Gardening Etcetera: Rooted in Flagstaff, plants are in her genes

You’ve probably seen her at markets around town selling her locally grown trees, herbs, native plants, perennials, and garden starts. Amelia Knutson, owner of Flagstaff Lily of the Field, has farming “genes,” with her paternal great grandparents farming in Kansas and her father running the NAU Research Greenhouse for 20 years. Her family last name, “Weedman,” although coincidental, is an appropriate description for her current endeavors!

“My paternal great-grandfather immigrated from Germany to Kansas, where his name was changed from Veidman to Weedman,” she said. “Farming during the Dust Bowl was so difficult that he traveled throughout the Midwest with a combine and a group of men, harvesting crops wherever work was available. During the storms, my great-grandmother hung wet towels and sheets over the windows and doors to keep the dust from blowing into the house.”