FARMINGTON — Xiaofang Shi Clark has always liked flowers, has learned to grow and sell them and now is bringing her experiences to those who are seeking freshly cut arrangements. Xiaofang Shi Clark shows off one of the strawflowers blooming Tuesday, July 16, in her flower garden on Mosher Hill Road in Farmington. With the stunning view seen behind her she hopes one day to have a cut your own flower operation with picnic tables there.
Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser Clark has named her business Virginia’s Garden after her daughter, she told The Franklin Journal on Tuesday, July 16. She currently sells bouquets, single stems and other floral selections from her home at 155 Middle Street and can sometimes be found at either the Friday or Saturday Farmington farmers markets. Clark raises some of her flowers at her Mosher Hill Road location.
Eventually she hopes to expand and offer cut your own flowers there. Among the flowers growing now are ageratum, asters, carnations, cosmos, dahlias, gladiolas, snapdragons and sunflowers. She also raises flowers at her in-laws.
One which looks similar to roses – without the thorns and which has a longer shelf life – is lisianthus. Clark said her family first moved from Arizona to Hampden where they had 2.3 acres of land near Route 1A, a tourist area.
She grew vegetables and a lot of flowers there. There is a farm stand in Hampden open four times a week, Clark said. It is family owned, has been there for many years, she noted.
“They had lots of vegetables, beautiful land on the Penobscot River but no flowers,” she said. “I shopped there a lot. In 2016 I asked if I could sell my flowers there.
That is how I got started.” The Clarks moved to Middle Street in Farmington about five years ago but there was no place to grow flowers. Her in-laws have a large farm on the Fairbanks Road, “and I started to grow some of my flowers and vegetables there,” she noted.
“And then a couple years ago I had a chance to find this property. I think I had been looking at this property for over a year because the price was pretty high.” Clark was finally able to buy the small lot.
Her husband built shelves in their basement where she starts seedlings to transplant outdoors. This is her second year growing flowers at the Mosher Hill Road property. Clark said this year has been challenging as she made a trip to China and some of her plants died or were stressed while she was gone.
Some are not as tall as they should be, she noted. She is adapting by using those flowers in shorter, basket arrangements. “They look beautiful,” she stated.
“Well, I’m not going to give myself any pressure, just, you know, learn from it,” Clark said. She plans to create a perennial bed on Mosher Hill Road. “I have a kind of long term vision in the future, because this place is so beautiful, has this view,” Clark stated.
“I do want to expand into, be known for my lavender.” She has other plans too. “Next year I should be able to make it better,” she noted.
“Eventually I want to have cut your own flowers here. We want to set up some picnic tables where people can enjoy the view.” Many of the flowers Clark grows are everlastings that dry well.
Others form interesting seed pods. She plans to attend the winter farmers market where her creations will be available to keep signs of summer’s splendor alive. For more information visit the Facebook page , https://www.
facebook.com/virginia.garden.
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