Added on August 5, 2019  Sara Swanson

Manchester Blooms – more than a u-pick flower garden

Manchester has a brand new U-Pick flower business, Manchester Blooms! Need a bouquet for a loved one, decorations for an event, something to brighten up your home, or just a relaxing outdoor activity? Located at 10722 Bethel Church Road, business hours are Monday through Thursday: 6:30-8:30 pm, Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 8 am to noon. 

Business owner Amy Pyle explained that her goal is to provide more than just a source of flowers but a greenspace activity. She said, “The goal of the U-Pick garden is to be a spot for people to decompress and indulge in the mental benefits of a greenspace. The gardens are relaxed and whimsical. We try to play it loose with the rules and allow for the creative. Nothing is fussy here. Visitors come to pick the flowers! At Manchester Blooms, you are encouraged to climb on things, get dirty, finish a chapter in that book, or revel in the beauty of doing nothing. A space where you can’t break anything and no one will ever say that you picked the wrong stem.” 

Upon arriving, guests receive a bucket and pair of scissors. For $30 they can fill the bucket with flowers of their choice. They choose, cut, and create their own bouquet. Manchester Blooms accepts cash or credit card via Square. Most guests will spend about an hour in the U-Pick garden. 

Current blooms include Cosmos, Poppies, Bachelor’s Buttons, Zinnias, Daisies, and  Baby’s Breath.

A bucket fills approximately 2-3 Ball jars. Pyle suggests making two or three arrangements for yourself, bringing a friend and sharing a bucket, or making an arrangement for yourself and another one for someone special. 

When you are finished cutting your flowers, guests have a few choices: they can opt to take the flowers home in the bucket they used or transfer the flowers to floral sleeves and/or tin cans provided by Manchester Blooms. Guests are also invited to bring their own vessel(s) from home and arrange their flowers right there at one of Manchester Bloom’s picnic tables.

“This is a great opportunity to come in the morning and make a custom gift for someone you are seeing later in the afternoon,” Pyle stated. She added, “A morning U-Pick garden visit is also a terrific way for children and grandchildren to run around before an afternoon nap.”

Manchester Blooms would like to be able to stay open until at least mid October.  As this is the first year, nothing is certain but what Pyle is growing should provide continuous blooms until frost. Additionally, they’ve planted several hundred sunflowers and those should hopefully be blooming well into the next season. 

They hope to expand the U-Pick every year. This fall, they plan to extend they gardens further back and plant hundreds of tulip and daffodil bulbs for an early spring U-Pick garden. Pyle also envisions covering a large hill with wildflowers. Their plan is to continue to make it larger every year. She pointed out, “Only 12 weeks ago our Flower Farm was a field of hay, so we have accomplished a lot in a short period of time.”

Pyle’s passion for gardening began from a child in the vegetable beds and berry fields. When she began to grow her own landscape, she “caught the flower bug and fell hard.” As an adult she is the Manchester Community Fair two-time Homemaker Champion and seven-time Reserve champion, with over sixty ribbons in floriculture.  

Her desire to create Manchester Blooms U-Pick Gardens is the merging of two of her passions: flower gardening and her desire to positively impact the mood and mental health of others. 

She elaborated, “By now most people have probably heard about ‘nature pills’ and ‘nature prescriptions.’ After repeated studies have concluded that contact with nature reduces stress and improves well-being, doctors have started ‘prescribing’ time spent outside. One recent U of M study, determined that ‘for the greatest payoff, you should spend 20 to 30 minutes sitting or walking in a place that provides you with a sense of nature.’ It is this very impact on mood, that draws me to greenspaces and gardening in particular.” 

Pyle summed up her vision, “Imagine skipping the pharmaceuticals and having an effective, low-cost tool of preventative medicine available. With increasing urbanization, and indoor lifestyles, it’s good to know that the road to well-being could be as easy as a trip to Manchester Blooms.” She clarified that she supports medication for mental health but she is a firm believer that there is no one size fits all remedy or healing technique for any illness and people often have to try many different solutions before they find relief.

Although Pyle did not invent the U-Pick flower concept, she took it and made it her own. “When I was doing research about great cutting flowers to grow, I stumbled across a blog that included the U-Pick garden concept. It seems that there are some out west and in California. I cannot take credit for the idea. It may not be common in our area, but it is a thing,” she stated. “What I can take credit for is my no-fuss concept.” 

She discovered in her research that many U-Pick gardens have stringent rules about how the flowers are to picked, where customers may walk, and how to behave. Some even discourage children. She found some had confusing prices and none let the guests take the bucket home. “One in particular sounded like the farmer might hunt you down if you took her buckets,” she stated. “They all required that after you cut the flowers you must have a vessel to put your flowers in for transport, which means that customers need to be prepared for a visit. None of that really flows with my philosophy.” So Pyle found reasonable buckets and made it part of the cost so people can just relax, cut, and carry their flowers home without any pressure of worry that they will wilt. 

Unlike the other U-Pick gardens she researched, Pyle’s goal for Manchester Blooms is to have the least number of rules as possible and to encourage the creativity of each guest. While definitely not rules, there are things to know before you go. From Manchester blooms:

-Manchester Blooms flower farm is full sun. It can be hot. Bring your water bottle or favorite beverage to stay hydrated. Guests are also welcome to bring snacks if they wish to have them during their visit. We will have trash and recycling barrels available to keep the grounds clean. At this time, we are not providing refreshments at the farm … just beautiful flowers. 

-Manchester Blooms is inclusive and leashed service animals are welcome. In consideration of other guests, we have chosen a pet-free garden. We will leave our fur babies at home too. 

-The flower farm is comprised of wide grass rows with flower beds. You are free to cut flowers wherever you want. You can walk around and inside any of the beds. You are welcome to explore. Go anywhere inside the farm’s natural sunflower barrier and cut away!

-.We recommend comfy clothing designed for outdoor activities. We have a small tractor tire play area for kids. My children suggest wearing tennis shoes for playing on them and running through the farm. Ultimately, we encourage people to wear whatever they find most comfortable. We want you to have fun!

-If you have a favorite pair of pruning shears, bring them. We have scissors available for those who would prefer to use ours.

-There is no wireless internet, power sources, or technology access. 

Pyle concluded, “We can’t wait to share our vision with you. Come! Cut flowers, relax, watch the butterflies, listen to the birds, walk around, climb on stuff and connect with nature.”

Questions? Contact Manchester Blooms at (734) 395-4460 or manchesterblooms@gmail.com or visit them on Facebook.

Editors note: This article was updated with additional information on 9-6-19