Where Community Grows: Blossomberry Nursery's Blooming Success
by Barbara Jenkins, AVECC Medi
For over four decades, Blossomberry Nursery, located north of Clarksville on Hwy 21, has been a unique resource for locals, offering a diverse range of plants for landscaping and the perfect annual front porch ferns.
Two years ago, Blossomberry evolved into a plant lover's delight, a home and part of a dream for a family who fell in love with Arkansas. In 2018, a life-changing opportunity led California natives Courtney and Andrew Witt to Johnson County. Courtney, a special education teacher and self-taught plant lover, found solace and inspiration at Blossomberry Nursery each summer as she built her home garden.
"Building Blossomberry [Nursery] into a community destination for families of all kinds feels like our way of saying thank you and hugging the community back."
When the Witts had two children and another on the way, Courtney began to daydream about a way to be with her children more regularly. "I was driving home from work one day and thought, 'I've always loved Blossomberry. I wonder if they would be open to selling?'" A few months later, with hours of prayer, contemplation and "hurdles and obstacles" in between, the Witts ultimately purchased the Blossomberry and began to carve a life for their growing family around a business that would keep them together.
Over the past two years, the Witt family has transformed the 20 acres at Blossomberry Nursery into a community destination. They have expanded the variety of plants, introduced new gardening workshops and created a welcoming space for families to spend quality time together. Blossomberry now has four main components: the greenhouse, the nursery/landscaping, the cut-flower farm and the pumpkin patch. The Witts have also begun hosting various classes and events for the public. "We're a nursery, a cut-flower farm, but we've also hosted baby showers, bridal showers, birthday parties and even elopements," says Courtney.
The cut flower farm has garnered attention from customers looking to express their creative side by building their bouquets. "Blossomberry seems to have a healing effect on people," Courtney says. Andrew adds, "When we moved to Clarksville, we felt welcomed with open arms. Building Blossomberry into a community destination for families of all kinds feels like our way of saying thank you and hugging the community back."
The Witts describe Blossomberry as "a massive garden that tends to get bigger each year." Courtney says, "We want to make it beautiful and bring out the charm the farm has always had and then invite people up here to come to enjoy our hard work."
Follow the Witts' journey at Blossomberry Nursery by liking their Facebook page "Blossomberry Nursery."