Ferndale Flower Project Turns Backyard into Bountiful Business
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Sept. 17, 2024)
Ferndale, MI – With the encouragement of Ferndale’s Native Landscaping ordinance passed in 2015, some enchanting yards have grown up around town, including one in the city’s SW side that is bring lots of joy beyond it’s own fence line.
Michael Fraley and Brent Grant moved into their home in 2022 and immediately began planting.
At the time Fraley had been working in the rewarding, yet sometimes frustrating, world of nonprofit management. So after the long days of budgets and board meetings he relaxed in his own world, full of dahlias, roses, hydrangeas, lilies, delphinium, and other delightful beauties that blossomed under his care.
As he shared flowers with neighbors, the seed was planted for the couple’s floral future. They started using their space for growing tulips, selling them as a fundraiser for local organizations.
“There were tulips everywhere,” he said. “It was chaos, but it was so fun!” And from there the passion for flowers just grew as no space was left for turf grass.
Next came the expansion. The lot next door had been vacant for years, so the green-thumbed gentlemen made the owner an offer that more than doubled their growing space.
With hundreds of tulips grown in their yard, they’ve chosen a new charity each year, expanding their effort into the new space. This year was for Paws Friend Network.”We believe in supporting local organizations that do work within our community,” Fraley said.
Another such gift was offering tours of the yard, for a small fee, to support the Ferndale Garden Club earlier this year. The Garden Club is a longstanding institution. Founded in 1931 they not only share the love of horticulture, they keep up the community garden, and offer scholarships to students each year.
In the fall they sell extra bulbs to help fund their efforts. Unlike bulbs found at large stores, Fraley starts with only the biggest and best flowers, and unique varieties that are hard to come by for the average consumer. “By doing the bulb sale it keeps our cost down and we are able to donate more to the charity,” Fraley said.
After cultivating a rainbowy collection and getting some fundraisers under their belt, they began selling bouquets at local farmers’ markets and building the Ferndale Flower Project brand. They also won a City of Ferndale Beautification Award in 2023 for their beautiful “lawn.”
Currently Ferndale Flower Project blooms can be found at Farmers Markets in Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Grosse Pointe
They also sell flower to local restaurants, including one of their favorite brunch spots – Toast, which has locations in Birmingham and Ferndale.
The pair provides flowers for weddings and other gatherings, and there is a monthly subscription services where flower lovers can pick up their bouquets at Quix Chocolate in Downtown Ferndale.
Customers can set up appointments for pick up, or delivery is available. Check out The Flower Project website at https://www.theflowerprojectmi.com/ to learn more, including how to pre-order bulbs.
