Photo by Wesley Cudney
Dawn Alexander-Halla has been hard at work practicing Korean Natural Farming to grow flowers on her farm just south of Oskaloosa.
by Wesley Cudney
On a hot summer day, not too far south of Oskaloosa, one can find rows of flowers of different species swaying in the wind as butterflies and bees take refuge from the oppressive Kansas heat. The fields are filled with beautiful and brightly colored flowers, dazzling the eyes with different shades of purples, yellows, blues, and more.
The flower fields have an equally colorful and beautiful smell. The intoxicating scent almost makes one forget how hot and muggy Kansas can be in the late summer. But as they say, beauty is pain. And the one laboring to create that beauty is named Dawn Alexander-Halla.
Alexander-Halla, 62, is well used to the outdoors, originally hailing from Ireland, where she used to train horses and riders. Now, she runs her own business here in Jefferson County, Oskaloosa Flower Farms. Alexander-Halla moved here to be with her daughter, Kristin, and her two grandchildren, Zuri and Taes.
Like the garden outside, the farmhouse is also full of life. Kristin’s husband, Levi, and his family also live in the house, along with two dogs, Twister and Fireball. The names of the dogs are fitting, as they are continually proving that they have more than enough energy to match the couple’s grandchildren.
“Levi’s parents wanted us all to be together. So they bought the farm and we all live here, which is pretty spectacular,” said Alexander-Halla.
Since moving to Kansas, Alexander-Halla’s biggest obstacle has been the weather.
“We moved here last April, and I started preparing the ground in May and worked right through the summer. I wasn’t used to Kansas weather,” Alexander-Halla said. “It was really hot; it took me awhile to figure out I can’t work through the heat of the day.”
During the winter months, she still grows flowers in her shed. Which her family has nicknamed “Casablanca.”
Alexander-Halla has been using her educational background in horticulture to experiment with Korean Natural Farming.
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Anyone who wants to purchase Alexander-Halla’s flowers outside of farmers markets can email her at OskaloosaFlowerFarm@gmail.com or call (207) 542-7322.