Blooming Under the Big Sky

Montana’s Cut Flower Farmers Cultivate Beauty, Community, and Connection

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“Extremely challenging, and extremely rewarding” is how Andi Thatcher describes flower farming in Montana.

As the owner of Rimrock Flower Farm, located in Roundup, MT, she is one of dozens of flower farmers in Montana. In the last decade, the industry has seen tremendous growth.

“Consumers are increasingly interested in knowing where their products come from and are seeking more sustainable options,” says Andi. “Someone who’s buying flowers from a flower shop, or a grocery store for an everyday occasion, is really starting to look for locally grown products, whether it’s your food or your organic compost or anything like that that might either come from Montana or is just a little bit less mass-produced.”

With the growing demand for locally sourced flowers, many farmers are recognizing cut flowers as a viable agricultural avenue that can generate significant income on relatively small acreage. Montanans and tourists alike flock to farmers markets and “U-pick” agritourism opportunities on farms. However, with the reward comes many challenges. One of which is the weather.

“Once you get past the Rocky Mountain Front, the weather patterns change dramatically” says Andi, “We’re known for high winds and hail.”

Not only do Montana’s farmers compete with wind, hail, harsh sun, late frosts, drought, and other challenging conditions, Montana’s growing season is also notably short (a mere 90 days in some places). To combat this, farmers often select specific varieties that can tolerate the climate better than others. And many farmers rely on high tunnels to extend the season and protect more sensitive crops from the weather. Growing flowers in Montana’s climate is not for the faint of heart.

Many flower farmers also play a second role, that of florist. They oversee the process from seed to centerpiece, using local and often specialty flowers to create one-of-a-kind wedding designs that reflect Montana’s season, and even the location of the venue itself. Many Montana flower farms provide full-service wedding and event design, installations, bouquets, centerpieces, and delivery services. This allows for greater transparency, customization, and personal connection, while keeping wedding dollars circulating within Montana communities.

“We’re a little bit different from other farms in that we’re not doing a lot of wholesale and we’re not doing a lot of farmer’s markets anymore,” says Andi. “We’re really geared towards replacing ‘1-800 Flowers’…. We do floral design with these really neat products, really unique flowers. And then we are the ones that are taking it directly from the farm to a birthday recipient, or an anniversary party, or a wedding most Saturdays.”

Selling flowers to the local market is part of what allows Rimrock to thrive. Traditionally, florists rely on the international import market to access cheap, consistently available products. Due to COVID, tariffs, and other disruptions, florists can no longer rely on an international market. 

“The import market makes regular florists really scared because they are not sure that they can get the product that they need,” says Andi, “And so our phone has just been ringing off the hook this year.”

Imported flowers are bred and grown to last out of water, in a box, for a long time (often weeks). That breeding process often eliminates qualities like perfumy smell and unique color. Import flowers often travel from outside the country, must go through agricultural customs, and are frequently sprayed with chemicals prior to entry to prevent disease and pests from entering the US. By the time they reach a customer’s home, there’s often not much life left in them.

Locally grown flowers are the opposite of that process. Harvested at their peak and often delivered within a day or two of being cut, they typically last longer than flowers that have traveled thousands of miles. 

“There’s just so much demand for a product that comes from here,” says Andi. “It didn’t have to sit on an airplane for five days, it’s super fresh and actually has a flower smell to it..”

Because local flowers don’t have to travel as far, they can be grown for features like perfumy scent, unique colors, and interesting shapes or movement. Many of these more special varieties grown for these features do not ship well in a box, so they can only be found from a nearby grower.

Something that Montanans can get excited about is the part that local flowers play in Montana’s seasonality. Specialty tulips arrive around Mother’s Day, peonies start showing up in June, sunflowers in July, and dahlias in August. To complement the showy statement flowers, there’s also seasonal greenery and smaller filler flowers that arrive throughout the season.

Ultimately, choosing local Montana flowers means choosing something special.

While there are many advantages for individuals buying local flowers, the flower farms also benefit Montana communities in many ways beyond producing beautiful blooms. Flower farms support local economies by creating jobs, purchasing supplies from nearby businesses, and attracting visitors to farmers markets, workshops, and community events. Many flower farms collaborate with wedding venues, planners, and other small businesses, helping strengthen local tourism and event industries. Flower farms also provide opportunities for people to connect with agriculture in a wonderful way. 

“I helped start a farmer’s market in Roundup, where there has never been a farmer’s market.,” says Andi. “I go and I coach our FFA floriculture team, and then that benefits me as well because then I’ve met some really great girls who are in high school who have come to work for me on the farm.

Relationship is what led Andi to help found the Montana Cut Flower Association (MCFA). Many growers around the state found that they weren’t being taken seriously when applying for grants on their own. 

“We thought, ‘Well, why don’t we band together with a more collective voice? That way people can start to understand what we do as flower growers across the state?’” said Andi.

Together as an association, Montana’s flower farmers’ voices were heard. Today, MCFA is a statewide organization dedicated to supporting Montana flower farmers, educating consumers about locally grown flowers, and strengthening the state’s floriculture industry. Its members grow specialty cut flowers in communities across Montana, providing fresh, seasonal blooms for weddings, events, farmers markets, florists, and everyday enjoyment.

Through education, networking opportunities, and consumer outreach, MCFA works to connect people with the farmers growing flowers in their own communities while helping Montana flower farms thrive. Towards this end, they created their “Find a Farm Map”, accessible on their website, to help Montanans find flower farmers near them. 

Whether through U-pick experiences, educational workshops, farm tours, or bouquet-making classes, flower farms create connections between people, their communities, and the land. Find out more about the Montana Cut Flower Association and support these connections by visiting montanacutflowerassociation.org.

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