A Walk in the Garden

Story and photos by Holly Leitner

Exploding azaleas, punches of marigolds, wisps of dill and a dash of oregano intertwined in a bouquet from Pipsypop Flowers is like a walk in the garden. Your senses come alive as you take in the beauty of another bouquet with a beaming sunflower accented by wild mint, wine-colored amaranth, bay leaves and jasmine. Each bouquet, just like each walk in the garden, is a bit different from the next.

Customers who visit Pipsypop Flowers’ roadside stand at the corner of Highway 120 South and Bloomfield Road, on the southeast side of Lake Geneva, have a difficult time choosing one bouquet over the other. But at $5 each, it’s easy to take home a few.

“Every week she has a new favorite flower,” jokes Mike Lasch, referring to his wife, Lisa. The Lasches are the owners and the heart and soul behind Pipsypop Flowers. Their farm is located in the Town of Bloomfield and boasts three acres of flowers with more than 100 different species of annuals and perennials.

Their cut flower business began in 2015 after Lisa submitted a floral arrangement to the Walworth County Fair. It was there that her trademark style was noticed by a floral designer who told her there was a big market for fresh cut, quality flowers. From there, the business took off.

“We make a great team,” says Lisa. Both grew up on farms and say growing flowers comes naturally to them. Mike is the agronomist and is excellent at maintaining soil health. Lisa is the floral designer and learned her craft at Gateway College and a specialty school in Madison. She’s a registered nurse by day (and often night), yet the couple can be found in the fields most mornings picking flowers together.

“It’s very labor-intensive work,” says Lisa. She explains that picking happens in hot and humid weather, with mosquitoes swirling around and an occasional snake spiraling up a sunflower. Yet after each restorative winter, they find themselves eager to get back to the flowers.

Garden flowers are different from flowers typically sold in grocery stores, such as long-lasting carnations, but the Lasches go to extra lengths to ensure longevity. They cut the flowers and immediately place them in pails filled with water and flower food, then store them in a walk-in cooler. Their clients attest to their flowers’ hardiness and beauty but also how they provide an immediate emotional boost.

“During the pandemic, flowers became really popular,” says Lisa. “People wanted comfort at home.” Because of this, seed companies have had a hard time meeting consumer demand.

The local flower movement encourages people to support their local farmers, which results in these gorgeous, one-of-a-kind arrangements unique to the area. “Using beautiful and locally- grown Pipsypop flowers every season makes us happy,” says Stephanie Atwell, co-owner of Forget Me Not Flower Market in Walworth.

Pipsypop flowers are used in bouquets at many other area florists as well, including Pesches Greenhouse; Lilypots Fresh Flowers and Gifts; Frontier Flowers of Fontana; Tommi’s Garden Blooms; Treasure Hut Flowers; and Burlington Garden Center. In addition to the flower bouquets sold at Pipsypops’ roadside stand, you can also purchase flowers by the pail upon request.

“Flowers are there for the big moments in life, but I say flowers should be there for our small daily moments too,” says Lisa.

For more information, visit pipsypopflowers.com or call 262-749-8374 or 262-749-8370.

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