In West Akron, there is a little farm called Happy Dragon Flower Farm, started by Elizabeth Kelly. But Elizabeth is building something more meaningful than just flowers in a vase. She aims to be intentional about what she grows in her garden beds, creating spaces that foster community, nurture creativity and remind people that even the smallest beginnings can grow into something amazing.
Elizabeth is a lifelong Akronite who has always had a love of flowers, making good food and spending quality time with family and friends.
In the fall of 2019, Elizabeth started watching Small Spaces Big Dreams, hosted by renowned gardener Monty Don. Then, in 2020, when many people were looking for ways to stay busy at home while still feeling connected to the world, Elizabeth started growing food and tending to her garden.
Her plans soon grew bigger than her own backyard.
“I started looking for more space to grow my dahlias,” Elizabeth said. “When I reconnected with Bath Hollow Farm, that allowed me to expand in meaningful ways beyond just flowers.”
Making the most of small spaces
Elizabeth describes Happy Dragon Flower Farm as a micro flower farm with an emphasis on high-intensity growing. Her specialty is dahlias, but she also grows plenty of snapdragons and zinnias, along with plants native to Northeast Ohio that bring a distinctly local character to her bouquets and gardens.
She grows with nature and makes the most of the space available to her. Her farm doesn’t span acres of land, and that’s part of what makes it special.
Elizabeth grows at her West Akron home and on a small plot at Bath Hollow Farm, cultivating a mix of flowers, fruits and vegetables.
Her flowers are primarily available through flower subscriptions and community-supported agriculture, or CSA, offerings. When she has extras, she sells them at her small farmstand in West Akron.
This year, Elizabeth hopes to sell out her dahlia subscriptions and events, allowing her to invest in a cooler for future seasons. A cooler would allow her to preserve flowers longer and offer customers more floral options in the future.
She’s also beginning to expand Happy Dragon Flower Farm’s reach throughout Akron. This year, she sold flowers for Mother’s Day for the first time and is working to connect the farm with other Akron-area businesses, making locally grown flowers more accessible to customers.
Dahlias take center stage
This growing season, dahlias are at the heart of Happy Dragon Flower Farm.
Elizabeth hopes to share more varieties with the community than ever before, including through her farmstand at 419 Royal Ave., CSA offerings and special events.
Dahlias offer an incredible variety of colors, forms and personalities. Elizabeth is even hoping to introduce new varieties after they pass garden trials with the American Dahlia Society.
But Happy Dragon Flower Farm isn’t simply about growing and selling flowers.
The goal is to create experiences and lasting memories for people.
Past events have included a yoga and U-pick experience hosted with Bath Hollow Farm and One Tree Love. Even Happy Dragon’s small purple farmstand carries a unique sense of spirit and whimsy, surrounded by flowers and a butterfly garden. The stand gives neighbors the opportunity to purchase locally grown flowers directly from the place where they are cultivated.
The farm’s current offerings include seasonal flowers, dahlia subscriptions, sourdough bread and other homegrown goodies. Elizabeth also recently started a “Snail Mail” Art and Garden Club, with its first mailing going out this month.
Growing something bigger than flowers
For Elizabeth, the meaning behind Happy Dragon Flower Farm goes deeper than agriculture.
She grows for beauty and joy, but the farm is also a way of proving to herself that you can make your dreams come true.
Elizabeth’s story isn’t about having the perfect piece of land or even knowing exactly where the journey will lead. It’s about acknowledging what makes you happy, planting something small and giving it the attention it needs to grow.
Sometimes happiness grows in surprisingly small spaces. Sometimes all it needs is a little room to bloom.
Experience Happy Dragon Flower Farm
There are several opportunities to experience Happy Dragon Flower Farm as dahlia season gets underway.
On Aug. 26, Happy Dragon Flower Farm will partner with Constance’s in Akron to host a dahlia-arranging workshop celebrating the start of dahlia season.
September will bring a four-week dahlia subscription, with participants receiving a multicolored dahlia bouquet each week.
Then, to close out the season, Happy Dragon Flower Farm will host a Fall Dahlia U-Pick at Bath Hollow Farm on Oct. 8, 2026.
Learn more about Happy Dragon Flower Farm, upcoming events and available flowers at HappyDragonFlowerFarm.com.
