Charles Little & Co
Eugene, Oregon
OWNERS |
Charles and Bethany Little |
ACREAGE |
40 acres |
CROPS |
Over 250 varieties of fresh flowers, fillers, wildflowers and herbs, as well as ornamental grains and grasses, seasonal berries, pods and branches |
FOLLOW |
@charleslittleandco |
Our Story
This established Oregon flower farm began in 1986 when Charles Little started raising everlasting blooms for the dried floral trade. Ever since, he and Bethany have celebrated the joy of flower farming in every season. “I was one of those young men who wanted to create a hippy commune and be a farmer,” Charles jokes. “I’ve always wanted to live on the land and make my living there.” Over the years, Charles Little & Company diversified into mostly fresh cuts, developing a solid reputation with Portland and Seattle area wholesale buyers.
Today, the flowers harvested from Charles Little & Co.’s fields satisfy demand for nearly every color, form and type of flower used in floral, wedding and event design. There’s always an eye-popping assortment of specialty cut-flower ingredients to choose from, including woody shrubs and trees, evergreen wreaths, and yes, a small percentage of dried flowers.
Charles and Bethany are prolific and passionate growers. Their field grown flowers are available up and down the west coast, including the Portland Flower Market and the Los Angeles Flower Market. During the summer, flower lovers can find the farm’s uncommon ingredients at Charles and Bethany’s U-Cut flower fields in Eugene, operating as Sparhawk Farms.
Growing Practices
The Littles combine conventional and organic methods, adhering to permaculture or sustainable land-use design. Approximately 70% of the acreage is populated by naturalized woody shrubs, trees and herbaceous perennials that “require little care, little fertilizer or weeding, and are self-sustaining,” Charles explains. They use a spader rather than a plow and cover crop extensively to retain soil health.