Flowers speak to us, and for us—spilling from wedding bouquets, extending comfort in times of mourning, bringing beauty to the kitchen table and solace to the backyard. Victorians practiced the art of floriography by sending heartfelt messages without ever penning a note—a red tulip declared one’s love, while begonias said: “beware.” The local flower cart served as a telegraph office, relaying code for every emotion. The tradition may no longer be so specific, but the power of the flower remains potent. Even Instagram scrolling stops at the sight of Jeremy Allen White shouldering a heap of fresh-cut blooms.
Tulips, lavender, sunflowers, dahlias and more make their fragrant and colorful appearance at area markets and events, thanks to a dedicated group of flower farmers in Central Oregon. Largely women-owned and women-run, regional flower farms represent an alchemy of inspiration and grit. Along with the flowers, these growers cultivate strong relationships with the land and with each other, fostering an agricultural society of shared beauty, resilience and support.
Laurel Ludwicki | Kalmia Flower Farm
Kalmia Flower Farm in Bend offers à la carte bouquets and a CSA to buy blooms for the season in advance. Owner Laurel Ludwicki’s favorite flower is the dahlia, of which the poet Didi Jackson writes, “Surely they contain all / the colors of our universe.” Dahlias are a “year-round labor of love,” said Ludwicki. They require digging and dividing before they can be sold and shipped. Growing anything in Central Oregon is tough: According to the OSU Extension Service, growers get a mere 80 to 100 days from seed to harvest, barring frost. Ludwicki goes the extra mile, choosing organic practices with a sweet approach to pest control. “I address pests by controlling the sugar content of the plants. By using additives like molasses, I can make the plants less appealing to munch on, without introducing harmful chemicals,” she said, so there can be a larger ecosystem of insects on the farm.
Kalmia focuses on sustainable practices and high-quality dahlias. They offer a seasonal bouquet subscription (CSA) with pickup locations in Bend. See @kalmiaflowerfarm
Emily Kotaich | Covey Fields Flower Farm & Floral Studio
Emily Kotaich of Covey Fields Flower Farm & Floral Studio in Powell Butte organizes what she calls garden and gather meet-ups in Redmond and Bend. Held at local businesses, happy hour events are free and feature inspiration for bouquet design and garden planning. Kotaich appreciates the generosity of local growers, reminiscent of her experience with a community garden project she participated in throughout her teen years in Boise. “I only know the things I know,” said Kotaich, “because someone stopped and shared it.”
Based in Powell Butte, Emily specializes in floral design and community “garden and gather” events. See coveyfields.com | For workshops & events see Covey Fields Events
Amy Ochander | Windy Ridge Lavender
Amy Ochander of Windy Ridge Lavender identifies as a small Tumalo-centric grower, though in addition to 1,500 lavender plants, she’s branched out to tulips, sourcing half her bulbs from the Pacific Northwest. Confident about cultivating hardy lavender, Ochander shared it was an emotional decision to take on the tulip, which volunteers, she said, as “the first sign of spring and hope.” A former school administrator, she loves the combination of art and science, but ultimately, it’s about the people. Growers in Central Oregon, are a “community of optimistic and hopeful people—I’m attracted to that,” she said. “Flowers bring us together in a world where it can be hard to find hope.” – Amy Ochander
Located in Tumalo, this farm is a go-to for hardy lavender and early-spring tulips. See @windyridgelavender
Lindsay Wiley | The Littlest Flower Farm
When she started, Lindsay Wiley paired blooms with food crops, but then decided the flowers had her heart and The Littlest Flower Farm was born. A 10-year resident of Bend with a full-time marketing career, Wiley said she “felt a sense of impermanence” while working remotely. Becoming a member of the Central Oregon Flower Collective changed everything. The collective, founded and managed by Lisa Shaddox of Hollyhock Hollow farm, streamlines wholesale and retail sales, plus it offers support to more than 14 local farmers. “The sense of community I feel now is really fulfilling,” Wiley said. She tends to her Bend farm early mornings, nights and weekends—squeezing the work in wherever she can, she explained, to produce cut flowers for the wholesale market and for a weekly Saturday market at Pomegranate Home and Garden in Bend. “I find so much peace in the garden, on my knees, squatting and crawling around in the dirt.” Of the business side, Wiley said you must be “brave enough to be bad at something new…You work toward growth and beauty, but if it’s not happening, you have to let it go.”
Lindsay provides cut flowers for the wholesale market and local retail pop-ups in Bend. See thelittlestflowerfarm.com | For local sales see Find our Flowers
Eliza Eaton | Roots Wild Floral
Eliza Eaton grew Roots Wild Floral in Bend on the foundation of her floral design expertise and her husband Rob’s farming know-how. Keen to make a difference, Eaton said, “We saw firsthand the immense environmental impact of the global flower trade. Our goal is to provide local and sustainably grown flowers for our community—to connect the flower source to the final floral design.” Weddings are a mainstay of the Bend business, and this will be the CSA’s seventh season.
“The chaotic whiplash of spring weather in Central Oregon is certainly a challenge, navigating the intense sun and the freezing temperatures,” Eaton admitted, then listing the rewards: “Being outside, working with beautiful flowers, working among this amazing community and seeing the joy and delight on our customers’ faces.”
Roots Wild offers a full-service floral design studio paired with their own sustainably grown blooms and a long-running CSA program. See rootswild.com | For CSA information see Roots Wild Flower CSA
Chrissy Capri Snider | Tumalo Flower Farm
Like many local growers, Chrissy Capri Snider of Tumalo Flower Farm came to farming indirectly. Fate intervened when she and her family bought a horse property with no horses, but with two acres of irrigation rights. She asked herself, “What are we going to do here?” The answer was to plant sunflowers in all their glorious colors. She learned to grow plants close together for superior cut blooms, which sell wholesale and through the Central Oregon Flower Collective during high-bloom season. Capri Snider feels most like a farmer with buckets of flowers in the back of her car and when she sees her blooms at local florists. Her challenges include freezes and water shortages, and getting the work done while raising young kids. As Tumalo Flower Farm strengthens its roots, she looks forward to “perfecting the art” and her understanding of how to grow blossoms and thrive.
So the question remains: Why farm flowers in an often unforgiving climate? For Ochander, who labors to bring lavender and tulips into bloom, she said, “Flowers bring us together in a world where it can be hard to find hope.”
For more information see the Central Oregon Flower Collective, which helps connect local growers to florists and the community.
