Welcome to Cold Water Flowers, a small plot of paradise nestled in Greencastle, Pennsylvania.
My name is Kate Stoner, the woman who bears all the titles a small business requires. CWF was established in 2018, but I come from a long line of farmers. I am proud to say that my family has been farming all kinds of commodities for generations, but flowers may be new to the list. I specialize in dahlias for tuber production and designer sales, but am branching into annuals to offer more selection for DIY buckets and market bouquets sold at the Little Blue Cart. I have blooms available from May until frost (usually mid October, here in South Central, Pennsylvania.)
The Cold Water Flowers name was agonized over for months, but good things take time. I farm on rented property owned by my in-laws. My then boyfriend, now husband and I moved in November 2013 to the property and I made the remark that the well water was the coldest I ever felt coming out of the ground. It takes your breath away if you aren't anticipating ice touching your skin. My husband cocked his head to the side and said that his Pap used to say the same thing and for some reason that stuck with me. Pap Clyde was the farmer in the Stoner family and unfortunately passed away a few years prior. The summer of 2014 I started a massive vegetable garden and I realized how utterly fortunate I was to be able to grow in the softest, buttery top soil I have ever, ever had to the pleasure to put my hands in. I like to joke that having great soil is my payment for spending most of my childhood picking rock in Northern PA. So slowly, over the course of a few years, the vegetable patch transition to solely flowers along with my passion for insanely beautiful dahlias. It took a few years to figure out how to grow this diva of a plant well, but a key secret to my success is water. Dahlias are thirsty plants and hate hot roots, so how fitting that I happen to have an ample supply of the coldest ground water to aid in their growth. So to honor Pap Clyde for the best soil, well water and less not forget 'gardenian' angel, Cold Water Flowers was chosen.
My name is Kate Stoner, the woman who bears all the titles a small business requires. CWF was established in 2018, but I come from a long line of farmers. I am proud to say that my family has been farming all kinds of commodities for generations, but flowers may be new to the list. I specialize in dahlias for tuber production and designer sales, but am branching into annuals to offer more selection for DIY buckets and market bouquets sold at the Little Blue Cart. I have blooms available from May until frost (usually mid October, here in South Central, Pennsylvania.)
The Cold Water Flowers name was agonized over for months, but good things take time. I farm on rented property owned by my in-laws. My then boyfriend, now husband and I moved in November 2013 to the property and I made the remark that the well water was the coldest I ever felt coming out of the ground. It takes your breath away if you aren't anticipating ice touching your skin. My husband cocked his head to the side and said that his Pap used to say the same thing and for some reason that stuck with me. Pap Clyde was the farmer in the Stoner family and unfortunately passed away a few years prior. The summer of 2014 I started a massive vegetable garden and I realized how utterly fortunate I was to be able to grow in the softest, buttery top soil I have ever, ever had to the pleasure to put my hands in. I like to joke that having great soil is my payment for spending most of my childhood picking rock in Northern PA. So slowly, over the course of a few years, the vegetable patch transition to solely flowers along with my passion for insanely beautiful dahlias. It took a few years to figure out how to grow this diva of a plant well, but a key secret to my success is water. Dahlias are thirsty plants and hate hot roots, so how fitting that I happen to have an ample supply of the coldest ground water to aid in their growth. So to honor Pap Clyde for the best soil, well water and less not forget 'gardenian' angel, Cold Water Flowers was chosen.