Our Story
It all started 40 years ago with a broke down car in front of a real estate office in Bay St Louis, a small coastal town in Mississippi. While waiting for my car to be repaired, I wandered into a real estate agent’s office and began asking about farmland available for sale. To my amazement, he brought up a VHS video tape of a timber farm located in the Kiln, 20 minutes north of town.
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We were immediately smitten ......it was unique property for sure with its spring fed creek (Bayou La Terre), rolling hills and magnificent oaks. The property's history was intriguing, was rumored to have been the site of high-quality moonshine stills in a county known back in the day as the moonshine capital.
That was 40 years ago, three children, 42-year legal career and the ever-present question “what’s next”? Now, we’re answering that question with our family-run flower farm.
We didn’t see this coming, but with each timber cutting, we worked the land, adding pastures, trails, ponds, and more diverse habitat. We fell in love with the quiet, clean air, starry nights, and wildlife sightings. We found ourselves wanting to spend more and more time here.
Now, it’s our family home with mother/son (Teri and Connor) working side-by-side. As soon as I retired from practicing law, Connor and I started taking classes, traveling to workshops and conferences, meeting with the county extension agency, and getting our soil tested. Through lots of trial and error, and encouragement from an incredible community of farmers, friends, and local businesses, have created a cut flower farm.
Connor is running our daily operations, planting, caring for, and harvesting our flowers and greenery. He’s also our videographer, animal-whisperer, and go-to, get it done guy. We couldn’t do what we do without the help of his wife Adeline, who is studying child psychology.
If it’s not Connor at the farmers markets, you’ll likely see me. In addition, I’m organizing events, concerts, parties, both open to the public and private events held here, excited to open our doors to those who need to get a little dose of nature.
The farm now includes cattle, horses, chickens, goats, and a donkey in addition to the native inhabitants of deer, rabbits and raccoons. With an abundance of land and water, the supply of greenery including magnolia, holly, smilax and pine is virtually unlimited.
Along with farming, the property offers an assortment of recreational activities such as walking/hiking tree-lined trails, wading in crystal clear waters of the sandy creek, or kayaking, fishing or swimming in the ponds.
This is a generational endeavor that includes all three kids, spouses, and grandkids. There’s a lot of laughter, dirty fingernails, hard work, and sweaty summers. For the Wylys, that’s just how we want it.
Life is good on La Terre Farms. We look forward to sharing it with you.
Read more about us in The Shoofly Magazine, our favorite Bay St Louis/ Waveland online community news.