The Story

My name is Virginia but you can call me Ginny. I’m from Old Mission Peninsula pioneer stock (1855) and grew up on the farm across the road. Flowers have always been my passion but I was too bullheaded to study floriculture so I ended up with a degree in Horticulture Science from Michigan State University (Go Green!). While at MSU in the 70s, I was fortunate to have student jobs in the Old Botany Greenhouses and the renowned W. J. Beal Botanical Gardens.

I was also fortunate to meet the right guy! Lew and I moved to this property with our four children in 1992, they’ve flown the coop and have blessed us with nine grandchildren. We’re both retired from full time town jobs but still own a small cherry farm.

I left a government desk job that had lost its charm and started chasing my flower dream in 2015. By that July I thought I had enough flowers to start selling so I put up a sign and set up a market tent near the end of our driveway. Three weeks later I was starting to have some customers and then calamity hit on August 2nd. It totaled my tent and squelched my spirits; most of the flowers were flattened or riddled by hail. To my amazement, in a couple weeks, there were a few survivors that filled some vases.

I learned a couple lessons. I never make promises regarding availability of flowers because every growing year is different and nature is not in my control. I try to have great diversity in the garden so that if one plant doesn’t do well with the weather that comes, another kind will. I also put a garden shed at the top of my want list. (Lew built one for me in 2018.)

The garden is very dynamic and changes dramatically every few weeks as the growing season progresses and the weather changes.  Old Mission Flowers has hundreds of different flowering plants featuring collections of narcissus, tulips, peonies, lilies, roses, gladiolus, phlox, dahlias, and many other perennials. Zinnias, snapdragons, china asters, celosias, ageratums and several varieties of sunflowers are planted every year to provide vibrant and bountiful annual blooms.

I have a pretty simple business plan: Grow amazing flowers and invite customers to come pick them. I hope you’ll visit! (There is no cash register, no scanner, no snacks, no knick knacks, no sales force and no restrooms - so please come prepared.)

The garden is open daily from May through October from dawn to dusk.  Please call ahead early and late in the season to check on flower availability because temperature matters.

If you would like to contact me, please leave a message at (231) 499-5474 or at vkdcoulter@gmail.com.