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Wildseed Farms
Encyclopedia
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Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
near Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
, United States. It is the largest working wildflower farm in the country. The farm won the Garden Center 2001 Innovator award.
The farm opened in 1983 in Eagle Lake
Eagle Lake, Texas
Eagle Lake is a city in southeastern Colorado County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,664 at the 2000 census. It is home to a golf course, the largest private lake in Texas, and the Eagle Lake Regional Airport, which services light aircraft....
as a seed producer
Seed company
Seed companies produce and sell seeds for flowers, fruit and vegetables to theamateur gardener. The production of seed is a multi billion dollar business, which usesgrowing facilities and growing locations world wide. While most seed is produced by large...
and initially only allowed the public to visit in April of every year. These visit days proved to be extremely popular, so much so that the owners, John and Marilyn Thomas, decided to relocate to a more accessible location. In 1995, they purchased the plot on Texas State Highway 290
Texas State Highway 290
State Highway 290 or SH 290 is a state highway maintained by the Texas Department of Transportation that runs from Interstate 10 near Sheffield east to another connection with I-10 about east of Sheffield. The route was designated in 1992 as a replacement for U.S. Route 290 when it was...
. Development for a retail facility and visitor center was completed in 1997. Because the farm is located near Fredericksburg, a town that has a 19th-century feel to it, the main buildings of the farm were also constructed to match the decor of the town.
Wildseed Farms does about $4 million in sales each year, with approximately $1.5 million coming from the retail facility, which can see roughly 100,000 visitors between March and May of each year. Besides plant sales, the farm also has a butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
area and hosts live concerts and other attractions.
Wildseed Farms is located at 30°13′21.9"N 98°46′5.7"W.