If you see a vintage VW van cruising along at 55 mph on Highway 151 near Sun Prairie, don’t honk, just smile.
It’s the Crazy Daisy Flower Truck bringing bouquets to cheer people up.
And if you live in the Cambridge and Deerfield area, you might recognize the origin of the blooms.
Owner Michelle Hornung sources her flowers from wholesalers and local farms. Agora Acres Flower Farm in Cambridge and the Grove Flower Farm in Deerfield are some of favorites.
Hornung said she’s been plenty busy these last months with people sending flowers during a crazy time.
“It’s mostly with sentiments that ‘I hope you are doing ok’ and messages like that,” Hornung said. “I love it when I can help people with that. It really makes my day.”
For $20, Hornung will make up a kaleidoscope of flowers with her trademark daisies, along with dahlias, carnations, zinnias, and other petals of pink, yellow, whites and more. Delivery, COVID-friendly of course, is included, with Hornung showing up in her 1969 VW Transporter.
The Crazy Daisy Flower Truck has been in bloom since May 2016. Hornung was a nurse in a trauma unit and needed to de-stress on her days off. So she turned to flowers that have brought her joy since she was a young girl helping her mom, a master gardener, make bouquets. She was inspired during a visit to Nashville where she saw one of the country’s first flower trucks in action and decided to give it a try.
Trading scrubs for hugs from people who get a Crazy Daisy Flower Truck bouquet has been a perfect fit for Hornung.
“I take care of people at the hospital and I take care of people on my days off, but in a different way, by spreading joy through flowers,” said Hornung, now a surgical service nurse at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics.
Hornung shows up with her truck and customers can pluck flowers for a bouquet for $20.
Over the years, Crazy Daisy Flower Truck has sprouted up regularly in Sun Prairie at the Sun Prairie Farmers Market and special events. In July 2018, a fundraiser for the Barr Family was so well-received that Hornung sold out of flowers in less than an hour and donated $1,800 to the family.
Hornung has turned to more COVID-19 friendly events now, with smaller gatherings that have included photo shoots, weddings, engagements, birthdays, and other celebrations. She has also partnered with local businesses. A recent Barre and Bouquet events included a 45-minute fitness class followed by a bouquet-making party. “This is all about local supporting local,” Hornung said. “Especially during this time, it’s important for small businesses to keep flourishing.”Having her selection of the prettiest petals around, gets Hornung giddy.
“It’s like any woman going into Target, it could be a serious problem,” Hornung jokes. “But it is fun to see what the flower farms come up with each season.”
The flower truck operates from May to October and Hornung says more pop-ups are scheduled.
“Stay tuned,” she said playfully.
Seeing how her blooms brighten people’s day—including a secret elopement recently—is what keeps Hornung rolling down the road spreading joy in her vintage Volkswagen.
For more info visit facebook.com/CrazyDaisyFlowertruck
