Potter-turned-florist Isobel Forrester revels in armloads of sunflowers, chosen because they perform well as cut flowers. Photo by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
A gardening love turned booming business
A Prince Edward Island couple turns a lifelong gardening passion into a flower farm famous for its bouquets and wreaths
Looking out of her farmhouse window at 6:30 in the morning, Isobel Forrester often sees camera-carrying tourists wandering around her half-acre, roadside cutting garden. At this time of year, autumn in Rustico, PEI, sunflowers are the captivating draw, a dramatic sweep of yellows, bronzes and reds generously spiced with the rich hues of rudbeckia, dahlias and gladioli.
Forrester doesn’t mind the intrusion; in fact, she and husband John Vallentin, co-owners of Isobel’s Flower Farm, are pleased to share their garden. “Flowers have always been important in my life,” says Forrester. “My mom has a photo of me at age two holding a posy of wild English daisies. Even now when we’re on a driving holiday, I’ll have my nose in a ditch thinking, ‘I could make a great wreath out of that.’”
For Forrester, 48, and Vallentin, 62, buying the 5.5-acre farm and launching their floral business in 1998 was a journey that had come full-circle. Both hail from large families rooted in horticulture: Forrester was born in Wales and raised on a PEI farm where she learned the art of pulling weeds. Vallentin, born in Holland, grew up on an Ontario fruit farm.
They met in PEI when Vallentin was visiting, fell in love and moved to Scarborough, Ont., where he taught at Centennial College and she made pottery. “We weren’t working in horticulture then,” says Forrester, “but we had a fabulous garden despite our jobs and growing family.” Eventually there were seven children, including two sons from Vallentin’s previous marriage.
Eight years later, they returned to PEI, lured by affordable housing and a clan of relatives. Vallentin started teaching at Holland College and Forrester began working with her sister selling homegrown flowers at the local market. “I loved it, but after a few years, my sister wanted a change,” Forrester recalls. “That started me thinking that I could make a living selling flowers if I had somewhere to
grow them.” The search for land was already under way when Vallentin was injured—struck by a van while cycling to work. Unable to return to his teaching post, he joined Forrester in her search
for the perfect farm.
Today, Isobel’s Flower Farm is known for its sumptuous fresh bouquets and dried wreaths sold at the farm and, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, at the Charlottetown Farmers’ Market. “The market’s our social time and a big part of our business,” says Forrester. “On some mornings, we can hardly squeeze into our booth because of all the flowers.”
Forrester handles the custom orders, which usually incorporate gathered wildflowers and greenery. For a bride who wanted a Thanksgiving bouquet, she created a cornucopia of wheat, Chinese lantern and beach heather. For the funeral of a strawberry grower of Dutch descent, she made a casket spray of strawberry plants “growing” out of a pair of wooden shoes. “I love designing with natural elements and creating something that can’t be bought anywhere else.”
While Forrester tends the shop, Vallentin oversees the garden and builds wood planters and twig garden furniture, also for sale. The couple is passionate about their work, which grants them a unique lifestyle with the freedom to spend more time with family. Says Forrester, “It’s been great for the family, and that’s the best part of this job.”
*20 Hwy. 258, Hunter River, PEI, (902) 963-3140.*
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*20 Hwy. 258, Hunter River, PEI, (902) 963-3140.*
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