H o l l y h o c k
: a tall, widely cultivated perennial of the mallow family known for it’s tall spikes of showy flowers and unique ability to flourish in impoverished soils. Hollyhocks have long been a symbol of fertility, strength, and women’s ambition.
noun
hol·ly·hock | \ ˈhä-lē-ˌhäk
BACK THEN
Ten years ago we moved out of NE Portland to be closer to our jobs in East County and to fulfill our deep desire to have more space to raise our family.
My dreams came true when we found a three acre lot that was flat, sunny, and was adjacent to two patient souls that happened to also be master gardeners/farmers. They taught us how to grow the most amazing, flavorful, organic vegetables on a much larger scale than anything we had grown in our concrete backyard in Portland.
We canned and froze everything we produced from our 6,000 sq ft organic vegetable garden but also learned how to enrich our soil with the essential nutrients and amendments needed to not only grow our plants and vegetable but also sustain the millions of microorganisms living and supporting our plants. We learned how to use sustainable methods so that our land would always be left healthier than before while managing weeds, irrigating with little waste, and encouraging biodiversity in microorganisms.
RIGHT NOW
Another four years passed, and a dear family friend, Aaron Younger, introduced us to the industry leading flower farmer, Floret. We were inspired. Within the upcoming months, we joined forces and read every flower farming book we could get our hands on, though Floret’s “Cut Flower Garden” was our go to and it had many dirt stained, dog eared pages rather quickly.
Our learning curve was incredibly steep and we experienced some failures, but in the end we grew gorgeous, healthy, organic flowers that our community quickly embraced. Aaron is no longer with Hollyhock Flower Farm but she continues to work with flowers and create absolutely elegant flower arrangements.
My family and I work together in a positive, honest, and conscientious way to complete the daily, timely responsibilities of the farming schedule. The farm has taught my boys that hard work, pursuing dreams, perseverance, callused hands, obtaining knowledge endlessly, and pure grit will make all of your dreams come true. It has also given them a fierce love and responsibility of protecting and giving back to our planet.
We now sell our gorgeous blooms to our CSA members, local florists, flower lovers, DIY brides & grooms, and businesses in our community.
FOR THE FUTURE
This farm fills my soul and my strong need to work with soil and grow beautiful, healthy things in a way that benefits our land and its people.
Hollyhock flower farm continues to acquire the best tools, equipment, resources, knowledge, growing methods, and flower seed/bulbs possible to continue to provide a superior quality of flowers for our customers. We will continue to then pass this knowledge on, and work with community education.
And so, we grow.
