Landscape Information
Initially sited on land leased from the Carlsbad Ranch, this flower farm and horticultural destination spans approximately 70 acres in a linear 750-foot-wide by 5,000-foot-long arrangement less than a mile from the coast. Established in 1965, the farm continues to attract visitors to its fields of brilliantly colored, double-whorled ranunculus varieties (Persian buttercup). The bulk of the acreage is dedicated to flower cultivation, with more than 50 acres subdivided into 27 plots laid out over gently sloping ground. The plots are arranged by color, with thirteen color varieties planted in rows north to south. They are separated by wide, dirt paths. Making for a dignified arrival experience, the entrance is flanked to the south by a formal fountain, as well as an “artist garden” with a small aviary surrounded by a trellis. To the north is a rose test garden, a demonstration garden, a playground, a picnic area, a sweet-pea blossom maze, and an orchid greenhouse. Across the fields to the east of the entrance is a 300 x 170 foot planting of red, white, and blue petunias in the shape of the American flag. The farm produces from 50 to 150 million blooms of every year. Each harvest removes 25 percent of the blooms, leaving the rest of the landscape intact for tourism. The site is surrounded by commercial development on three sides, with the 295-acre inner Agua Hedionda Lagoon just a quarter mile from its northern edge.
