For six years, the Happy Dahlia Farm in Petaluma has connected locals to their environment against a vibrant floral backdrop. After the pandemic, the flower farm’s goal is to reconnect with their community through hosting a wide-variety of events and selling build-your-own dahlia bouquets.

Farm owner and former makeup artist Megan Major, reimagined her farm to be a COVID-19 community hub, and her tight-knit staff is excited about their upcoming events which include anything from yoga sessions to herbal medicine workshops. 

“[Prior to COVID-19] it was just cut flowers… people could walk through, but it wasn’t a destination. [Megan] wanted to make it more of a community space,” farm manager Nika Kozlov explained.

“We do yoga on Tuesday nights. We do sound baths… relaxing in the grass while people play different instruments [like] Tibetan bowls, harps, gongs. We also do baby showers here, weddings, and flower workshops. [We do] herbal medicine workshops… how we can learn the medicinal properties of flowers, and how we can work with them… We try and hit a wide range of folks…” she continued.

Kozlov recommends the evening yoga sessions for students in particular, as well as the sound baths, “…Relaxation for students, come on! The sound baths are good to recharge, reset and chill out. You don’t have to talk, you don’t have to do anything; come with a sleeping bag and just relax for an hour and a half.” 

Other events students can attend are the live music concerts from local bands on the weekends, and movie nights projected in the flower fields. 

With the breeze gently blowing the dahlia stems and the color-coordinated rows expanding across the property, the flowers are in their peak season. From September to mid-October, the dahlias are at their brightest.

The Happy Dahlia Farm’s other farm manager, Jeff, explained his experience working at the farm. “I just love growing; I’ve been growing for a lot of years. [Guests can expect] beautiful flowers every day,” he said while attentively watering each plant.

As far as the build-your-own bouquets, visitors have over 150 different dahlia varieties to choose from. The flowers are harvested by staff members every morning at 6 a.m., and kept in a temperature controlled and organized by color.

“Each dahlia is like a piece of art… The beautiful colors and uniqueness of each one make you want to take endless photos…” said Celine L., a visitor at the farm.

“We’ve been trying to get the message out there, get some Sonoma County kids out here just being back in nature and being back outside, which I think is huge… Come out here and have fun!” Kozlov said.

The dahlia farm is open Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit their website or check out their Instagram page, @thehappydahliafarm, or their website https://www.loc8nearme.com/california/petaluma/aztec-dahlias/5096218/, to learn more.