The Joy of Local Flowers: A Private Flower Market

It has taken much work and foresight to get here. Figuring out how to grow cut-flower, seeking those out that want to buy them and then to find the gumption to keep doing it year after year. Sharing the bounty of my labors with these delightful folks is a good part of what keeps me going.

When I first started my farming business in 1998 I went straight to those that needed flowers everyday– florist and was an overnight success. It didn’t take long before news of my beautiful locally grown flowers got around town. I had to find a way to sell my flowers directly to the end users, the customer—the flower loving public!  So, the Garden Share program came to life in 1999.

It’s name in the beginning was the Flower Guild program. This name was suggested in a book as a way to draw in customers–but I found no one understood what it was! So through the years the name has changed and is currently known as the Garden Share program.

The program is our way of selling to the flower loving public, working within city ordinances and limiting who is coming to my home to pick up flowers all rolled into one. It is a private flower market where you spend your Garden Share dollars.

Who joins the program? People from all walks– flower arrangers and lovers, church flower guilds, and folks that just want some garden flowers on the kitchen table each week. The mood in the air here during Garden Share hours each week is pure joy. Members walk in and see the rows of buckets full of fresh cut flowers. The fragrances hit them dead on and ahhhh–that is it, the joy of locally grown flowers in action. 

Private Flower Market facts:

• You must have Garden Share dollars to spend to purchase flowers.
• Garden Shares are available for purchase online or by phone.
• Shares are sold in $100 increments and include sales tax.
• There is no limit on the number of shares a member can purchase, but we do have a limited number of members,
• The market is currently open on Friday mornings from 9am to 12noon during May and Thursday afternoons from 1 pm to 3 pm will begin in June and runs through October normally.

Join the fun if you could use a little joy.

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