By Colin Stark

For Colin Stark, moving to Red Hook wasn’t just a desire to leave the hub-bub of New York City. It was an intense desire to reconnect with nature in a way he hadn’t experienced since childhood, particularly with flowers. “My connection with flowers has always been powerful. I grew up in Texas where my parents nurtured in me a love for nature and growing. I’d spend my time pouring through seed catalogs. My dad and I built a little greenhouse where I grew flowers and my mother and I would then plant around our home.”

In his 20s, Stark left Texas and moved to Manhattan. Still yearning for that connection with nature, he would rent apartments with balconies just so that he could grow something.

In 2017, Colin and his partner, Edmund Bagnell, began looking for property outside of the city. They scoured the Hudson Valley until they found a beat-up old house set on a beautiful piece of land. They instantly saw the potential and realized they had a blank slate to design whatever their hearts desired. Over a few glasses of spilled cabernet, their evenings became consumed with imaginative discussions and sketches on napkins about their garden dreams.

Bit by bit, the plan was hatched. They mapped out long rows of neatly trimmed boxwood, towering maple trees, and a garden cottage designed to look like it had been there for 200 years. Then came the hard part; they planned to do all the work themselves. They blocked out the work in three phases. Phase one included a formal garden and general landscaping; phase two, a large scale cut flower garden and potting cottage; and phase three, a terraced “great lawn” with an arbor. To date, they are nearing the end of phase two, and with that has come a tidal wave of flowers. 

“I never thought of myself as a ‘farmer,’ but as our garden has grown, it has become clear that my passion for flowers has grown into something larger than a hobby. I am not alone in this journey; there’s been an explosion of locally grown flowers in the U.S. in the past few years, something not seen since the 1950s.”

Based in Red Hook, Stark Blooms is a full-service flower farm and floral design studio. They cater to Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Millbrook, and the surrounding area. From events, floral delivery, and more, they provide a sustainable, local option for flowers in the area. In the spring you will find armfuls of peonies, fancy tulips, and ranunculus. Summer is always a special time as they have a superb collection of dahlias that come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. 

This spring, Stark Blooms is the exclusive flower partner at Rhinebeck’s newest shop, The Covet Collective. They offer hand-tied bouquets and custom-order arrangements. Stark recommends checking out Red Hook Stationery Co. and The Crows Nest for custom stationary and gorgeous gifts for your home. —starkblooms.com