Take a Tour of Fivefork Farms, a Family-Run Operation Producing Some of New England's Most Beautiful Blooms

As the sun fades over Fivefork Farms in Upton, Massachusetts, luminous rows of 'Lemon Chiffon', 'Etched Salmon', and 'Pastelelegance' peonies reflect the colorful sky. Grace Lam surveys the scene and remembers a time when flowers were precious in her mom's yard. Growing up in Randolph, outside Boston, she and her four siblings—oldest sister Ping, brothers Lyh-Rhen and Lyh-Hsin, and twin sister Joyce—were always scolded for launching their soccer ball into their mother's garden. "She would get so upset when we hit the peonies," Grace remembers with a laugh. "We'd tape the stems back together in the hopes that she wouldn't notice." The Lams' plot teemed with tomatoes, bitter melons, Chinese okra, and more, providing plenty of food for the large, multigenerational immigrant family. (Daniel, their father, is a refugee from Cambodia, and mom Helen fled China in the 1950s to Hong Kong before moving to the U.S.) And Helen would tuck flowers among those beds, too, offering a different kind of nourishment.

From an early age, Grace loved the garden and its accompanying chores: choosing seeds with her mother and grandmother, harvesting, even weeding. After college in Atlanta and three years working long hours on Wall Street (where she spent lunch breaks reading farm blogs and seed catalogs), she lost her job in a round of layoffs, and quickly found an internship on a vegetable farm near her parents' home. She started looking for her own plot to tend, but Lyh-Rhen, who was working at a Boston floral studio and had noticed a new interest in American-grown flowers, suggested she join that burgeoning movement instead. In 2012, Grace and her family pooled their resources to buy a 38-acre farm in Upton, about an hour away.

Restoring the property's timeworn farmhouse and antiquated infrastructure to working order was grueling. But the siblings were up to the challenge. "Knowing what our parents went through to build a life here empowered us to take this on," says Lyh-Hsin, who runs day-to-day operations with Grace. The name Fivefork represents the five Lam kids.

The farm thrums with activity year-round: There's snow to be scraped from the high-tunnel structures in January, 30,000 dahlia tubers to be planted beginning in May, and 60,000 daffodil and tulip bulbs to get in the ground come November. The work pays off each spring, when the fields explode with blossoms. The Lams use organic growing methods, including integrated pest management and regenerative soil practices. They've experienced the hottest, wettest, and driest periods on record in New England since starting a decade ago, which has only strengthened their commitment to sustainability. "What you put in is what you get out, especially when it comes to the soil," Grace says.

Fivefork sells directly to local markets and has more than a thousand CSA members. Rain or shine, customers crowd the farmstand on Saturdays to explore the display garden and buy bundles of just-picked blooms. "We've always focused on sourcing varieties that set us apart—flowers that can turn a design into something special," says Grace. Lithe butterfly ranunculus, long-stemmed sweet peas, and voluptuous peonies are just a few signature finds.

Another focus is giving back. The Lams have raised relief funds for fellow farmers and nonprofits, and they hire local refugees. "What they do is next-level magic," says floral designer and loyal client Ariella Chezar. "Their flowers feel exceptional, and it comes down to how much they care."

"I love this dance of yellow and dusty-rose tones," says Chezar of this lofty creation. She used a footed compote, which lifts the flowers so they can drape over the sides, and then purple ninebark branches and heuchera leaves to establish a triangle shape. She added 'Athena' and 'Clouds of Color' peonies to form a base and filled it in with butterfly ranunculus and grasses for texture.

Art direction by Ryan Mesina; Prop styling by Tanya Graff; Floral Arrangements by Ariella Chezar.