Dave Richardson
Dave is new to gardening. The established perennial beds surrounding the farmhouse provided a crash course in tending flowers, and he developed a passion for digging, planting, weeding, and watering. When Dave isn’t playing in the dirt, he is playing music. Dave is a folk singer/songwriter and performs all over New England and beyond. Check out his music here.
Renee Pepin
Renee grew up helping her grandparents in their vegetable garden and fruit orchard. She loves flowers but she quit buying them for years because of the negative effects factory flower growing has on the environment. As she learned about the local flower growers in her community, her desire for flowers was reignited! Over time she shifted from buying local flowers to growing her own. Renee loves learning and is totally into experimenting ways to grow the very best blooms. A scientist in the field and everywhere else: Renee’s day job is researching ways to expand mental health services to older adults.
Farm
Renee and Dave moved into a lovely 1850’s farmhouse in Windsor, Vermont in 2016. The house sits on 5 acres of mostly wooded land; they have carved out a plot of flat, sunny space perfect for cut flower growing.
Branch & Thorn Flower Farm is located on unceded land of the Western Abenaki people.
Growing Practices
At Branch & Thorn Flower Farm, we care about our soil, our plants, the pollinators that visit our flowers and everything else in our ecosystem. We are committed to using responsible growing and harvesting practices every step of the way. We plant and harvest by hand. We use natural compost and fertilizer. Synthetic pesticides and herbicides never touch our plants or our soil. As we continue to grow, our beds will primarily be low-till. We strive to be a local and sustainable alternative to imported, factory-farmed flowers.
