JUST OFF the winding asphalt of Lynchburg Road in the Broadview community, sits the picturesque scene of the quaint and friendly farm, Morris Acres, where the sounds of children laughing and sheep baaing can be heard against a bright, beautiful background of growing flowers.
Home to locals Nick and Ashley Morris, the couple recently opened up a portion of their homestead to the public as a you-pick farm. The farm offers a wide selection of cut flowers along with a crew of farm animals that are always ready to welcome a guest or two.
The beginnings of the business were bittersweet for the couple, as the idea for the farm came after Ashley miscarried in 2019.
“Nick and I experienced a pregnancy loss,” she explained. “I grew cut flowers, and it was so therapeutic for me. I really feel that God put it on our hearts to give people a place to come with their families to be out in nature and see all of God’s beauty.”
From there, the couple made the decision to open their garden up to the public. They decided to offer a variety of flowers that customers could arrange and take home with them. The farm offers tulips, snap dragons, and a variety of zinnias and sunflowers. Ashley jokes that the plants do get a lot of attention from the family.
“We’ve always grown stuff, but we baby the plants a lot. We are always out there seeing and tending to them,” she joked.
Opening to the public in March, Ashley said they received a warm welcome from the public and have continued to receive support from their neighbors.
“It’s been so great to see the public and their response,” she said. “I love this community. The people out here are great. They’ve been so supportive and helpful.”
The couple plans on being open until October, offering flowers that are conducive to the season.
“Going into the summer, our main focus will be fresh cut flowers, and they are starting to look so beautiful,” she said.
While out on the farm, Ashley said food trucks will also be on-site, and patrons can also enjoy visiting with the farm’s livestock that includes sheep and lambs.
“We will be hosting various you-pick events throughout the year,” explained Ashley. “Our focus is to offer several different you-pick events to give the community numerous opportunities to come out and enjoy being outside together, away from it all. Growing things have been a source of relaxation, and being here on the farm brings us so much joy and peace. We are really looking forward to being able to bring a little of that to others through our youpick events.” GN