Bringing the Bloom to the Desert Oasis

At first it might seem like a mirage — row after row of iridescent blooms carpeting the Fallon landscape in blazes of color. This is Yellow Petal Flower Farm, one of the most surprising agricultural operations in an area known for producing world-class agriculture.

Founded by three generations of first-generation farmers, Yellow Petal Family Farms grows a wide range of flowers for bouquets and wedding flower arrangements. You’ll find Queen Anne’s Lace, Peonies, Yarrow and other prized flowers blooming here throughout the year, and cut-flower fans lining up to buy them from this family-run farm.

It’s a beautiful example of how vast and varied Fallon’s agriculture scene has become, and how new farmers are bringing unique and inspiring offerings to complement Fallon’s rich agricultural heritage.

A Colorful Crop

In agriculture, freshness is synonymous with quality. Flower farming may take this to another level. Many flowers cannot be shipped without damaging them or significantly reducing their quality. This makes local flower farms an essential resource.

“Queen Anne’s Lace is a hardy perennial that we grow here because they don’t ship well, so our wholesalers and our wedding designers really value these, and we can get them right to our customers a day after we cut them,” says Kim Urso, owner of Yellow Petal Flower Farm.

Dahlias are another flower grown at the farm because they don’t handle shipping well. But other flowers are chosen by Kim and her team because of their adaptability to the Fallon weather. Yarrow, with its beautiful clusters of white flowers, is a remarkably drought-tolerant flower that is perfectly adapted to the high desert environment of Fallon.

In an area with a strong alfalfa farming tradition, Urso and her daughter Kylie are changing perceptions throughout Fallon about what farming can be, and who farmers can be. And Fallon has embraced the new energy and creativity, along with the beautiful bouquets.

“This is a great place to grow hay, for sure, but it’s a great place to grow other things, too. And I think that the flowers have been good to us, and I think they’re going to keep being good to us. And I think people should endeavor to grow whatever they wish to grow,” said Kim. “Fallon was very welcoming when we first got here. All those who were skeptical, they were like ‘Flowers? We don’t grow flowers in Fallon. We grow alfalfa.’ After that wore off, they were very supportive.”

But Kim says that despite the unique crop, flower farming is still farming, with all the hands-in-the-dirt hard work of running any farm.

“People are like, ‘It must be so fun and so pretty.’ But the flowers are just like any other crop you grow, and there’s a lot of not pretty to it. It’s hard work. Just like farming food. Just like farming animals. It’s just the same as that,” said Kim.

Fallon Farms First-Hand

Fallon is the perfect place to get up-close-and-personal with agriculture of all kinds. From Lattin Farms and the famous Cantaloupe Festival, to the distilling at Frey Ranch, there are plenty of places to buy local produce and see the agriculture of The Oasis of Nevada in action.

The Fallon Cantaloupe Festival & County Fair is a community-wide celebration of the region’s famous sweet “Hearts of Gold” Cantaloupes renowned for their rich flavor. Frey Ranch allows you to see the inner workings of the distilling process. Lattin Farms has been a place to buy the freshest produce and meet the farmers that make it all happen. Now Yellow Petal Flower Farm is inviting flower lovers to see flower farming in a whole different way. The farm has opportunities for guests to stay on the property and welcomes guests for weddings and private events on the property.

From Fallon with Love

Kim and Kylie Urso talk about flowers as a “love language.” Just like any other farmer who meticulously tends a crop, delivering the final product to the end consumer is not a typical transaction. It represents a connection that can quickly become a community. That is why the people who buy from Yellow Petal Flower Farms and the many farmers throughout Fallon, become more than just customers.

And maybe that is the magic of Fallon flower farming — that something so grounded in the dirt and sweat and intense labor like farming can translate into the delicate, colorful, refined emblem of love and celebration that fills a wedding, an anniversary, a special event with joy.

“We want them to feel the utmost happiness, just the joy that we feel when we harvest the flowers. I want them to feel all the love and work that has been put into them. I want them to know how important it is that we grew these from seed to ground right into your bouquet,” said Kim.