The Never Ending Flower Farm: A “Bride to Be’s” Must Stop Destination
By: Lori Brown
Peppered with more than thirty varieties of flowers, the gently rolling landscape of the Never Ending Flower Farm provides an explosion of bold and beautiful colors and creative floral designs that have escalated this family run farm to the top of every future bride’s “must visit” list.
Formally established in 2015 in the Barnardsville community (20 miles north of Asheville), Loretta and Kurt Ball remain committed to being good stewards of family land that once grew large vegetable gardens, with produce sold in the local community. Today, much of their extended family contributes to the flower farm’s success.
Loretta serves as lead “flower farmer” (her preferred title), while Kurt does double duty working a full-time job off the land and part-time evening role as lead mechanic, engineer, etc. Their teenage sons (Quinn and Ledger), Loretta’s mom (Lorrie), and Kurt’s parents (Dale and Diana) assist with everything from lending an extra tractor for field prep to pulling weeds, planting bulbs, organizing vases, and fixing equipment as needed. It’s safe to say that a “family and faith first” mindset established the original foundation of success for this rapidly expanding farm.
From snapdragons, dahlias, zinnias, and sunflowers to cosmos, chocolate lace, and Mexican bush sage, the diversity of color, shape, and scent evidenced by the farm’s blooms mirror the unique personalities of the customers who regularly visit. The Never Ending Flower Farm is known in western North Carolina as a “You Pick” farm, open seven days a week in the summer for visitors to select, in a carefree manner, their “just right” floral explosion for the coffee or dining table. And that same carefree experience shapes the nature and impact of the farm’s wedding services.
Lynsey Coates Photography
Loretta and her team offer an impressive “a-la-carte” floral design service with an emphasis on whimsical and asymmetrical floral designs that dodge the traditional and trendy for all that is personal, poignant, and pretty. And it is in this bridal design space where Lila, Loretta’s right hand helper, shines. Lila’s job title is too long to fit on a business card, as it includes everything from “chief resin artist” and office assistant to floral designer and bridal consultant. But together, Lila and Loretta’s creative and natural approach to floral design makes each bride feel special, as they listen to their ideas and consider the colors and shapes of the flowers they pick while at the farm. They rapidly establish a trusting working relationship with their brides, asking each bride to allow them to create fresh, romantic designs that mirror the couple’s personality and passions. These designs can be seen in bouquets, center pieces and floral sprays for arbors, and there’s no end to the possibilities for flowering photography sessions among the fields.
The flower farm’s website (www.theneverendingflowerfarm.com) includes a full description of the types of services offered in 2023 and 2024. This includes the option to host a small wedding shower or wedding (fewer than thirty persons) on site. The farm frequently hosts photographers who have been contracted by future grooms to capture surprise engagements or by brides who wish to take formal bridal photos among the colorful blooms of spring, summer, and fall. Costs and options for bringing a photographer on site, for future “full service” wedding services, or for showers or shed rentals are detailed on the website, with bookings available from mid-May through mid-October each year. Loretta and team ask future clients to start their communication process by first exploring the website and completing the inquiry forms. This provides a solid foundation upon which each couple’s needs can be met.
Loretta’s unique floral designs require no candles or cut-outs, as the focus is fully on the simple beauty of the naturally grown flower. As a child of the 80s, Loretta grew up outdoors, spending summer months in the garden planting and harvesting the fruits of their labor. From following behind her grandfather’s tractor, picking up over-sized potatoes, to riding her bike across the Flat Creek and Jupiter hills, Loretta learned how to respect and cultivate her food, fruit, flowers, and faith. Coupled with her teenage experience working in a local nursery and learning everything there was to know about how to care for plants, with explicit lessons in sowing seeds, propagating, pruning, fertilizing, and avoiding the danger of over water new plants, Loretta developed a passion for working with her hands to bring the natural beauty of the earth to fruition. Little did she realize that a teenage passion would eventually turn into a full-time career.
From supper clubs to self-pick fields, The Never Ending Flower Farm offers a little something of everything for the bored and the busy, the bridal, and the beauty seekers. One cannot help but leave this farm knowing the flowers and friendships established among the fields are grounded in both dirt and duty; with the Ball family’s commitment to honoring and cultivating the land they call “home” and to respecting the clients they now call “friends.” Next time you’re in the area, stop in and smell the flowers.
