In 2016 we purchased a 10-acre organic farm 4 miles north of Harbor Springs with the goal of growing flowers to sell at the shop. In addition to the acreage, the property had 100 apple trees, rows of raspberries, tons of lupine, a greenhouse, a pole barn with an attached apartment, and a deer fence. Over the 2017 winter, we sold our house in Petoskey and moved out to the farm, and Marc left his longtime job to grow flowers and work at the shop full time.

We now grow dahlias, snapdragons, foxglove, amaranth, sunflowers, zinnias, and a variety of other flowers, including kale, tulips, cosmos, gomphrena, and asters. We grow a selection of perennials flowers as well.

Although we can not fully supply the flower shop with flowers, growing provides us the unique opportunity to have flowers that don’t ship or transport well available for our clients, as well as to supplement our event florals with whatever is the most beautiful at the time.

It is wonderfully satisfying to be a part of the slow flower movement. We not only know where and how our flowers are grown but simply also that these flowers will last longer if they were cut in Harbor Springs this morning than if they were cut in South America last week. We are dedicated to making A.R. Pontius Flower Shop more environmentally conscious in a world where flower shops typically are not, and this is one big step towards that goal.

Our farm was featured in an article in the Harbor Light Newspaper. Read it here.