Everything’s coming up roses… and rosemary… at the farmer’s market! Ok, so that’s the only line in the song from Gypsy that mentions roses, but I admit the sight of sunflowers has occasionally caused me to spontaneously sing show tunes. If your garden is too shady and small to grow much at all, check out Galena Blooms for a bounty of botanicals.
Don and Lisa Biggar, the owners of Galena Blooms, grow everything from asters to zinnias on their 1-acre farm. The Biggars purchased the field in front of their house about 15 years ago and considered farming and horse boarding before settling on cut flowers. They told me they chose the flowers because they wanted to keep a small eco-footprint and the flowers minimize soil erosion and prevent runoff into the Sassafras River. The flowers are organic too! The Biggars avoid using pesticides by growing mostly native plants, companion planting, crop rotation and using organic local manure.
Galena Blooms has two shops at the farmer’s market. One shop has the fresh-cut flowers and the second has products made from their flowers and herbs including castile soaps (their best seller) and shampoos. They recently started making a joint circulation hand cream with cloves and cinnamon oil, which helps arthritis and inflammation, and are in the process of creating a line of all-natural cleaning products as well.
When the Biggars married, Lisa created her own wedding bouquet from wildflowers in her family’s dairy farm. Now she creates bouquets for other brides, occasionally on as little as two weeks’ notice, though ideally she’d have a year to plan the perfect arrangements. Not planning a wedding in the near future but looking for a perfect gift? Galena Blooms has a flower subscription service. You pick the size and the schedule, and they’ll deliver a blooming bucketful throughout the growing season.
The Biggars like to have events at their farm. They had their First Annual Holiday Happening last year with vendors, Santa, wine tasting and food by Galena’s Kitchen. The event had such a large turnout; they plan to do it again on the first Sunday in December this year. You don’t have to wait that long for a food and flower fix though, as the Biggars are planning a Summer Fiesta on August 12, from 3-8 p.m. The Fiesta will include a Mexican feast (complete with margaritas), vendors, garden tours and music by Keith Thompson. Olé!
For more information, visit Galena Blooms at the Chestertown Farmer’s Market, email
[email protected], call 410-648-9965, or check out all their products and services on their website www.galenablooms.com. Shop local!
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