Flowers from the farm

Southern Living, Jul 2002 by Thigpen, Charlie

Each morning as the sun rises, Sherry and the girls move down the long, straight rows, clipping the flow-- ers like mechanical harvesters. Their hands move in high gear as they stoop over the rainbow of blooms. Occa-- sionally, they stand upright to wipe their foreheads or fan away bother-- some gnats. They want to get the flow-- ers out of the sun and into the shop quickly to keep them fresh.

Tending the farm is hard work, but it's also very rewarding. On this piece of land, the Peadens have witnessed the miracle of seeing tiny seeds trans-- form lifeless rows of dirt into sweeps of beautiful flowers.

Southern Petals is 2 miles east of El-- berta, Alabama, on US. 98. For more information call (251) 986-5190.