Hi, I am Darcy Neumann of Prairie Girl Flowers.
I live in Fargo and Flower Farm at our lake home near Battle Lake, MN. I have been gardening flowers and vegetables for over 25 years. I started with a small vegetable garden in the corner of our yard, rented a sod cutter and began planting flowers. I started with a v.e.r.y long row of Peonies, they were easy and beautiful.
We then moved to another house with a very small yard and I started over. I have been planting mostly perennials. Soon, our yard began to look like a jungle – as my son describes it – and I love it. My love for all plants has exploded over the years. This passion has led me down many paths, but when I decided to leap to the next level I knew I wanted some formal education. I decided to take a course in creating a flower business, then another course in herbal medicine, and the desire for education keeps expanding.
I started “flower farming” about 3 years ago. We didn’t have the space – my perennial jungle had claimed our yard, HA 😀. So, I started looking around for more space. I grew flowers at a vegetable CSA, a farmer’s land inundated with thistle and at our lake home. In many ways it was a great start… I learned sooo much but I was exhausted running all over.
Last year, we bought a different lake home with almost 3 acres of land.
Holy, moly that’s a big jump!
So begins my new story of creating and growing even more flowers, herbs and yes, perennials in a brand new, very large space – the she shed/greenhouse planning has begun.
This is my new space and a new story. My initial planting space is not large, however as I write this it’s plenty for me to do. Tilling the space, lifting the grass, planting rows and rows of flowers takes me weeks every year. I have big dreams for this vast space. I hope you will come along.
Last year, I began by lying down a very large tarp to “deaden” the grass.
I then needed to till, rake the dead grass and create rows with space to walk.
Before I even begin to plant I mark the rows, lie down drip line and place posts so I can add netting. Netting supports the flowers so hopefully they grow straight UP. See things in motion with this Vimeo clip:
https://vimeo.com/832103458?share=copy
As of writing this blog post I am about 90% done planting my first round of annual flowers. I am excited to watch everything grow and bloom.
So, follow along and get ready for homegrown, organic, nurtured and loved flowers at Burlap. There was a sneak peek with Iris flowers in May.
Join Burlap’s social media and mine so you know when they will arrive – mother nature is my CEO so I do my best to follow her lead.
My name on social media is @ndprairiegirlflowers. I have also started a YouTube channel posting my journey if you are interested. I am about to upload my first amateur video, whew.
Plant Seeds, Grow Love, Bloom where you are,
Darcy Neumann
Moderator – Nice Article! Burlap