My Story

Hi I’m Tonya, I am the owner, grower, and floral designer of this flower farm, and this is my story. I originally got my love for flowers from my mom. Growing up I had watched her plant flowers and I liked it, but I grew an interest in it when I bought my first home. I quickly became eager to learn all that I could about flowers, and I decided to sign myself up for gardening classes at the local college. I took many horticulture and floral design classes, but after the first class, I was hooked. I loved it so much that I did the whole program to become a master gardener. Over the years my mom and I shared many plants and went to every nursery we came upon. Flowers were always a big thing in my family. My dad and the rest of the family would have sunflower-growing contests every summer, to see who could grow the tallest sunflower. Growing plants was always a passion of mine, and I treated it almost as therapy.

Fast forward years later, I became an empty nested mom, my kids grew up and went to college. Along with that my husband and I decided to move to the country. We found a great property with a house that needed remodeling. As that project started, so did a small cutting garden area my husband fixed for me to trial out flowers. I had been researching and ended up taking a 6-month course on flower farming. It seemed like something for me. I would start flowers by seed at our original property, grow them a bit, and then transport them to the new property to be planted in the new cutting garden. When the flowers finally grew, I began using them to make bouquets for my mom, friends, and co-workers. I loved doing this, so I continued to do it for a couple of years. Our house was finally finished, and we started moving to the new property. I was getting closer to my dream of becoming a flower farmer. Then, one of the hardest times of my life happened.

My mom - my best friend, my garden buddy, the one person who knows me best was losing her battle with cancer. My husband moved to our new house while I stayed with my mom to take care of her. I was in the medical field for 18 years so I was glad I was able to be there for her. It was heartbreaking watching her decline. It seemed that flowers would bring a smile to her face, so all of us made sure she had plenty. My mom and I would have talks, and she would always say, “You need to do your flower thing, that’s your niche”. After she passed, it was time for me to move into my new home in Ottawa, Illinois. It was a very difficult time for me with many changes. My world was turned upside down. But I would remember her telling me, “You need to do your flower thing”.

One year after her passing in 2023, I decided to pursue my dream. That’s when I founded Pink Acres Flower Farm.