Page 46 - Southern Oregon Magazine Summer 2019

neck of the woods | art

events. (www.ourfamilyfarms.org)

Stacey is proud to be a flower farmer and wants people to know more
about our secret agricultural treasure in Southern Oregon. To this end,
she joined with Joan Thorndike, Carly Waddell and Lucy Einbinder to
raise awareness of cut-flower farms in the Rogue and Applegate valleys.
They collaborated to create a rotating gallery of fine art photography
of their farms and blooms to let people know about the abundant avail-
ability of local, seasonal and sustainably produced flowers. Currently,
the Southern Oregon Flower Farmer’s Gallery is on display at Medford
Co-op on South Riverside until the end of July.

Joan Thorndike manages Le Mera Gardens, the Valley's largest and old-
est certified organic flower farm. Le Mera Gardens sells seasonal fresh
flowers to local florists, DIY wedding parties, floral designers, event
organizers, lodging establishments, caterers, restaurants, coffee shops
and local charities. Selections include flowers, as well as branches, ber-
ries, greens and even succulents for unique arrangements. Joan, with
27 years’ experience, farms with long-established Fry Family Farm,
whose beautiful bouquets can be found at all of the Rogue Valley's
growers' markets, the Fry Family Farm Store, many independent local
grocery stores and during the summer months at all 15 New Seasons
Market stores in Portland.

Lucy Einbinder, owner of Petals + Seed, is passionate about grow-
ing flowers and delights in working alongside bees, birds and other
wildlife. They produce blooms from seed to harvest in spring through
autumn. Flowers and custom arrangements are available for wed-
dings and events, as well as flower subscriptions for home or business.
Besides creating tradition arrangements, Petals + Seed incorporates
unique and uncommon flower varieties into their handcrafted designs.

Carly Waddell, owner of Wizard’s Way Flower Farm, follows organic
practices (and is working on certification). They offer fresh-cut bou-
quets from their farm stand, sell to florists and provide a weekly and
bi-weekly bouquet subscription. You may also buy Wizard’s Way flow-
ers by the bucket, a cost-effective choice for weddings, events and
restaurants.

Singing Larks Farm near Cave Junction is another regional flower farm.
Lark Staples has grown flowers since she was a child, but it took a while
to discover that her career passion would be flower farming. Over
time, she realized growing flowers brings her more joy than growing
vegetables. She sells her blossoms through online sales or by direct
contact, farmers markets, and she maintains weekly business accounts.

If you’ve not yet discovered ZuZu’s Petals in Jacksonville, let us intro-
duce you to Jane Klinefelter’s new shop. One night while watching
It’s a Wonderful Life, she mused, “If I ever have a flower shop I’ll call
it Zuzu’s Petals.” After five years of growing flowers in the Applegate
Valley, that musing became a reality this May. She carries her own flow-
ers and those of other local growers, plus a small sampling of gifts—
lavender items from Lavender Fields Forever, local goat by-products,
artwork, vintage prints, greeting cards, and birdseed wreaths from her
farm.

While I chatted with Jane, a young man dropped by for a bouquet. A

44 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | summer 2019