There is a place near and dear to our hearts which we are excited to share with you. It’s a treasure we have nurtured and cherished throughout the years at Bloomfields. This special place is Sandyhill Farm.
Purchased at an auction in 1975 and driven by a desire to live closer to nature - Wendy and Bert made this their home along with sons Jamie (co-founder of Bloomfields) and John. This historic Georgian home with three acres of prime farmland is a charming hidden gem this side of Prince Edward County.
The old stone house, built circa 18oo, has architectural detailing of times long past- a Rumford fireplace, post and beam ceilings, deep panelled windows, and Norfolk hinges. Wendy and Bert took up the challenge to restore their newfound home, preserving the natural grace of the house. After decades of work, their labour of love is a truly enchanted walk through history- appointed with antiques, books to feed the curiosity, art to captivate the soul, and often filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Outside on the property is another exquisite vision. What started off as a single willow tree, with wild roses, heirloom lilacs and a vegetable garden, has over the years been carefully cultivated and curated by Wendy’s hard work and passion to create a stunning and magical place. Today, this enchanted garden includes native plants such as Dutchman’s breeches, snakeroot, bellwort, hepatica, pokeweed, delphinium, and hydrangea- to name a few among many more. The garden now covers the entire 3 acres, with paths that wind through lush and verdant arrays of flowers and plants.
Virginia (co-founder of Bloomfields) entered this beautiful landscape in 1999 and from then onwards the Bloomfields and Sandyhill Farm union began to blossom. Married in 2002, Virginia relocated Bloomfields to Ottawa to be with the love of her life, Jamie- sharing a passion for the farm, flowers, and family.
For the past 20 years, Virginia and Jamie have made regular trips to the farm- bringing back fresh and gorgeous flowers, accents and greenery for Bloomfields to be worked into our arrangements and bouquets. The bountiful natural beauty of these elements truly sets us apart in our designs and our entire approach to floral arranging.
Wendy, Bert, and Sandyhill Farm are an essential element of our Bloomfields family- we are so fortunate to have our own local flowers to inspire our designs which we share with you. Thank you, thank you, thank you to you both!
We hope that you will appreciate some insight into the provenance of the flowers you purchase from Bloomfields. We also look forward to sharing more stories with you about farming and farm life at Sandyhill.
