Molly Gaeckle started her flower farm sowing just a few rows in the backyard garden of a small rental house in Minneapolis. Eight years later, her cut flower operation, Northerly Flora, has grown to two city lots in Minneapolis and over an acre in Hudson, Wis.
Gaeckle's passion for flower farming is rooted in learning that the majority (80%, according to the University of Minnesota Department of Horticultural Science) of cut flowers sold in the United States are imported.
Plus, "I love to see a freshly planted field and I enjoy the cadence of the changing seasons," Gaeckle said of the more than 150 varieties of blooms, fillers and foliage that she grows.
Undaunted by a short growing season, Gaeckle and a rising number of cut flower farmers are embracing the Slow Flowers Movement to reduce the carbon footprint of floral bouquets that make their way onto tablescapes. Think "flower miles," just like "food miles" in the farm-to-fork movement.
Debra Prinzing, founder of the Slow Flowers Movement, said the number of flower farms is on the rise nationwide. A 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Floriculture Survey found that the number of producers totaled 10,216 compared with 8,049 in 2022. In Minnesota, the number of producers increased by 17% from 2022 to 2023.
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