Today we’d like to introduce you to Claudia Vasquez.
Hi Claudia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m Claudia, the owner and grower behind Azalea Field Flowers in Rapidan, Virginia. I’m originally from Los Angeles and moved to Virginia when I was 16. My life has taken a lot of turns since then. I became a mom very young, and today I’m raising four kids while working part-time and running my flower farm.
I didn’t grow up farming, and I definitely didn’t grow up thinking I would one day be a flower farmer. Gardening became something I really connected with later in life, and eventually that grew into wanting to see what I could actually build with it.
I officially opened Azalea Field Flowers on January 1, 2025. I started small and honestly learned a lot as I went. My first season was hard. I didn’t have irrigation, I didn’t have a cooler, and there were plenty of times I was harvesting flowers on Fridays before going into work, coming home, making bouquets, and then getting up early for the farmers market the next morning. A lot of this business has been built around being a mom, working, and figuring things out with whatever time and resources I have.
In just my second growing season, the farm has grown more than I expected. I now grow thousands of flowers throughout the season, sell at the Culpeper Downtown Farmers Market, provide flowers for weddings and events, offer Bloom Buckets and local flower delivery, and work with other local businesses in the community. I’ve also expanded my growing space and added infrastructure that I didn’t have when I started.
One of the biggest things for me is that I grow the flowers I sell. People see the finished bouquet, but they don’t always see everything behind it—the seed starting, planting, weeding, harvesting, pests, weather, failed crops, late nights, and starting all over again when something doesn’t work.
I’m also a first-generation Latina flower farmer, and representation in agriculture has become something that means a lot to me. I want my kids and other people in my community to see that agriculture can look like us too.
I’m still very early in my story. I don’t feel like I’ve “made it” or have everything figured out. I’m learning every season, making mistakes, improving the farm little by little, and trying to build something sustainable for myself and my family. But when I look at where I started compared to where Azalea Field Flowers is today, I’m really proud of how much I’ve been able to build in such a short amount of time.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it definitely has not been a smooth road. Farming has probably been one of the most humbling things I’ve ever done because no matter how much you plan, there are so many things you simply cannot control.
I’m still building the farm and working with what I have. I still don’t have irrigation or a flower cooler, so during the hottest parts of the season I have to plan my harvesting and watering very carefully. I also converted the laundry room in my old farmhouse into my grow room because I needed somewhere to start all of my seeds. So now, as a mom of four, I go to the laundromat because my laundry room belongs to the flowers. That probably sums up my life as a flower farmer pretty well.
Mother Nature has also tested me plenty. I’ve dealt with late frosts, storms, extreme heat, pests, deer, rabbits and losing entire beds that I spent months growing. You can put so much work into something and then have one storm or one bad pest problem completely change your plans.
The biggest challenge has really been balancing everything. I’m raising four kids, working part-time and running Azalea Field Flowers mostly by myself. On any given day I can be starting seeds, working in the field, harvesting, designing wedding flowers, making deliveries, answering customers, creating content and then turning around and being Mom.
There have definitely been days when I’ve wondered how I was going to get everything done, but I’ve learned to adapt. I’ve learned that things don’t have to be perfect to keep moving forward. I’m only in my second growing season, so there is still so much I’m learning and so much I want to improve, but when I look back at everything I’ve managed to build while juggling all of this, I’m proud of myself.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Azalea Field Flowers is a small flower farm located in Rapidan, Virginia, in Culpeper County. I grow seasonal cut flowers and turn them into bouquets, wedding florals, Bloom Buckets, arrangements and other locally grown floral products. I also offer private U-Picks and different ways for people to actually experience the farm and the flowers instead of only seeing the finished bouquet.
I grow a little bit of everything throughout the season—ranunculus, anemones, snapdragons, lisianthus, zinnias, cosmos, dahlias, celosia, eucalyptus and so much more. One of my favorite parts of what I do is showing people that beautiful flowers don’t have to travel thousands of miles to get to them. They can be grown right here in Culpeper County.
Weddings have also become a big part of my business. I love being able to tell a bride that many of the flowers in her bouquet were grown right here on my farm. I offer everything from Bloom Buckets for couples who want to design their own flowers to full-service wedding florals.
I think what people know me for most is being very hands-on and very open about what goes into this work. If you follow me online, you’re going to see the beautiful bouquets, but you’re also going to see me covered in dirt, harvesting late, fighting with the weather, losing crops, celebrating when something finally blooms and taking people along through all of it.
What sets Azalea Field Flowers apart is really the connection between the flowers, the farm and my community. I don’t want someone to just buy a bouquet from me. I want them to know where those flowers came from and feel connected to the place where they live. Whether someone meets me at the farmers market, comes out for a U-Pick, buys flowers for their wedding or receives one of my arrangements, they’re getting something that was grown here, harvested by me and handled by me from the field all the way to them.
What I’m most proud of is how much I’ve been able to build in such a short amount of time while still staying true to that. I’m proud to be a Latina flower farmer, I’m proud that my children get to see their mom build something of her own, and I’m especially proud of the relationships I’ve built within Culpeper. Seeing people come back week after week, tell their friends about my flowers, choose locally grown flowers for their weddings, or tell me they came to the farmers market specifically to see me means more to me than they probably realize.
I’m only in my second season, so Azalea Field Flowers is still growing and changing. But I think that’s part of what makes this chapter so special. People aren’t just seeing the finished product—they’re watching me build it in real time.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
I’m honestly always learning. I don’t think there is one specific book, podcast or app that I could say taught me how to do all of this.
Becoming a Virginia Master Gardener has been a huge resource for me. I still go back to what I learned through that program, especially when it comes to soil, pests, plant health and understanding what is actually happening in my field instead of just guessing.
I’ve also taken advantage of education through Cornell and their cut flower and small farm resources. I’m only in my second growing season, so anytime I have the opportunity to learn from people who have been doing this longer than me, I take it.
I also learn a lot from other flower farmers. Sometimes that is through social media, online grower groups, workshops, or simply asking questions. I’m not afraid to say, “I don’t know how to do this yet,” and then go find the answer.
And honestly, one of my biggest resources has been my own field. Farming is a lot of trial and error. You can read everything there is to read about growing something, but then you actually put it in your soil, in your climate, on your farm, and it teaches you something completely different.
I think that willingness to keep learning has helped me more than any one resource. I’m constantly taking notes, researching, trying something new and figuring out what works for my farm.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.azaleafieldflowers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azaleafieldflowers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Azalea-Field-Flowers-61569497134151/
