Garden Club members show off their bouquets. (Photo by Janice Brown)
Erminja Maganja, Publicity Chair
Twice yearly, Garden Club members leave the Ranch to enjoy a field trip to local gardens or garden-related establishments. For our April meeting, we visited a unique flower farm in Ponder called Aunt Sue’s Barn. We were greeted by owner Sue Newhouse who purchased the 10-acre property in the mid-1990s with an eye to creating a sustainable farm and flower garden to fuel her passion for flowers and possibly provide income in retirement. She told us that many of the items on the property are salvaged or repurposed, and most have been acquired through “free” social media sites or bartering.
Sue and husband Brian O’Dwyer were married on the farm in 2012 in an old-fashioned wedding. In lieu of gifts, they suggested that wedding guests bring food to share for the feast. Two of their sons were also married on the property, creating an even stronger bond with the land.
Over the years, the business has transitioned from growing fruits and berries to that of a full-service florist. Her love of flowers has become her livelihood. Two long greenhouses (called “tunnels”) on the farm allow them to grow flowers and greenery for nine months of the year. The flowers in their bouquets come largely from her garden. She purchases additional items through a floral wholesaler to fill specific orders or when the garden isn’t yet producing what is needed.
Sue led Garden Club members on a brief tour of the tunnels to see the flowers just beginning to bloom. Members who opted to arrange a bouquet to take home were invited to cut their own flowers. Sue grows a large variety of plants, including lisianthus (such an elegant flower!), tulips, carnations, ranunculus in a rainbow of colors, bee balm (monarda), sunflowers, hollyhock, snapdragon, canna, seafoam statice Limonium, Icelandic poppy (grown for the pods), mountain mint, Queen Anne’s Lace, feverfew, dusty miller, and many more. She enjoys creating arrangements that are packed with color, texture, and greenery. Her aesthetic is organic; adding uncommon greens to create a full look with variety and texture. She is well known to Robson residents and makes bouquet deliveries here almost daily. Her website is auntsuesbarn.com.
After the tour, we gathered in Sue’s red barn to create our bouquets. She provided vases, additional flowers and greenery, and guided us in arranging our masterpieces. She recommended first adding the greens and then layering in the florals. We then bundled and looped long strands of grass, wire-wrapped them onto a floral stick, and inserted them into our bouquets for a whimsical look. We cheerfully returned home with our custom-made, fresh bouquets!
Coming up: Our club year ends with our grand finale on Monday, May 15—the Robson Ranch Garden Tour—for club members. Stay tuned for more information. The Garden Club is on hiatus June through August, resuming in September.
For questions about the Garden Club, contact Erminja at [email protected] or 916-804-5551.