesale flower license allows her to source any specifically requested flowers not currently grown on the farm.

Dried flower workshops offer the opportunity to create “forever flowers” that retain their color and shape. Wreath workshops, including special Christmas wreath sessions with various pines, are also available. As for future events, she hopes to expand to include retreats and collaborate with other local businesses for a richer community experience.

Have a group of five to 20 people? Burnett said she is happy to put on a personalized group flower workshop.

A sunflower grows at The Flowering Cottage in St. George, Utah, July 8, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A sunflower grows at The Flowering Cottage in Washington City, Utah, July 8, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

The Flowering Cottage also is a member of a co-op flower farming group that meets weekly to cut flowers. The group fulfills pre-sale orders for local florists and also sells directly to the public. Burnett is the only flower farmer in Washington City within the group, while others come from areas like Enterprise, Kanab and Parowan.

“They are all in cooler areas,” she said. “I feel like I’m the only one that’s doing the St. George flower farming and kind of like paving the road. I’m proving you can actually do it.”

She explained that there are distinct seasons for spring, summer and fall flowers. The warm climate of the St. George area allows her to grow flowers earlier than other farmers, making her blooms highly sought after. Additionally, the extended warm temperatures provide a longer growing season, further increasing the demand. She starts about 20% of her plants indoors under lights in the winter and 80% from seeds directly to the soil.

How it all started

Her passion for flowers blossomed at a young age. Burnett recalls her mother’s stunning flower garden, often compared to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints temple grounds by visitors. As a child, she cherished moments spent in the garden. During high school, her family relocated to a new property where they collaborated on diverse landscaping projects, allowing her to participate in the planning process.

A flower workshop takes place at The Flowering Cottage in St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Bernett, St. George News
A flower workshop takes place at The Flowering Cottage in Washington City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Burnett, St. George News

Burnett started cultivating her own cut flowers six years ago while residing in another part of Washington Fields. Initially, her goal was simply to grow flowers for her own home. Utilizing planter beds, her family dedicated an acre of land to planting vegetables and flowers. While the vegetables struggled, the flowers thrived.

“Pretty soon, I had so many flowers that it was like coming out of my ears,” she said. “So I started doing a bouquet subscription for friends with whatever was growing in my garden at the time. And it just grew.”

She and her family had long dreamed of owning a hobby farm nearby to keep their children – three girls and two boys – in the same schools. Soon enough, her realtor husband found the perfect spot. 

“We ended up starting our hobby farm a lot sooner than we thought we would,” she said. “We thought it was going to be like us retired with kids grown and gone, but having my kids on the farm is so fun.”

Her previous residence featured a quarter-acre flower garden, but now she tends to a full acre, primarily devoted to flowers with a section dedicated to an orchard. They have constructed a flower shed equipped with a floral fridge, extending the freshness of their flowers by up to two weeks. 

In her six years of growing cut flowers, she describes it as a journey of learning about soil and how to maintain it, discovering what methods succeed, taking care of bugs, finding the best watering system and embracing trial and error.

As for future plans, she hopes to create a high-end wedding venue on her 8.5-acre property with a large white barn in the pasture.

A fall pumpkin flower workshop takes place at The Flowering Cottage in St. George, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Bernett, St. George News
A fall pumpkin flower workshop takes place at The Flowering Cottage in Washington City, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of Jennica Burnett, St. George News

“We’re just really trying to preserve that feel of Washington Fields because it’s slowly disappearing everywhere,” she said. “It’s sad and we know growth happens, but we are just happy that we can preserve the part that we have here.”

The next event at The Flowering Farm will be the Fall Pumpkin Floral Arranging Workshop, which will take place on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Guests will make a floral arrangement out of a hollowed-out pumpkin with floral foam inside.

For more information, including upcoming events and custom flower orders, follow @thefloweringcottage on Instagram. Join the “Bloom Bar” every Saturday at the farm from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and take home 15 handpicked flowers arranged professionally for $20.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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