The gardens of Scout Hill Farm are in constant bloom for most of the year. Holly Park offers workshops to share her passion for flowers with others. (Lynnae Day Photography)

HOLLIS, NH – What began as a family project a few years ago has blossomed into a farm that is now opening its gates to the community. Scout Hill Farm, located on Read Lane, is the creation of Holly Park and her husband Joe, with deep support from Holly’s parents, who live with them on the property. Together, they have transformed the land into a patchwork of colorful flower beds, edible gardens, and winding borders, all designed to be both beautiful and surprisingly low-maintenance.

Holly, who balances gardening with her full-time job in the tech industry, said she didn’t initially set out to start a business. “This was the first year where we thought maybe we should kind of bring some of this to the masses,” she explained. “I’ve been doing weekly flower bouquets all summer for some subscribers and then events or one-off arrangements when people want it. I did one flower arranging workshop a few weeks back, and I’m going to do another one this coming weekend. It’s been a little organic, right? People ask, ‘hey, do you ever teach a class?’ and I think people want to come here, experience the greenhouse, maybe learn a little bit.”

That next opportunity will come this Sunday, October 5, when Scout Hill Farm hosts a Tea + Flower Arranging Workshop in the glass-paneled Hartley Greenhouse. Participants will sip tea, tour the gardens, and learn to create a hand-tied bouquet with flowers fresh from the beds. Holly said she was surprised by how many first-timers came to her previous workshop. “Some had never arranged flowers before, didn’t know much about it, weren’t that into flowers, and then walked away with a new excitement,” she said. “That was fun to see! Because you see, I’m already obsessed. So however many more people I can get obsessed, the better!”

Holly's dahlia gardens are a sampling of thousands of different dahlias. (Lynnae Day Photography)

The gardens themselves are the heart of Scout Hill Farm. Some were meticulously designed, while others sprang from practical needs, like hiding the propane tank or softening the edges of the leach field. Herbs, vegetables, and edible flowers mix among borders, and winter-hardy plantings add interest long after frost. In front of the house, beds of perennials crowd together in layers that will carry blooms through the seasons. Behind the house, rows of dahlias - all different sizes, colors, and forms - bloom in riotous succession, both for cutting and for the software project Holly and Joe developed to catalog some of the over 60,000 varieties. 

The work is very much a family affair. Holly credits her mother, who spends hours every day tending, watering, and weeding, and her father, who has built fences and taken on the role of fixer. “My mom, she loves gardening too. She’s out here six to eight hours a day,” said Holly. “She does all the maintenance. My dad built this fence. So it’s a family affair, for sure.”

While Scout Hill Farm is still growing, Holly said she finds the most joy in sharing flowers with others. Subscribers receive weekly bouquets, and special events or custom arrangements often find their way into local homes. “I’ve had some bouquets with clients where they’ve said, ‘this is my favorite part of the week, when you come deliver my flowers,’” Holly said. “If that’s true, that’s fun to be a part of for someone, for sure.”

The Tea + Flower Arranging Workshop on Sunday, October 5, is capped at 20 participants. For Holly, it’s a chance to open the gates and let others experience a place that her family has built together — one bouquet, one border, and one bloom at a time.