ROCKINGHAM—The pansies are having a party and you are invited! There will be a Pansy Tea Party and Photo Op from 4-6 p.m. on Saturday April 28 at Singing River Farm in Rockingham. Bring your camera and your love of color to visit the pansy field in full bloom. A guided tour, a chance to snap photos of these darlings to your heart’s content, the elusive scent of a field of flowers and a cup of herbal tea made with dried pansy blossoms will be included.
“We love pansies!” grower Laurel Green explained in a recent interview. “Pansies are hearty, generous and represent both diversity and unity. Our plants grow through the winter in the fields with only a thin blanket of pine needle mulch. The blooms come in a rainbow of colors with variation in size and form, but they are all in the viola tricolor hortensis family. In the early spring when people are all hungry for new growth and striking colors we find them irresistible. Pansies are generous too, because they flourish by having the blooms harvested and they respond by growing more buds for a cycle of love.”
Their name comes from the French word pensée meaning to think of a loved one. Pansies remind Laurel of her grandmother who loved pansies because each one is unique and adorable.
The event is a fundraiser to finish paying for the renovation of a living space for a family seeking asylum. The “Safe Haven” at Singing River Farm is now the home of a family who has fled persecution in Mexico. To date about 90% of the construction costs have been raised through direct donations, a Go Fund Me website and proceeds from cowboy concerts performed by Laurel Green and Steve Crofter. The suggested donation for the Pansy Tea Party and Photo Op is $10.
The pansy fields will be open for photography only at this event. A few days after the Pansy Tea Party and Photo Op, the pansy plants will be harvested prior to Singing River Farm’s annual Pansy Festival on May 5th. This year the festival is synchronized with Cinco de Mayo and will feature the Community Asylum Seekers Project.
The Pansy Photo Op and Tea Party will be held at Singing River Farm on the Brockways Mills Road in Rockingham, just 1/10 of a mile north of Route 103 between I-91 and Chester. Watch for the signs.
The event will take place outside in the growing area so it is suggested that you wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather. Rain date is Sunday, April 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. For more information, call the farm at 802-275-4646, or check the Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/Singing-River-Farm-616669548476381/
Farmers Laurel Green and Steve Crofter welcome everyone to this community event!
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