Floral Classes

HURD ORCHARDS FLOWER STUDIO - 2024 FARM FLORAL WORKSHOPS

Growing Flowers at Hurd Orchards

Many years ago, when I was young, gardens were a part of the personalities of each of my beloved family:

My father, Jeff Machamer, grew roses. His rose gardens had all of his favorite blooms – the clear, stately pink of the Queen Elizabeth Rose – so very like Her Majesty -, the soft blending of cultures in the cream and butter and shell of the Peace Rose – the bright orange sparkle of Tropicana. Each of these roses gave him so much joy, and each was a message to the world. He would bring in a specimen for us when perfect – set in a bud vase.

Awa, living on Congden Blvd in Duluth Minnesota – with the waves of icy Lake Superior splashing on the hot rocks across the way and the long boats passing in view filled with ore and grain – had bordered the lawn between the birch woods with her favorites – Johnny Jump Ups, Nasturtiums – which we ate with all their bite and pep – laughing together and calling them ‘Nastys’. Awa’s tiny vases, hand-thrown by artist potters in decades gone by, were filled with small snips of bright color.

Nana, next the old standard apple orchard here on our farm, had a garden alongside a white board fence that held treasures – gas plant and iris, peonies and lilies, delphinium and poppies - and carpets of scilla in the earliest spring – and redbud in May – and snowball bush and hollyhocks by the drive – and then suddenly – Emperor Frances white sweet cherries for pie in July. I loved Nana’s yellow china vase with the blue iris best – but the cobalt blue glass vase filled with bright blooms made each room sing.

And my mother, always at a plant sale, always gathering perennials of interest, always a surprise treasure tucked into a corner of the garden to make someone smile; a true plantswoman. And in the evening our table was set, candles and flowers and all.
I always thought that each of these gardens were an invitation into an entire world – each so very different and each so filled with all things good. In each one the swirl of hectic lives stood still and there was calm. These gardens impacted me – I could see and feel how the plants themselves and the colors they yielded were an expression of each person’s individuality. Equally the way each bloom was carried inside and shared with others expressed a vibrant sensibility and a particular worldview. These gardens, tended by these people, led to flowers becoming an expression of my own art and my own insights.

For forty years we have grown cut flowers here at Hurd Orchards, carrying on this legacy. Once upon a time we planted tiny plants and hopeful tubers and whips of shrubs and trees. Now these plantings are a tumble of wild exuberance – purple lilacs as far as the eye can see, peonies in a row to the sunset, hydrangea forests towering overhead in magical creamy white, mint everywhere, golden tansy splashing across fields in the hot August sun.

Over the years blossoms have become our paintbrush helping us capture and to express on the canvas of our daily lives messages of seasonality, vitality, acceptance and hope.
Flower arranging at Hurd Orchards transcends the bouquet. Flower arranging is an expression of soul.

- Amy Machamer, Owner & Floral Designer

We invite you to join us for seven extraordinary flower workshops throughout the 2024 season.

Each class is a unique and extraordinary adventure and each class is an opportunity to:

• Grow your collection of extraordinary vases to interpret the season - each one chosen carefully for its story and personality.
• Learn the practical basics of flower arranging and flower longevity – Hurd Orchards’ style
• Become versed in our art-in-the-land philosophy
• Each class will share one aspect of this meaningful way to live in our natural world