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A Tale of Two Gardeners Growing Organic Blossoms in Bozeman
Article & photos by Kim Thielman-Ibes Most gardeners would agree that the best plants – and perhaps the best gardeners – are those that have arrived with a story. Marci Gehring (above) and Jenny Thornhill (left) are no exception. They have been indelibly linked and partners of the garden since an early age. Gardening is an essential pleasure for Marci Gehring. She remembers gardening with her parents as a tot, and by the time she was a teen, she was “one of those odd teenagers” who enjoyed tending her parents’ backyard garden. Her love of gardening continued, though it was not until she had children that Marci turned her green thumb into a commercial flower venture. “I started growing more flowers and doing the Farmers Market in Bozeman for extra income about eighteen years ago. It sort of progressed from there,” says Marci. She started with a 20x100 foot garden plot, where she harvested enough flowers to fill a small card table dotted with mason jars, each bursting with a kaleidoscope of garden perennials, and her garden grew and today covers almost two-acres just south of Bozeman. Her husband commandeered a small part for his organically grown vegetables, and it is the one space where she humorously states, “I’m not allowed.” Though Marci’s garden is a playful mix of colors, textures, and form, there is a formal note to its tidy rows of annuals and a distinct sense of function within its well-tended perennial beds. Each spring, she lays down a thick layer of weed-free sheep manure, and over the years, it has rendered her soil into a loose and rich organic medium akin to powdered sugar – perfect for growing a bountiful mix of blossoms and making for quick work on weed detail. The rich soil negates the need for fertilizer – an additive she avoids, thus minimizing weak plants that topple over in high Montana winds. Compost is also a no-no in Marci’s garden as it attracts more skunks and coyotes than flowers. Her garden wisdom has matured over the years to the point where every action has a purpose, and the mantra “recycle, repurpose, and reuse” is second nature. She cuts and uses spent perennial stems as additional weed control, and unsold flower production is recycled in her nature-inspired dried flower creations. Watering is never done overhead, preventing powdery mildew and leaf rust. Each fall she cuts back her perennial beds to prevent their reseeding in unwelcome areas. Marci loves flowers, but more than flowers, she loves making people happy. “I give away a lot of flowers to see a smile on someone’s face. Sharing their beauty is one of the biggest pleasures I have.” While Marci finds solace in an orderly, well-tended space, just a few miles north of Bozeman, fellow organic flower gardener Jenny Thornhill follows a much more random garden path. Like Marci, Jenny was drawn to gardening at a very young age. “I recall climbing, army-style, through a patch of weeds along the fence in our yard,” Jenny says. Here, she spied on her neighbor’s flowering gardens. The vivid blossoms across the fence sparked a sense of adventure and (Cont’d on page 70)