Melissa of Rose of Sharon at Blossom Hill. Photo credit: Jessica Miller

Welcome to the Rose of Sharon at Blossom Hill Flower Farm

The Farm is truly a special place. It not only houses fields of fresh flowers and a bustling gift shop, but is also home to owner, Melissa Oothout. Melissa has a lengthy experience in the floral/plant industry and is a welcome addition to the town of Dunstable, MA.

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers…

When Melissa and her husband, Mark, purchased the Rose of Sharon property in 2013, they named their new home,”Blossom Hill”, thus the “Rose of Sharon at Blossom Hill” was created.  The farm in yield cuts flowers such as sunflowers, hydrangea, dahlias, tuberose, yarrow, delphinium, shasta daisies, chocolate cosmos- just to name a few.

Fresh, Elegant, Local…

Rose of Sharon at Blossom Hill is dedicated to using locally grown flowers, foliage, branches, berries and pods to create our signature floral art designs. We are a full-service florist and many of our flowers are grown on our own flower farm. As farmers, we have chosen to use sustainable growing practices. These practices make our products and services unique.

Our fields are organically managed…

meaning lots of compost and natural fertilizers (such as our friendly neighbor’s daily delivery of manure from her rescue animals) help nourish the plants…no toxic chemicals are applied. An extensive drip irrigation system waters the field from our recently dug well.

A little history…

Rose of Sharon was owned and run by Jimmy Cercherio for many years. Jimmy built this flower business from the ground up with 2 locations, one in Acton and the existing shop in Dunstable MA. Jimmy had many loyal customers and it is evident that he put much love and energy into the business and the property. His customers love him and his floral design talent. It was bittersweet for Jimmy when he sold the business to retire in New Jersey with his wife, but his spirit is still very much here. He even came to help us in the early summer to ready the field and to help plant. We feel very lucky to have been the one’s to purchase the business and property from someone who had made it so truly special.

Designer, Kimberly Downes.

Floral Designer, Grace Clark, Photo: Piper Jo Nevins

About our staff of designers…

Kim, the artist, at work

Kimberly Kendall Downes was the shop manager for 26 years. When the new ownership took place, Kim was willing to stay on board, which is incredibly fortunate for our little shop. Kim is not only incredibly talented with a serious gift of flower design, but she also knows all of the customers and exactly what they want. It doesn’t stop there. Her upbeat, charismatic personality is contagious to everyone

around her. Her daughter Grace, is also a key player in the Rose of Sharon at Blossom Hill and is incredibly helpful and talented, with a specialty for terrarium gardens and vegetable gardening. The shop wouldn’t be what it is without them and we feel very fortunate to have them on our team!

July 2013…

As the owner of the shop, I actually was not looking to purchase a business. I have happily worked in garden centers and greenhouses for the last 17 years. About 18 years ago, I visited an uncle who owns a large cut flower farm in Virginia, ‘Wollam Gardens’. I initially went down to check out the farm but discovered that he needed some extra help so I ended up working for him. The short visit turned into a six month stay and I worked from dawn to dusk on his farm, and fell in love with growing AND selling flowers. This cemented my love of growing flowers. I realized that I could combine my two favorite things, flowers and growing and become a flower farmer. In this climate it is a challenge, but I love a challenge. So for many years I grew flowers on our plot in Groton and I supported this ‘flower habit’ with full time work at Lexington Gardens, and then when they closed worked for Weston Nurseries first as Annual Supervisor in Hopkinton and then as a General Manager when they opened their second location in Chelmsford. I sold flowers at farmer’s markets, did weddings and event flowers for 15 years ‘on the side’. So when a Joe and Dennis Ready from Ready Real Estate came to Weston Nurseries to ask if I had any ideas on who they could pass their freshly made brochure of this property with an existing flower business on it, I gave them a few suggestions. But I couldn’t shake how incredibly perfect this business sounded. A house with a flower shop….AND a place to grow. I had never been to Dunstable MA. I took a drive, saw the place and the rest, as they say, is history. I can’t begin to describe how grateful and honored I am to be here. A friend has told me that it’s as if ‘we won the lottery’, because the whole outfit suits us so well. Even though it’s a lot of work, I really do feel THAT lucky.

Much of the material used in our designs is custom-grown on site for each event…

We specialize in cultivating heirloom, old fashioned and uncommon flowers so that we are able to create bouquets that reflect your individual personality, your event’s unique aesthetic and the best of what is blooming on your wedding day.

Photos: Jessica Miller.