Stacey Merrigan, owner of Merrigan’s Fresh Cut Flowers, on Monday, May 9, 2022, shows some of the blooms she has grown this spring on her farm in Imbler.

IMBLER — Stacey Merrigan does not have a greenhouse but she is blessed with a green thumb.

Anybody who has seen the eye-catching bouquets she makes from the flowers she raises would agree.

The Imbler resident’s gift for growing plants will undoubtedly serve her well as she launches her new business, Merrigan’s Fresh Cut Flowers, on a small parcel of land at her home.

The new business is one of many similar ones blooming on small pieces of land in the United States.

“There is a flower movement,” Merrigan said.

The demand for locally grown fresh-cut flowers increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, Merrigan said. She explained that it takes longer to receive flowers ordered from outside Northeastern Oregon because of supply chain issues caused by the pandemic. Imported flowers are in transit longer and as a result will be in bloom for less time after arriving.

“Fresh-cut flowers have a longer vase life than imported ones,” she said.

The Imbler resident grows tulips, sunflowers, peonies, zinnias, snapdragons and more flowers at her home but does not plan to have a shop with regular business hours. Instead, when she has enough plants in bloom, she sells bouqets at local stores and at the farm. Also, Merrigan will have “flower bar” events where visitors will be able to choose from a collection of fresh-cut flowers.

“People will be able to build their own bouquets with flowers they picked,” said Merrigan, who has long dreamed of starting her own flower business.

A Community Supported Agriculture program is also part of Merrigan’s business model. People participating in it pay a fee and then will be provided with five bouquets over a span of five months each year. Merrigan will be selling 15 CSA memberships this year.

A lift from the FFAMerrigan started her business with help from three members of Imbler High School’s FFA chapter, freshmen Tayler Bowles, Izabel Martin and Alexandria Monger. The students are doing marketing work for Merrigan and have taken steps like helping create a logo for her business, establishing a price range for her bouquets and creating ads.

“They have provided invaluable help,” she said.

This is fitting — Merrigan has been a major Imbler High School FFA booster for years.

“Stacey Merrigan is a superstar. She is one of the most loyal supporters of FFA I can think of,” said Imbler School District Superintendent Doug Hislop.

The business owner said she has enjoyed working with Martin, Monger and Bowles.

“I am learning from them and they are learning from me,” she said.

Monger said assisting Merrigan has been a tremendous experience.

“To be able to help someone start something she has always dreamed of is exciting,” the IHS freshman said.

The students presented a report on their work with Merrigan at the state FFA convention in Redmond in March. The report propelled the IHS team to a second-place finish in the Career Development Marketing competition. J.D. Cant, the school’s FFA adviser, said that the second-place finish was especially notable considering the team was competing against teams composed of older students.

Merrigan said that in addition to the school’s FFA chapter, she has received a lot of help from her family, including her husband, Bill, the general manager at Blue Mountain Seeds in Imbler, which is not associated with the flower business.

“He is my agronomist. I go to him with questions about everything including plants, soils and equipment,” Merrigan said about her husband’s contribution.

The new business owner also credits advice she is receiving from the Small Business Development Center at Eastern Oregon University with giving her a boost.

“They have been really helpful,” she said

A labor of loveTo compensate for the absence of a greenhouse, Merrigan is setting up garden tunnels, above-ground plastic covered tube-like structures that warm the soil in the spring, providing a microclimate flowers can thrive in.

“They keep them warm and protect them from the wind,” she said.

Growing flowers is never a chore for Merrigan and she hopes her flowers can brighten lives.

“It is very much a labor of love,” she said. “I want to bring joy into the lives of others. We need more joy, especially with the state of the world today.”

Stacey Merrigan’s Fresh Cut Flowers can be contacted via its Facebook page or via email, smerrigan440@gmail.com.