Wildseed Farms is a

wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

near

Fredericksburg, Texas Fredericksburg (german: Friedrichsberg) is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, this city had a population of 10,530. Fredericksburg was founded in 1846 and named after Prince Frederick of Prussia. ...

, United States. It is the largest working wildflower farm in the country. The farm won the ''Garden Center'' 2001 Innovator award.

History

The farm opened in 1983 in

Eagle Lake Eagle Lake may refer to: Cities, towns, townships etc. Canada * Eagle Lake, Haliburton County, Ontario * Eagle Lake, Parry Sound District, Ontario * Eagle Lake 27, Ontario (Indian reserve) * Eagle Lake, Kenora District, Ontario United States * ...

as a

seed producer Seed companies produce and sell seeds for flowers, fruits and vegetables to commercial growers and amateur gardeners. The production of seed is a multibillion-dollar business, which uses growing facilities and growing locations worldwide. While m ...

and initially only allowed the public to visit in April of every year. These visit days proved to be extremely popular, so much so that the owners, John and Marilyn Thomas, decided to relocate to a more accessible location. In 1995, they purchased the plot on

Texas State Highway 290 State Highway 290 (SH 290) is a state highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) that runs from Interstate 10 near Sheffield east to another connection with I-10 about east of Sheffield. The route was designated in ...

. Development for a retail facility and visitor center was completed in 1997. Because the farm is located near Fredericksburg, a town that has a 19th-century feel to it, the main buildings of the farm were also constructed to match the decor of the town.

Revenue and operations

Wildseed Farms does about $4 million in sales each year, with approximately $1.5 million coming from the retail facility, which can see roughly 100,000 visitors between March and May of each year. Besides plant sales, the farm also has a

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprise ...

area and hosts live concerts and other attractions.

References

External links

Wildseed Farms
{{US seed companies Farms in Texas Tourist attractions in Gillespie County, Texas Tourist attractions in Texas Companies established in 1983 Seed companies Privately held companies based in Texas Companies based in Texas Agriculture companies of the United States Buildings and structures in Gillespie County, Texas