Today we’d like to introduce you to April Lutter.
Hi April, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I am the owner of Floriculture Micro Farm in the beautiful rolling hills of southern Pennsylvania. I have a 25 year career in early childhood education paired with 25 years of horticultural experience, running a small-scale flower farm. I have been providing specialty cut flowers for our local community (Northern Baltimore County) since 2017 at The Hereford Farmer’s Market and as a Bouquet Subscription service. As the floral market has shifted, I’ve pivoted my business model to combine the best of both worlds, education and horticulture, to create an immersive sensory garden experiences for all ages.
Floriculture Micro Farm’s Sensory Garden Program is dedicated to creating an inclusive, accessible, and therapeutic horticultural environment that supports physical, emotional, and cognitive well-being for individuals of all abilities. Through a thoughtfully designed, multi-sensory garden experience engaging sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste, the program promotes stress reduction, confidence building, and meaningful connection to nature.
Serving children, seniors, individuals with physical, developmental, or cognitive challenges, and the general public, the Sensory Garden prioritizes universal accessibility and nature-based healing. Our mission is to provide a safe, welcoming space that enhances quality of life, supports learning and self-esteem, and strengthens community through restorative, sensory-rich engagement with the natural world.
The aim is to increase access to therapeutic green spaces for underserved populations, support mental health, emotional regulation, and sensory integration, promote confidence, independence, and social connection and provide nature-based educational and wellness opportunities.
Along with Garden Walks, I host a variety of nature-themed workshops throughout the year and welcome special events, showers and celebrations, for small groups. My Kitty Cat Cafe & Craft events are popular with kids combining a hands-on, age-appropriate, garden-based activity with therapeutic interactions with working cats.
I continue to offer cut-to-order floral bouquets, fragrant and magical topiary offerings and seasonal wreaths and gifts for garden-lovers at my “parked on the farm” Flower Truck, open daily. I welcome special orders for garden enthusiasts.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
What is a smooth road? There have been considerable challenges within each facet of my career. Paths that I thought I should have been on have changed course and and outcomes I envisioned did not come to fruition. The ever-changing landscape of running a small business, a fluctuating economy and the demands of living in American culture make it difficult to work toward a goal and require resiliency, passion and being fairly comfortable with uncertainty.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
After graduating from college (way back when), I took a job as a floral designer with an event company and was immediately enamored with flowers. Though large events were not my calling, working with flowers proved to be- however I wanted greater control over the products I was using. I wanted flowers that were not shipped, sprayed and heavily processed. I wanted seasonal flowers and that led me to starting my flower farm in 2017. Since that time my passion for flowers has evolved to an appreciation for creating garden experiences and tinkering with topiary, which is now guiding the next phase of my career.
I am proud of my perseverance.
Providing a space for intimate gatherings and connecting people with each other through creative garden/nature experiences is my specialty. What sets me apart is my desire to stay small and avoid trends. I am not interested in what’s popular, but find staying true to my vision and style keeps me authentically whimsical. Folks who find my work and offerings to resonate with them are the reason I can continue to pursue my career and I am grateful for each person who supports small endeavors like mine.
Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
My Dad use to say, “April, if you didn’t have bad luck, you wouldn’t have any.” He wasn’t wrong. I would say confidently that I have been fortunate, but not lucky. In life and in business, I have been granted a solid foundation, an amazing support network and a big dreamer mentality. Luck has it’s place, but for me, it is not the phenomenon I rely on for a successful life.
Pricing:
- Sensory Garden Walks, starting at $25
- Events/Workshops, starting at $45
- Kitty Cat Cafes and Flora & Feline Events, $45-65
- Private Tutoring Blocks, in the Gardens, $475
- Flower Truck, Open Daily/Prices Vary
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.floriculturemicrofarm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/floriculturemicrofarm
- Email: april.floriculture@gmail.com
