Words Jo Barnes
Photos Kathryn Alvarez Photography
It’s not unknown for a farmer to switch from growing apples to growing other crops such as flowers. But to transition from Apple Inc. in Silicon Valley to a flower farm in Saanich, well, that is a little less common.
While Ariel Rubin has always had a garden in her life, growing up with organic farms in the Gulf Islands, her love of gardening became a driving force when she left that high-tech firm in California and, in 2021, established Rockrose Farm, a unique flower farm and design studio on Burnside Road. “I was with Apple Inc. working in art design and creative project management. During Covid my husband Steve and I were looking to return to the Island and bought the land here on Burnside Road,” shares Ariel. “I love highlighting seasonal beauty and collaborating with people. I worked for the largest company on the planet, but this turned out to be my .destination.”
With hard work, purpose and planning, all of which involved contributions from her husband Steve and her mom, Kate, the former two-and-a-half-acre hobby farm has been transformed into an attractive, flourishing property featuring meandering trails and healthy raised plant beds and produce gardens.
A major portion of the flowers are sold wholesale. Ariel collaborates closely with local floral design studios Rhubarb in the Garden and Apothecary Floral. “We work with designers who focus on interesting floral architectural forms and colours and provide flowers to large wedding events and community events at sites like Sea Cider Farm or the Empress Hotel,” she relates.
As well as seasonal cut flowers, Rockrose Farm offers seedlings, dahlia tubers, and a variety of dried floral arrangements through online sales and at the farm stand which is open March to October, Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to dusk. Also available are floral subscriptions whereby customers can enjoy a selection of seasonal blooms once a week for six weeks.
At this time of year, the farm offers early blooms like narcissus, gears up for dahlia season, and also provides a range of dried florals. “We have 20 varieties of narcissus and dahlia tubers for sale,” relates Ariel. “There is a stunning diversity of dried florals and grasses including nigella, marigold, statice, strawflower, amaranth, zinnia and dahlia. They allow us to reflect back on the last season of growing. It’s all about giving thanks to the garden for what it produced, and the tones and colours look vibrant in the middle of winter!”
The farm’s onsite design studio is a cozy space where bundles of flowers hang from the ceiling to age and dry. As Ariel notes, there is a unique beauty in these flowers at this stage in the cycle. “The colours of the flowers as they dry are muted but still wonderful. Marigold, for instance, still retains beautiful shades of colour.”
Here in the studio, bouquets, boutonnieres and wreaths are available for sale as well as dried floral sprinkles to decorate baked goods or salads. Wreath workshops are also hosted in which customers can create their own beautiful dried floral wreaths.
From season to season, the farm practises regenerative farming techniques including annual mulching and layering and no till methods. Micro-ecosystems are taken into account. For example, one area offers ideal space for a hot, dry pollinator cut flower garden, another for plants that like a wetter environment. Sheep and chickens are raised, their manure valuable for compost building.
A desire for plant diversity is reflected in the type and variety of plants being grown. “We focus on a wide variety of specialty flowers. Our interest is in colour, palette and form,” notes Ariel. “For example, we grow many varieties of sweet peas focusing on stem length and colours to make them as appealing as possible. This flower does not travel well, so it is ideal to cultivate them here!”
Like any farm, there are the usual challenges like the demands brought about by weather variability or plant disease. However, Ariel enjoys problem solving and finding workable solutions. She has worked in various creative spaces including photography and music. Her time with Apple Inc. focused on both design and technology which afforded opportunities to learn and grow. Now, Ariel is discovering new creative paths. “It was interesting work at Apple. I worked in design and built creative programs and travelled to stores across the world,” she says. “But my work here at the farm is never boring. I’m working with nature and am always problem solving and learning.”
Whether planting and pruning, cultivating or creating, Ariel is now applying her talents in design and client relationships to the art of growing plants. From high tech design to floral inspirations, creativity has been an ongoing theme in Ariel’s life.
For more info, visit www.rockrosefarm.com.
