Follow the signs a short drive down a dusty gravel road, and the reward is a bonanza of blooms and colors at this simple Mennonite farmstead-turned-flower shop.

In a world often dominated by social media, it’s the personal touch that makes the difference here. The resident farmers are quick to come out and greet each new visitor.

“One of the challenges has been letting people know about it,” said Ruth Martin.

In a sky-blue dress and crisp white apron, she guides visitors through the greenhouse, sharing the story of how her family came to Boone County and quickly entered the flower business.

-Messenger photo by Lori Berglund
Opening a greenhouse on her family farm has been a fun and challenging experience this season for Ruth Martin. Flowers Galore is one of several on-farm shops that area Mennonite families have opened in the Boone area this year.

“When we moved here, my dad asked me what I wanted to do,” recalled the 25-year-old Martin. “I thought about it a little bit and said I would like to do a flower greenhouse, have mostly flowers. I’ve always enjoyed doing our own flower beds.”

Martin now works several hours a day in the greenhouse, tending the flowers and greeting customers.

“I really like to meet the people,” she said. “The older people come in and they will tell me about the history of the area. Since we are new to the area, I love hearing about it.”

The Martins, led by parents Titus and Rosa, were one of 12 Mennonite families who moved to northern Boone County from southern Iowa in 2024. Another daughter, Catherine, serves as teacher in the church school at the Martin farm. An older brother recently married and started his own business building sheds near Iowa Highway 30.

“Our church was getting bigger and we decided to do a church planting into an area that didn’t have many churches like us around,” Martin said. “We love it here. It’s beautiful,” she added of the gently rolling hills around the Ridgeport area.

For Martin, working with her hands in nature is a rewarding way to make a living.

“I like being involved with the living plants, and the beauty of them,” she said. “I put together my own baskets and I love arranging them.”

Her work began in earnest in the dead of winter when she traveled to the rural greenhouses near Charles City last February to purchase nursery stock. She purchased small “plugs” at an auction and set about growing them in the family’s new greenhouse. This Iowa girl sees great benefits in spending the winter in the warmth of a greenhouse.

“It’s like one of our friends said, ‘In February, you get to work in Florida,'” she said of the winter warmth in the greenhouse.

In her first year of operation, she has offered primarily flowering annuals. While mid-summer can be a quiet time for any greenhouse, she is now busy tending the mums she has planted for fall availability to customers.

“I tried to find most of every color for the mums that were available,” she said with anticipation of the fall season.

Martin is looking forward to adding such things as ornamental grasses, perennials, and vegetables in the years ahead.

“It’s a new business, so I am kind of working into it slowly,” she explained.

Martin is being deliberate in learning what grows well in the local area and when to plant such things as gourds for seasonal availability. She prefers to use natural methods in the greenhouse as much as possible.

Giving plants extra room to discourage disease is a simple method that she has employed to keep her plants healthy. When chemical treatments are needed, for things such as insects, her goal is to use as little as possible and only when and where needed.

She is very happy to learn from others and get new ideas for the future.

“This has been a good way to meet our neighbors,” Martin said. “They take a nice interest in it, and I enjoy talking to people.”

As any farmer or self-employed business owner can relate, Martin doesn’t really count the hours she spends on the job.

“I would hardly even know how many hours I spend out here in a week because I just come out whenever it suits me,” she said

Depending on the season and the weather, that can be quite early, or delayed for rain, as the case may be from day to day.

Flowers Galore does not really have a website or social media presence. Aside from the roadside signs, word of mouth has been their primary method of spreading the word about this new family business. They are happy when those more digitally savvy help out a bit.

“We have had people come in and say they will put it on their Facebook page, and we really appreciate that,” Martin said. “We like if people come in and enjoy it, and want to tell their friends about it.”

Located at 1336 120th St., Boone, the business is easy to locate from either Nature Road (R21) from the west, or P Avenue (R27) from the east. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and the shop is closed on Sunday.