BELEWS CREEK, N.C. — A father-and-son duo has planted millions of flowers on their farm, bringing color and honor to those who visit.
What You Need To Know
- Chris and Colt Crump run Dogwood Farms in Belews Creek, Forsyth County
- The father-and-son duo planted 77 million poppy seeds for their third spring season
- The poppy became a symbol of remembrance in World War I
- Dogwood Farms held its first Poppy Festival in May and is planning another in 2025
Chris Crump, the owner of Dogwood Farms in Belews Creek, has been running the farm with his 12-year-old son, Colt, for years.
“It was mainly to have a place to raise a bunch of kids, but there's only one here now.... He’s pretty helpful, I don't know how I'd get to get along without him,” Crump said.
Colt is deemed the vice president of the farm in Forsyth County. He drives and manages equipment like a pro, and even has created his own honey line.
“I enjoy it, he [Chris Crump] tells me if I'm doing something wrong or just tell me if I'm doing or tell me how to do it right,” Colt Crump said.
Chris Crump worked for the North Carolina Department of Transportation for 25 years prior to opening Dogwood Farms, overseeing landscaping in five counties and helping plant wildflowers along the highways.
“This is where I've got my playbook from, is everything you see on the side of the highway,” he said.
The farm has acres of colorful flowers for guests to take photos with or bring home.
“We've got buckets and clippers, so whoever comes, they've got the opportunity to pick a bouquet of flowers, whether it's wildflowers, poppies or sunflowers,” Chris Crump said.
For the third spring season, they planted 77 million poppy seeds along with other flowers including larkspur. Poppies line the farm in shades of pink, white and red.
“The poppy seeds are smaller than coffee grounds. They're almost like sand," he said. "But I just think they are a cool flower, there is just something different about them."
While hundreds if not thousands of visitors come to the farm weekly to take photos in the flowers, one group of guests stands out.
“We have veterans daily that come here, and the families come to do pictures and we really get a kick out of seeing all the servicemen and -women also in their uniforms out here taking pictures," Chris Crump said. "That's really cool. It's something you don't see a lot of.”
Poppies hold a deep meaning to military families dating back to World War I. Canadian brigade surgeon Lt. Col. John McCrae wrote a poem titled "In Flanders Fields" from the perspective of a fallen solider buried in the fields where wild red poppies began to grow.
The red flower soon became a symbol of remembrance across the world.
“I’m just happy they [veterans] could come here and see what we've planted for them,” Colt Crump said.
Chris Crump says their family has strong ties to the military and appreciates all veterans, even letting in all veterans free to the farm.
“We've got a long list of family members that were service members. And we appreciate and know the sacrifice that these families have and are going through. And I couldn't imagine what it's like to not see your kids for six months at a time. It's got to be tough,” Chris Crump said.
The farm recently held its first Poppy Festival and plans on holding another next year. Other flowers including sunflowers, zinnias and cosmos will soon be growing at the farm.
National Poppy Day falls on the Friday prior to Memorial Day.
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day after the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. each year on Memorial Day.