Gillian

The daughter of a Canadian Air Force fighter pilot, Gillian’s family moved all over the world. They finally settled in Markham, Ontario when she was 15.

Gillian always had a design mind, drawing floor plans even though she had no idea what they were. On a Sunday morning her parents would go out for breakfast and by the time they came home the living room was moved around - again.

Gillian pursued a career in interiors eventually working with bouquet real estate brokers styling homes for the real estate market.

Even as a daydreamer with a thousand thoughts an hour, the idea of being a flower farmer & beekeeper wasn’t on the radar for Gillian. “Never in a million trillion years would I have thought I’d be doing this. I had no idea this was even a possibility”.

Gillian met (pursued) Dave the last year of high school and they’ve been together ever since raising two boys who are now grown.

Dave

The last of 8 children, Dave’s large family has lived and farmed for generations in Markham. Although his immediate family did not farm, he worked on farms (in between spending summers at the cottage) while growing up and decided farming wasn’t for him.

Dave pursued a career with the Town of Markham and went on to work in the construction industry.

He, like Gillian, had no idea that flower farming & beekeeping would become part of his life.

Dave was raised on the same street he & Gillian raised their boys on until they moved to Reesor Road. Dave is literally the Accidental Beekeeper

The farm

Gillian & Dave lived in Old Markham Village and renovated a tiny century home. They had an out-of-the-blue opportunity to buy this heritage farm from the Ramer family in the newly established Rouge National Urban Park.

The Ramer family, who owned the farm for over a century, were beekeepers, sold honey, vegetables & eggs as well as having a planing mill & an orchard.

With no intention of actually farming, Gillian & Dave bought the property from the road without even stepping inside. The stunning 1880 farmhouse was in almost original condition - which they sympathetically renovated of course! Sadly, none of the outbuildings survived.

A chance gift of a honey course at the Toronto Botanical Garden started a fire in Gillian to bring the farm back to life. The instructor was a beekeeper & by the time she got home they were going to bring the bees back. And what do bees love most? Flowers!