Fishers Flower Farm

New Local Flower Business is in Full Bloom

Writer / Renee Larr
Photographer / Robby Berry

Fishers resident Mackenzie Baker-Robinson felt a calling to make a change in her career in 2020. Baker-Robinson was a teacher but wanted a more flexible job that allowed her to express her creativity.

“I quit teaching last fall and ended up working at a local florist shop,” Baker-Robinson says. “Working in the shop was really fun, and it got me thinking about the whole idea of starting a local flower farm.”

While working at the florist, Baker-Robinson noticed the flowers were coming from Ecuador, and were often filled with chemicals to keep them alive longer.

“I used to work at a shop called Global Gifts,” Baker-Robinson says. “Fair trade is everything made sustainably and handmade, so you know exactly who is making it. There is no slave labor. Global Gifts is a nonprofit, and all the proceeds go directly to the artisans. I already had that mindset of being mindful about where the things you buy originate. I really loved the creative part of working as a florist and making the customers happy, but I was noticing the flowers were coming from Ecuador and were two weeks old. They were full of chemicals and wrapped in gobs of plastic. That just didn’t feel good to me.”

Baker-Robinson’s parents own 80 acres of land just north of 106th Street and Allisonville Road.

“We started playing around with the idea of opening a flower farm,” Baker-Robinson says. “Fishers doesn’t have one, which is crazy to me because Fishers has grown so much. I thought it would be awesome for our community to have. My parents said I could use a portion of their land to start Fishers Flower Farm. Back in January we started with thousands of seeds in a sunroom, which we use as a greenhouse. That’s where the process starts. Once they get big enough and the weather is warm enough, we can plant them out on the farm. It takes about 50 to 60 days to bloom flowers.”

The flowers don’t have to be local to grow on the farm.

“For example, if you take a basic flower like a zinnia, you could grow those for much longer if we had a climate that was lovely year-round like California,” Baker-Robinson says. “For us here in Indiana, we just grow them in the heat of summer.”

Fishers Flower Farm participates in the Fishers Farmers Market each Saturday.

“The farmers market has been really awesome,” Baker-Robinson says. “I was excited they chose us to participate in the first place because I didn’t know if they already had enough flower vendors. Obviously it’s our first year in business too, but it has become one of my favorite things. We work until midnight Friday, because we have to cut the flowers when it’s cool enough out. It’s kind of last-minute to make sure they’re as fresh as possible. Then we arrange them and then let them condition in the fridge overnight. Then they’re taken to the market on Saturday.”

Baker-Robinson co-owns the farm with her mother, Kayti.

“My mom and I are very close,” Baker-Robinson says. “Before we started working together, we saw each other every day. Obviously now we do too. We’re often on the same wavelength. We’re both very creative, go-with-the-flow and spontaneous. She’s really good at arranging the flowers, and I’m really good at researching. She has a day job so this is a lot for her, but it’s been awesome to work together.”

Fishers Flower Farm offers a monthly flower subscription in addition to bouquets for those who love fresh blooms.

“You can subscribe for a month of your choosing, and each week of that month you get fresh flowers delivered to your doorstep,” Baker-Robinson says. “We cut them either the morning of, or the night before, so they’re super fresh. Then we arrange them and deliver them to your door. It’s all seasonal, so you get whatever is growing. It’s fun because you never know what you’re going to get.”

Baker-Robinson looks at her first year as a learning year for the business, and has big plans for the future.

“In the future I would love to get my own land separate from their home,” Baker-Robinson says of her parents’ property. “Obviously more land means more flowers. I would love to be able to host events on the property. I would love to have professional photographers use the flower farm to take photos of their clients too.”

Fishers Flower Farm offers floral arrangements, bouquet bar workshops, wreath workshops, wreath and flower delivery, and more. For more information, visit fishersflowerfarm.com.