Business is blooming at Winnetoon flower farm

Driving north on Highway 14, one may be inclined to stop and smell the roses.

Rylee Wagner, proprietor of Wild Arrow Farms, hopes you stop to smell the zinnias, sunflowers, snapdragons and other floral varieties at her you-pick flower farm, located at 87544 Highway 14 near Winnetoon.

For $20, visitors to the not-so-secret garden can cut stems and fill a 20-ounce cup, creating their own bouquet. Wagner also offers made-for-you bouquets. She recently organized a you-pick fundraiser for a family member battling cancer.

"We had around 100 bouquets leave the farm," she said.

Wild Arrow Farms is open Fridays and Saturdays for you-picks. She advises checking the farm's Facebook Page for hours.

Wagner, a Norfolk native, said she has always been interested in gardening. When she and husband, Kory, moved to his grandparents' farm a year ago, Wagner discovered an idyllic spot for a flower farm.

After viewing social media posts about you-pick farms, the idea took root.

"Things grew and people have come. It's been awesome," she said.

This season, visitors have landed at the destination on their way to Niobrara State Park. Others have made it a day trip, a place to unwind and take in the beauty.

Wagner planted more than 3,000 flowers, with a lot of "cut and come again" varieties. She believes plenty of flowers should be available up until the first frost.

"Things will dwindle out after that."

Now, a rainbow of colors pop across the strips of flowers planted on a piece of land where a barn once sat.

Wagner knew zinnias and cosmos were easy choices for planting. Sunflowers, too, since seeds are tossed on the ground and sown.

At the end of January, she started snapdragons from seed, in the basement. She figured they'd be a hit. They were one of her favorites when she was a child.

"You could pinch the mouth of them," she said, chuckling.

Ironically, she almost decided not to plant the vibrant two-lobed blooms. They've been one of her biggest sellers, along with lisianthus, which started sprouting almost a month ago.

Other flowers were planted as pre-started plugs, including a dried flower collection, with half a dozen floral varieties. She partnered with a Norfolk-area flower farmer, which allowed her to test some different plants "to see if I will plant them next year."

Visitors have patiently waited to pick dahlias, but Wagner said she is disappointed in the plants, which are tucked alongside a barn.

"It's been a great experimental year. I definitely have some flowers I'm not a huge fan of and won't plant again next year."

Wild Arrow Farms supplies blooms to flower shops in Neligh, Creighton, Bloomfield and Norfolk.

"The florists have loved everything I have planted so it will be kind of hard to decide what I'm keeping and going to nix off the list," she said. "It makes a difference buying locally."

Eventually, Wagner envisions relocating the flower beds to another spot on the property, offering a self-serve spot, open dusk to dawn.

"I would love to add a pavilion and picnic tables and really make it a spot on the map," Wagner said. She added that people seem to be seeking experiences.

"People really love flowers," she said.