A local family opened their sunflower field on Aug. 30 for a one-night-only pick-your-own celebration.
Janine Duguid and her three children — Kiera, 17, Orla, 14, and Reid, 11 — have been diligently preparing their flowers in time for peak picking season.
“Our family has been growing flowers for a few years now, and my kids are heavily involved in the process,” said Duguid. “They’ve sold bouquets at local markets, but this year they decided they wanted to open up the field for a u-pick night. People love to see the flowers as they always put a smile on people’s faces and we want to share that fun with others.”
Together, the siblings seed, care for, pick and sell the flowers grown in their Arnes field, introducing them to the business world. They offer a wide selection of blooms in different sizes and colours, giving visitors the chance to create their own bouquets.
Aside from the money, both Reid and Orla say meeting people is their favourite part.
“I love getting to share them with people. They are so pretty and we have so many to share and it just feels good to share,” Orla said. “It helps with the pollinators too. We have a big pile of bees that come through, and they like it a lot obviously.”
They feel a sense of pride each time they sell a bouquet, especially since they’ve done the bulk of the work.
“I’m happy that they’re acknowledging how much work we’ve put into it,” said Reid.
Janine said she is proud of her kids, but admitted it can be tiring helping out when she’s able.
“It is so neat seeing them work together, learn and interact with others. They know how they grow, how to properly pick them, how to arrange them into nice bouquets. It’s activities like these that help them gain confidence.”
Reid and Orla’s tips for success include being confident and advertising.
“Try to advertise strongly,” Reid said. “Let people know about your business and social media accounts so more people know where and how to find you.”
After selling the bouquets, they split the profits and save for personal projects. Kiera and Reid would like to buy a heifer for 4-H, while Orla is saving for an iPad.
This time, they wanted to share more than just flowers. Half of Saturday’s earnings went to Shriners Hospital for Children Canada in Montreal, a facility with special meaning to the family.
Their cousin Elsa, 11, lives with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a rare genetic disorder that causes bones to break easily. She lives in Saskatchewan but travels to Montreal every six months for treatment and therapy at Shriners, the only hospital in Canada offering OI care.
“We all decided this would be a great way to give back to the hospital foundation, as they have given so much to my niece and her family,” Duguid said.
Elsa’s mom, Karlee Petruic, said while the diagnosis has affected their family, it hasn’t defined them.
“When there is a challenge that you are presented with, you can either feel sorry for yourself or you can rise up and meet it — and that’s what we’ve chosen to do. The diagnosis is part of our family’s story, but it is not all of our family’s story. It’s just what we make of it.”
Elsa has been visiting Shriners since she was 14 months old, and Petruic is grateful for the care they’ve received.
“They are helping kids and adults with this condition live really great lives, and that is important to us,” she said. “They are a well-oiled machine and they know what they are doing. While at Shriners you don’t only meet the incredible team of physicians, you also meet other families who are going through the same diagnosis as you.”
She said she is proud of the Duguids’ effort.
“It’s pretty cool to know that our family knows about this diagnosis and wants to support you. It’s even neater seeing that their kids understand and want to help Elsa and other kids like her.”
The Duguids raised $589 for Shriners and were thrilled with the response. The kids counted more than 120 visitors before losing track of numbers, surprising themselves since the event was advertised only a few days in advance.
“We’d like to thank everyone for coming out to support this event. We saw so many people and everyone had big smiles on their faces when they left the field with their arms filled with flowers,” Duguid said. “The kids say they are proud to support Shriners Hospital and to be able to make such a generous donation. It feels good to give back to the hospital in a small but meaningful way.”
They’ve set up Facebook and Instagram accounts under “Duguid Sunflowers” to share updates and sell blooms.
“The kids are already busy dreaming big about a u-pick event or two for next summer,” Duguid said.
Cutline:
Orla, 14, Reid, 11, Kiera, 17, and their mom, Janine Duguid, welcomed visitors to their Arnes sunflower field Aug. 30 for a pick-your-own event. The family donated 50 per cent of proceeds to Shriners Hospital for Children Canada.
