Pug Patch Flower Farm
Tour Dearborn McHaley's front-yard flower farm with me.
Alive. The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the car was that hundreds of bees and butterflies were dancing across the tops of the flowers—and it was almost October here in Greenville, SC.
Do you ever think about the fact that wildlife need diverse flowers even after we’ve moved on to thinking about pumpkins and sweaters?
When you’re standing in the middle of a flower farm in late September, it’s only too obvious.
Most of us won’t turn our front yards into a flower farm like Dearborn McHaley did, but we can learn from this exercise.
We need to value flowers for both the joy they bring us and the vital role they serve in our ecosystem.
Read on for some more things I learned from Dearborn McHaley:
1. Originally from:
I was born and raised in Asheville, NC.
2. How long have you been gardening in Greenville?
I started gardening in Greenville after moving here from Asheville in 2009 when my then boyfriend (now husband) and I decided to take our relationship to the next level. However, in actuality, I've been gardening my whole life. Growing up, my mom had elaborate gardens at our house, and some of my first memories are helping her in the garden and taking trips to local nurseries and herb farms.
Being outside in nature, having my hands in the dirt, and gardening has always been a passion of mine. No matter where I've lived over the years, I've always managed to have a garden. So, the first thing I did after moving my belongings into the house here in Greenville was begin to tackle the blank slate of a yard. Patrick had recently purchased the house, which was a foreclosure property, and there wasn't a single plant or tree anywhere on the property! It looked abandoned!
The garden has evolved drastically over the years from simple foundation plantings and flower beds to where it is now—a full-scale, boutique, urban cut flower farm.
In 2021, I began pivoting away from a career as an ER nurse and enrolled in Horticulture school at Spartanburg Community College (an amazing program that I absolutely can't say enough good things about).
I've always dreamed of having a flower farm and floral design business, but I didn't think it was a possibility because we don't live on rural acreage. However, after attending a flower farming workshop at Flourish Flower Farm in Asheville and doing a lot of research, I realized I didn't need acres of land to have one.
I started laying the groundwork for the flower farm a year ago while still in Horticulture school and working full-time as an ER nurse. I replaced the turf in the entire front yard and side yard with eleven 4' x 32' raised garden beds, installed a drip irrigation system, expanded my existing perennial beds, and started planting.
I opened Pug Patch Flower Farm for business in March of this year, the same month I left my job as an ER nurse, and I graduated with my horticulture degree two months later in May.
To say I took a leap of faith and hit the ground running is an understatement. It's been hard work (in a good way), a little stressful, and a learning experience for sure, but it is the best decision I have ever made.
I am currently working on expanding my growing capacity for next year by adding 3-4 more raised beds, as well as reclaiming a large creekside area from invasives where I will plant a nice selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials for cut flower production. My neighbor has also graciously offered me his large, unused garden plot, which will double my overall production for next year.
3. Garden wisdom:
There are 4 main practices I live by when gardening:
1. Plant spacing recommendations are optional.
You can space most plants much closer together than the tag on the plant suggests. The only reason I am able to grow and produce the volume of cut flowers that I do is because I utilize high-intensity growing practices and space plants much, much closer than traditionally recommended. It can, in some cases, require a bit more work to keep plants disease and pest-free in our hot, humid climate, but the extra work is worth the increased productivity.2. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is absolutely key to healthy, productive plants—especially when gardening in the hot, humid climate of South Carolina. IPM is something everyone who gardens can and should be doing.
IPM has 5 key components:
• Prevention: daily scouting for diseases and pests, choosing healthy plants from reputable growers, appropriate planting conditions, etc.
• Cultural/sanitation practices: weeding, cleaning garden tools after use (and in some cases between plants), removing debris or diseased/dead plant material
• Physical/mechanical control: physically removing unwanted bugs, like Japanese beetles, and diseased or dead plant parts; keeping the garden cleaned of weeds, plant debris, regular mowing, etc.
• Biological control: using beneficial insects for pest control;
• Chemical control: this can be organic approved chemicals or traditional chemicals. I only use organic practices.
3. Ignore mass market trends for plants in gardening (unless you absolutely love it) and buy your plants from local nurseries—not big box stores.
You will find a larger variety of plants and they will be healthier. Seek out new, unusual, or unique plants to add more character to your garden. However, do your research on the plant before you buy it! Make sure it isn't invasive and that you have the space and growing requirements for it to thrive. If you're unsure, ask a certified horticulturist for help. You can find them at your local Clemson extension office, the horticulture departments at Spartanburg Community College or Clemson, and at many locally-owned nurseries.4. If a plant isn't working out in the garden, take action to fix the problem.
If it isn't thriving in a particular location, move it. If it has gotten too big, move it or divide it. If it's constantly struggling, or you just don't like it, gift it to someone who will or compost and replace it. Life's too short, and there are too many amazing and beautiful plants in this world, to live surrounded by plants that don't bring you joy.
One caveat to that philosophy is this: With perennials, shrubs, and trees, it takes a little bit of time for it to establish roots and start to shine. Remembering this little phrase will help you decide if the plant needs more time, or if it's time to move on:
"The first year it sleeps. The second year it creeps. The third year it leaps."
If after 3-4 years, the plant isn't succeeding, ditch it and move on.
4. What’s something new you’re trying this year? What else are you growing?
Growing cut flowers for sale in my floral designs and bouquets is definitely new this year! As for new plants, I'm growing a lot of annual cut flower varieties for the first time—some new for me to grow, and others new to me for growing on a large scale.
This past pring, I grew around 1800 tulips, plus anemones, ranunculus, and daffodils!
Currently, I am growing around 200 varieties of dahlias. The proverbial "they" have always said dahlias can't successfully be grown in the South due to our heat and humidity. That has never really been true, as there are other flower farmers who grow them. However, I am trialing a large number of varieties typically not seen in the South to see how they handle our climate. Some have definitely done better than others. I'll be weeding out the less successful ones, increasing stock of the hardy varieties, and trialing even more new ones next year.
In addition to dahlias, I am also growing several different varieties of zinnias, cosmos, sunflowers, and amaranth; 7 different varieties of celosia; strawflowers, Queen Anne's Lace, Green Ammi, Chocolate Lace Flower, Orlaya, Phlox, Apple of Peru, California Poppies, Poor Man's Orchid, Silene Blushing Lanterns, Honeywort, two types of Basil, and Calendula (unsuccessfully due to disease carried by leaf hopper bugs).
Next year, I'm adding quite a few more varieties, including Yarrow, Sedum, Joe Pye Weed, Delphinium, Snapdragons, Stock, Feverfew, Icelandic Poppies, Foxglove, Larkspur, Lisianthus, Scabiosa, Heirloom Chrysanthemums, Echinacea, several varieties of Mint and Oregano, more Basil, and quite a few types of greenery filler. I also have Peonies, Hydrangea, and other flowering shrubs and perennials that should be coming available in the near future.
5. Follow on Instagram:
Pug Patch Flower Farm will have dahlia bouquets until first hard frost, and after frost, will still offer floral arrangements over the winter. You can find them at Swamp Rabbit Cafe or contact Dearborn directly!
