Sometimes a Flower is More than a Flower
by Christina McCarthy
Dr. Kara Lolley and her husband, Reese, live on Canyon Blooms, a beautiful flower farm, nestled at the foot of the Cowiche Canyon hills. When Kara’s dear friend, Candace, was nearing the end of her life with advanced Parkinson’s, she came to the farm. Candace believed in the healing power of nature and found beauty and peace in her final weeks, surrounded by blossoming flowers and her closest friend, Kara. At her passing, Kara pledged to do something in Candace’s honor, and the seed for Petals for Patients was planted.
Shortly thereafter, Covid hit. People everywhere were frightened and anxious. Businesses closed, social gatherings stopped completely, and fear, anxiety, loneliness, and depression became secondary symptoms of the pandemic. Sales of the Canyon Blooms bouquets Kara and her friends sold roadside began to dwindle, and Kara took leftover arrangements to her medical clinic, to give to patients. She quickly recognized the light in an eye or the intake of breath as people were given flowers “just because.” “I was witnessing a dopamine response in my patients. The flowers were so much more than just flowers to those people. They sparked a little hope in a very dark time.”
And then Dr. Kara thought, why can’t we do this for people everywhere? Hospitals, nursing homes, shut-ins - and Petals for Patients began to bloom.
That was four years ago. In 2022, Canyon Blooms Petals for Patients became a non-profit, making them eligible for grants and tax-deductible gifts. An in-kind donation from Pacific Power allowed the farm to remove a large cottonwood tree, expanding their sunny growing area. The next year, a grant from Pacific Power allowed them to make the work studio more accessible and ADA-compliant. In 2023, a gift from the Yakima Downtown Rotary Club allowed them to insulate and double the size of their studio, including space to create arrangements and teach classes, and add a large flower cooler. The increase in size allows them to have over a dozen volunteers, working together to create over 400 bouquets each month.
The flowers are delivered to more than 26 agencies that support the elderly, infirmed, disabled, and individuals facing difficult challenges such as abuse or cancer. “I know that not everyone is into flowers,” says Dr. Kara. “But most recipients are genuinely moved. It’s not that someone donated flowers to go in a lobby or on a table, but that someone wanted to give flowers TO THEM. It is a connection, knowing someone was thinking of them. And it brings joy.”
Thanks to recent gifts from generous donors, this year Canyon Blooms was able to purchase the land across the dirt road on which the farm is located. Part of the land is riparian, meaning it is adjacent to water—in this case, the Cowiche Creek—and therefore must remain in its natural state. However, the rest of the area will be cultivated to grow perennials, native plants, and shrubs. The new land will also allow Canyon Blooms to install two additional “high tunnels” - unheated hoop-style greenhouses, so Petals for Patients flowers can be delivered as early in the year as January.
“We did a trial forced growing of tulips last year,” explained Dr. Kara.” By planting the bulbs in cherry lugs and moving them between different temperatures, we were able to get tulips to bloom in January! The trial was highly successful, and we need the new high tunnels to grow more bulbs and corms this way. This will give us a supply of blooms to use until the bulbs in the ground bloom on their own.”
Before Dr. Kara and her team can get growing though, they need the permits to allow for the development of the recently purchased land. To help with those costs, as well as the purchase of the high tunnels, Canyon Blooms is holding a Secret Garden Fundraiser on Thursday, October 10, from 4:00 to 10:00 p.m. The evening will include hors d’oeuvres created by local chefs, a pig roast, beer and wine, a cake walk, and a dessert auction, as well as garden tours, live music, and a horse and cart valet service for parking,
“We are so excited for this event!” says Dr. Kara. “With the community’s support, we will be able to expand our mission of using the therapeutic power of flowers to comfort those in our community facing challenging times. We will have flowers to deliver in January and February when loneliness and anxiety are often at their highest, and many need a glimpse of hope.”
Tickets are still available for the Secret Garden Fundraiser on October 10. Visit https://canyonblooms.org/secre... for more information and to purchase your tickets.
Catholic Charities is just one of the many agencies that partner with Canyon Blooms, and the grandparents and guardians in the Kinship Program are thrilled to receive unexpected flowers! Kinship Navigator Mariela Valencia says she is always filled with appreciation for the donated flowers when she sees their effect on the recipients. “Their faces just light up!” she explained recently. “I’ve even seen some Kinship clients moved to tears. For some, this is the first time they have been given flowers.”
