Grower News

Jackie Wheelin and her husband Jim pose with their children Sam, 5, (left) and Jake, 9, next to an abundance of sunflowers. KEESEVILLE — If gardening was a genetic trait, Jackie Wheelin is confident she would have it. “Growing up, my mother and my grandmother were avid gardeners,” she said. “It’s in my blood.” Mossbrook Roots Flower Farm evolved from that passion of gardening. IN THE BEGINNING Jackie, with her husband Jim Wheelin, began Mossbrook Roots Flower Farm, located at 614 Mace Chasm Rd. in Keeseville, in 2017 with the idea of becoming wholesale flower growers. After acquiring additional property on Mace Chasm Road in 2016 and reshuffling their current landscaping business next door, Mossbrook Landscaping, they were left with 115 acres of pristine property. “We asked ourselves, ‘We have all this growable land, what do we want to do?’” “And I’ve always wanted to grow flowers,” Jackie said. At first, the duo focused on growing flowers for local florists before discovering they had talents for other niches. “I think the original thought was wholesaling to florists and then also doing farmers markets and offering our own CSA and just doing cash-and-carry bouquets,” she said. “It was something I always liked to do.” “But then we realized that Jackie was very good at weddings and designing bouquets,” Jim said. From there on, Mossbrook Roots Flower Farm moved away from wholesale and more toward a full-service florist. “We quickly found that weddings and florist services have been a big niche for us because a lot of people like local,” Jackie said. “They love local, and we love local. We love being here for the community.” This year, the flower farm has done floral services for more than 25 weddings and is booking into the 2020 season. “Word kinda got around, and it’s been great. We’ve had great positive feedback,” Jackie said. Being a full service, they also offer arrangements for other events like graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, proms, festivals and much more. TRIAL AND ERROR Jackie’s love for gardening has given her the patience to make it through the ups and […]

Source: www.pressrepublican.com