Woven in community

AUSTIN — What started as Alex and Kenzie Weis’ backyard dream has grown into their reality. Today, dahlias, zinnias, celosias, snapdragons, cosmos, strawflowers, tulips and eucalyptus grow row after row on the couple’s flower farm outside of town.

Rooted Flower Co., established in 2023, offers monthly flower subscriptions, u-pick events, off-site small business collaborations, workshops and community outreach, which all stem from when the Weises took a leap of faith and moved out to the country.

“I grew up on a hobby farm planting trees and gardening; … it was second nature,” Weis said. “Alex and I were always having fun with plants in our yard. It kind of hit me one day that I really wanted to become a flower farmer, but we didn’t have the land.”

Alex and Kenzie held onto their seed of a dream while they looked at multiple properties. Nothing was quite right for what they had in mind. When they happened on their current site, they knew instantly it was the right one.

“It was overgrown with 8-10 feet of tall weeds and bushes,” Weis said. “It felt like bush whacking, … but there was a space big enough that was secluded, and we both saw the potential.”

The Weises bought the property in August 2022.

“We knew we wanted tulips that spring, so we dug the ground up and planted as much as we could that fall,” Weis said. “We became an official business in January (2023) and sold our first tulip bouquets in May (2023) for Mother’s Day.”

Today, the Weises are raising their three young children and working the dirt daily during Minnesota’s growing season. Weis said that a large portion of what they grow is started from seed beginning in January.
In the spring, they harden off their plants before planting them in the field once the threat of frost has passed.

“Gardening side-by-side with my dad from a young age, I learned so much,” Weis said. “We did serious work when I was little.”

Before the Weises started their business venture, hosting people on one’s property was not a common business concept in the area.

“Offering something that is unique to our community is really special to us, and the response came as a little unexpected,” Weis said. “We get requests for all kinds of groups who want to come out. People were ready for something different than a park shelter or the restaurant atmosphere.”

U-pick events hosted at their flower farm are the Weises’ main objective.

Email subscribers get first chance at tickets, and if the event does not sell out, the Weises open tickets up to the public. Private u-pick events are also an option. U-pick events are typically held between Friday night and Saturday night. This gives the Weis family time during the week to tend flower fields and maintain their property.

Monthly subscriptions are another way the couple spreads bouquets. By signing up on their website, customers can have flowers delivered within a 10- to 15-mile radius of Austin. The Weises also offer pick up on designated nights at their farmstand.

“It’s a really beautiful area,” Weis said. “We have a lot of wildlife where we live. There used to be an elk farm on our property, and we relocated and repurposed the tall 8-foot fencing to our garden area to help keep our deer friends out.”

The Weises said they feel strongly about playing a part in keeping their community alive. Therefore, their business frequently partners with other small businesses, hosting events throughout the year. Blooms, Boards and Brews, for example, brought together a local charcuterie business and a nearby brewery for a flower workshop the Weises provided. These types of events have become summertime repeats. Two fall events are planned, and private events tend to fill the gaps.

The flower farm has tables and fire pits onsite for gathering, and it also includes a large area for parking and outdoor restrooms. Weis said a long, narrow field known as Sunflower Alley will also be in full bloom by the end of August. Local photographers partner with the Weises to host mini-photo sessions every year.

“None of this was here when we started,” Weis said. “People innocently assume that we bought this place as an established flower farm; … that is really encouraging to us, and we talk about it openly. Everyone can do hard things.”

It is a message the couple hopes to instill in their children.

“Rooted Flower Co. is definitely a family affair,” Weis said. “It is pretty rare to see Alex and me without our kids at an event.”

Weis said her gardening stems from her grandparents. Her grandfather, Reiny, moved to Minnesota from Germany, and her grandmother, Millie, was a 1-room schoolhouse teacher local to Minnesota who survived the Great Depression era.

“My grandparents both lived a pretty historical life,” Weis said. “My grandma had victory gardens; ... my dad, Paul, grew up raising crops and pigs. They relied on planting and growing their own food, providing for their family in a lot of different facets. Naturally, a lot of those skills were passed onto my dad, who, in turn, passed them onto me.”

Weis said gardening, farming and education were all important pillars passed onto her and Alex by their families.

“Our roots made us who we are today,” Weis said. “Roots make plants strong, allowing them to take in nutrients and grow well, and we remain grounded by that. It’s what we stand for.”

As a former teacher, Weis said she misses having a classroom of students, but she knows her heart is where it belongs.

“I would have never imagined this,” she said. “I still get to teach people when they are here. … I get to do both things that I love, and I get to do both while being home with our kids.”

The couple’s business has unfolded almost like it was meant to be, Weis said, but that does not mean they have not had to work for it.

A group of young entrepreneur students from the Mower County CEO program come out every year to hear straight from the Weises how their dream became a reality. Education remains important to the couple, so they talk openly about their journey to anyone who asks.

“When you’re starting any new business, there is a level of going for it, and there is risk,” Weis said. “We have spent hours taking classes and following others that are ahead of us and who know more. … We are constantly humbling ourselves as learners for life.”

With harvest season still ahead of them and a newborn baby recently added to the family, Weis said things will get interesting as life becomes an all-hands-on-deck mission to mow, harvest blooms and get ready for events, but she said they hope to continue offering the community a place for relaxation and joy.

“My favorite part is the experience, sitting back once everyone is here and listening,” she said. “People are relaxed, their phones are away, they’re connecting, enjoying life and not feeling stressed. That really is the best part.”