A different kind of fall color at the Horn Canna Farm near Carnegie, OK
CARNEGIE, Okla. (KFOR) — The color of an Oklahoma sunrise is unrivaled in most of the fields and pastures in prairie country, unless you have a whole field of canna flowers hanging on to the last bit of the summer season.
"I'm so glad to be here," smiles Madison Snow, the 5th generation of her family to operate the Horn Canna Farm.
She grew up in this field near this Caddo County town, watching the colorful varieties of canna come and go.
"Our busy season is different from the average farmer, and our restful season is different than the average farmer."
She still helps out on the family operation culling the volunteer varieties that show up in the wrong row.
"The danger of that," she explains, "is you might give the customer of bulb to plant, then three months later it's the wrong color."
Madison's great-great grandfather started out growing these flowers in his vegetable garden nearly a century ago.
The family quickly realized that even though the bulbs are edible, gardeners preferred to grow them for their beauty and ease of care.
Back on the farm, we wondered where all these pretty flowers were going.
Madison told us, "We actually cut down the foliage and dig the bulbs out of the ground before they go into winter processing."
This isn't our first canna season either.
In the Fall of 1992 we came out to take a few pictures and talk with Louise Horn, her daughter Jolene Snow, and Jolene's husband Butch Snow.
Seasons changed from Horn to Snow, then wholesale to retail.
Madison's parents Nikki and Dustin sell their bulbs direct to consumers now in 30 varieties, Alaska to Omega.
"We've really expanded the number of colors we have in the field," she confirms.
Sometime each October they dig up the plants, save the bulbs, and wait for the orders to start coming in April.
A hundred years of a unique farming cycle and color in western Oklahoma, and one family that keeps in growing.
"Cannas are in our blood," she boasts.
The Horn Canna Farm began officially in 1928.
For more information on their operation including how to care for cannas, click here.
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