Valeo Flower Farm LLC is a small urban farm in Colorado Springs, growing native and specialty flowers for local retail sale in bunches and bouquets.
Mission: Dedicated to sustainability, VFF strives to support an ecologically healthy landscape by using organic, pesticide-free, waterwise practices, growing drought-tolerant and native species, and selling strictly to local markets.
About VFF
The Farm & Grower
The name "Valeo Flower Farm" was very intentional, as the Latin verb "Valeo" translates as to be strong, able, valid, or of worth. VFF is a 0.22-acre urban "farm" (neighborhood lot), located in Colorado Springs. Growing space includes over 3,500 sq ft of naturalistic and cottage-style landscape gardens, 350 sq ft of (15) raised beds, a 100-sq ft low-tunnel, and several dozen planting crates. Danielle, VFF's owner and grower, is an avid steward of the environment, with a love for all things wild. While she enjoys her current "day job", operating VFF is her passion. She has always loved gardening with native plants and also enjoys spending time with her dogs, chickens, and turtles and traveling with her husband of 24 years.
Products
Market Bunches & Bouquets
On weekends during late spring into autumn, flower bunches and mixed bouquets (hand-wrapped and jar arrangements) can be purchased for $15-35 at 2 markets: Monument Farmers Market in downtown Monument and Cordera Farmers Market in NE Colorado Springs.
Special Orders & Events
Special orders of flower bunches and bouquets can be requested for pick-up or delivery to occur any time during May-October. Orders may be as simple as a single custom bouquet or as complex as numerous, variably sized handheld bouquets or vase arrangements. Pricing and payment options will be available in early 2024. Please check back then!
Sustainability
1. Minimize impact: (1) Support/prioritize wildlife habitat adjacent to, intermixed with, or inclusive of cut-flowers. (2) Use no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers, but rather use ecological strategies for minimizing pest pressure and create/use compost to enhance soil fertility. (3) Grow plants from direct-sowed seed, cuttings, and/or self-propagated bulbs/tubers, instead of indoor-grown or outsourced seedlings. (4) Regardless of intent of cutting stems, prioritize native over non-native plants to maximize benefit for the native community and to minimize disease/pest issues. (5) Sell to local markets only.
2. Conserve water: (1) Prioritize plant varieties with low to extremely low water needs, labeled as heat/drought tolerant or “xeric”. (2) Prioritize native species over non-native species to minimize the need for supplemental watering. (3) Maintain soil moisture by using covers, shades, and mulch. (4) When watering, use water naturally collected in rain barrels or a retention pond. (5) Prioritize perennial varieties to minimize caring for plants in the water-hungry establishing phase.
3. Prioritize versatile flowering plants, including: (1) Those preferred by both pollinators and humans. (2) Those beloved as both fresh and dried flowers. (3) Those beloved for multiple features (e.g., foliage, flowers, seeds/fruits). (4) Cut-and-come-again flowers. (5) Generalist varieties (e.g., tolerant to a wide range in sunlight, moisture, and/or nutrient level, soil type, and/or containment type [pot, raised bed, landscape]).
