Blu’s Farm five-year anniversary and garden party
Lindsey (left) Carlile and her mother, Shelia Carlile, operate Blu’s Farm in Tyro.
{Contributed photo}
Blu’s Farm is nestled in the small, quiet community of Tyro, located at 5574 South NC HWY 150, in Lexington. The owners are excited to announce their five-year anniversary, and everyone is cordially invited to attend their Garden Party celebration on August 21, from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Guests will enjoy live entertainment featuring George Washington Smith at 11:30 a.m. and Green Grass Revival at 1:15 p.m. Refreshments from Pacific Rim food truck and Goose and the Monkey Brewhouse will be available. Also, many vendors will offer items such as tie-dye, original artwork, handmade crafts, woodworking, pottery, jewelry and more! New vendors continue to be added.
Blu’s is a beautiful Daylily farm that carries nearly 600 varieties and specializes in hosta, dahlia, and iris plants and flowers. It was founded by resident of the farm, Sheila Carlile. Although Carlile has been gardening on the property for 40 years, she decided to turn her dream into a reality by sharing her passion and opened the property to the public in 2016.
Flowers create a beautiful display at Blu’s Farm.
{Contributed photo}
Sheila and her oldest daughter, Lindsey Carlile, are the mother-daughter team who passionately run Blu’s Farm together. This green-thumbed duo is certainly not afraid to get their hands dirty in the name of growing all things beautiful. They do it all, but they humbly admit they do enlist the help of a local high school boy on occasion when needed. So, what does a day on the farm consists of for them? Lindsey explains, “Pulling weeds, weeds and more weeds! A lot of watering in the warmer months, spreading mulch and pine needles, pruning and weed eating. Gardening is constant work. Weeds never stop growing, and plants always need love. There’s the watering, planting, dividing, soil amending, and of course, you have to talk to them, even flowers need words of encouragement.”
When guests arrive at Blu's Farm, at least one of the ladies happily greets them, explains what they have to offer and gives a tour of the gorgeous planted areas and gardens. Lindsey adds, “We like to get to know a little about you and your space and exactly what you’re looking for.”
The Carliles hope to continue to grow Blu’s Farm large enough to focus on just the farm. Despite their hard work and many hours spent on the farm daily, somehow, they both find the time to work other jobs as well at the moment. Lindsey shares, “If we can grow the business enough, we could open more hours and make this our full-time gig!”
For now, Blu’s Farm is open from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Fridays. Every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and by appointment other times if needed.
Sheila acknowledges she dreams of the farm being able to sustain as a business, to eventually pass down to her grandchildren. Lindsey confesses, “To us, gardening is such a rewarding thing to do. It’s not about making money. It’s about the magic and the beauty that life is. It’s all of the little things working together all around us that makes life grand. It’s forming connections and living in harmony with our mother-Mother Earth, and for me, with my mother! I’ve been gardening with her since I could walk, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my days than in the fields with her.” Sheila says, “Gardening is the only thing I know of that is good for the body, mind and soul.”
Every Saturday at 4:00 p.m., together on Facebook, they host a LIVE stream called “Blu’s News.” They share garden news, tips and ideas “and a lot of mother-daughter love, too,” Lindsey adds.
To get through the dreary winter months, Lindsey informs, “We offer barn quilt classes; it’s basically a paint-by-number for adults. You choose a pattern and the colors, we prep and draw it. We also paint custom barn quilts.” Classes are usually held on Saturdays and Wednesdays during the winter.
With their combined passion, dedication, hard work and love, they will certainly continue to grow lush gardens as well as the growth of a hearty business for the next family generation as Sheila dreams.
As a community, neighbors should show their support for a small, local family business, cultivated by love and dreams. Have some fun and celebrate Blu’s five-year anniversary and success at the upcoming garden party at Blu’s Farm on August 21.
For information, visit Blu’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/blus16
