Our Story.

We grow flowers using organic, sustainable practices to attract pollinators and to restore the soil. We follow IPM for pest and disease control. Tanglewood Flower Farm is located on the historical Tanglewood property which has been farmed for much of its 150 years. The location is now surrounded by small farms and residential housing and our farm is keeping the agricultural traditions in eastern Montgomery County.

The Tanglewood property is also part of the Maryland Environmental Trust and will remain farmland for the next 75 years. Jill Coutts, Lee Paul, and Anne Thompson share the flower farming responsibilities and bring their expertise as horticulturists and master gardeners to sustainable production. A cool coincidence - on the farm next door bees from the hives used for honey production pollinate our flowers. The honey is sold at our cooperative stand at the farmer’s markets.

We produce the very best flowers grown without chemical pesticides, fertilizers, or fungicides. Compost from our animals is used to fertilize the field with amazing results. We strive for the freshest, longest-lasting flowers we can produce. We are constantly improving our practices as we learn from other flower growers and stay current with cutting-edge research. Being former horticulture teachers, this comes naturally to us!

Know Your Farmers

Jill

I came to the flower farming through the back or side or revolving door. I’ve grown veggies my whole life. I thought flowers were frivolous and non-sustaining. For many years I worked as a nurse-midwife, first birthing babies and later taking care of women.

  • With my children, we tried to grow vegetables, and my middle son became fascinated with roses.  We bought some roses and he taught himself to how to prune and care for them. Seth would spend time each day fussing with his roses.  He inspired me to begin gardening and growing flowers.

    I took a job teaching middle school and brought my love of the outdoors to the classroom, eventually becoming an outdoor educator.  I learned to identify almost every tree in the forest, which opened a new world.  I finished my teaching career teaching horticulture to high school students. I taught about the importance of native plants and pollinators and took classes to manage my school’s greenhouse without harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides.  I learned all I could from the amazing people who grow sustainably to restore our soils and water. 

    In 2016 my husband and I purchased Tanglewood, a small historic farm in Ashton, Maryland and a new journey began.  We restored the barns and purchased goats and sheep.  Working with a local yoga studio in 2018, my Nigerian goat kids were used for goat yoga, and I also raised lambs.  In 2019 my friend Lee and I began growing specialty cut flowers for market to the public.  Just as I was gearing up for expansion of the business, Covid shut down the goat yoga business but the desire for flowers at the local markets has grown. Providing flowers and market bouquets during the shutdown has been amazing.  People buy flowers weekly, saying that the flowers are a gift they gave to themselves. They bring joy during difficult times.   Our flowers are sustainably grown, using compost from my animals on the fields that have been farmed for 150 years.  It’s hard work, but we love it!

Lee

My love for digging in the dirt and farming organically began in a horticulture class in my third year of college. I became enamored by the world of plants and by the end of the semester, I knew I wanted to make a career out of working with plants.

  • Before I finished my senior year, my husband and I were hired to plant a 15 acre vineyard, the third commercial winery in Maryland at the time. Six years later, the original owner of the property lost interest in winemaking. We remained on the property and began planting strawberries, flowers, and vegetables for on-site sales and farmers markets. We had 5 acres of pick your own strawberries and we truck-farmed weekly to the historic Bethesda Farm Women’s Market. I returned to college many years later to earn a teaching degree, in the hopes of earning a more steady income and benefits for my family. I taught for 26 years before retiring. The last 12 years of teaching, I started a horticulture program in a large public high school. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine teaching high school as a career, but I walked away with many fond memories of inspiring students about the wonders of the natural world.

    Jill and I met as horticulture teachers and upon retirement, she asked if I was at interested in starting an organic flower farm with her on her historic property in Ashton, Maryland. One year later our friend and Master gardener, Anne joined our team. I have cherished the opportunity to play and work in the dirt once again and it has been experiences such as this one that has sustained me physically, spiritually, and intellectually over many years. In a garden you never stop learning. I look forward to sharing this secret and of course our flowers!

Anne

My entire life, I have always loved trees.  Climbing trees, sitting in their shade in the summer, walking in the woods.  Although I knew little about growing plants, my love of trees took me to wonderful places. 

  • In 2020 I was laid off as a result of the pandemic and wanted to help my friends and work outside. I’m so grateful I now know how flowers in your home can be a gift to yourself, and it lifts up every part of your being.

    To grow and bring flowers to people is an honor and a gift to myself. That’s what working at the flower farm means to me.