Field Grown Ornamental Grasses, Dried Floral Arrangements, Nursery & Flower Farm

Salina Journal - Thursday, July 22, 2004 - By Tim Unruh

Do the Wave - Grassland Gardens

Businesswoman enjoys the height, texture and movement that the ornamental grasses she sells add to any landscape.

Miltonvale - An old farmstead shrouded by lush trees provides a perfect rural setting for Trish and Chad Remley's family. It's also the backdrop for Trish Remley's career. Nestled among tall natural foliage are rows and rows of grasses and flowers that are the basic ingredients for Remley's Grassland Gardens. She markets mainly in north-central Kansas.

	"That's definitely a selling point to my business," she said. "I have people who come by just to walk around." She offers more than 40 varieties of ornamental grasses, some sporting tongue-twisting names such as Brachyticha, Purpurascens and her current favorite, Shenandoah switchgrass. "I love the color of it, and I like how tough it is for this area," she said. "It's just always changing."

The market is hot for the fifth annual field day Sept. 11-12 at the nursery seven miles west of Miltonvale off Camp Road. "Grasses have become huge. I kind of saw that coming," Remley said. "I don't think there's anybody around who has the varieties I carry." With their simplistic beauty, ornamental grasses are a mainstay in modern landscaping. "They add a different dimension, height and movement, to your garden," Remley said. "It's an element that isn't covered by anything else, such as shrubs and perennials."

Landscape designer Debbie Gfeller concurs. She works for Earthcare Services, 1777 E. Old Highway 40, near Salina.

"Ornamental grasses are very popular," she said. "It's a texture difference."

They're included in both commercial and residential landscaping.

The grasses also are easy. "The fact that they're used in commercial jobs is an indication of that," Gfeller said.

They generally are drought-tolerant, and they have few insect and disease problems, Remley said. The varieties she offers are suited for this climate.

"Most grasses love all-day sun," Remley said. "A lot of them get away with half."

Ornamental grasses are a good choice for north-central Kansas, said Chip Miller, district horticulture Extension agent.

"Grasses should be the backbone of our landscapes locally because that's the type of ecosystem that we live in," he said.

There are grasses for many conditions. The key is finding the right fit.

"We can find a grass that's suited to any growing condition you have in your home landscape," Miller said. "There are some suited to shade and some suited to wet soils."

The grasses are occasionally slow to take off.

"Sometimes they grow well, sometimes they just sit there," Remley said, "You kind of have to give them a couple of years."

Growing a business

The Remley's property melds harmoniously with their passions. They moved to Kansas eight years ago and found the farmstead seven miles west of Miltonvale.

Chad, a native of Indiana, is a soil scientist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service state office in Salina and is a sportsman. Their 500 acres is being developed for wildlife, and most of it is rented for cattle pasture.

"We've always lived out in the country. We just happened to find this place," said Trish Remley, who is from Massachusetts with bachelor's and master's degrees in agronomy.

She discovered an interest in horticulture - specifically dried flowers - while doing soil erosion research at the University of Missouri.

"I was at somebody's house. He just happened to grow those types of flowers," Remley said. "I was surprised there were so many different plants and you could extend the beauty of them beyond a few days." Another friend worked with ornamental grasses at the Columbia, Mo., university. It sparked a dual love and a diversified operation. "I've always liked science and art," Trish Remley said. "This is a way to combine both."

The Remleys spent three years developing a business in Missouri. Then her husband landed the job in Salina.

"When we got here, I started the grasses and the dried flowers," Remley said. "Six years ago, I started putting in some of the basics for the flowers and the grasses."

The initial sales were from dried flowers and Remley's dried-flower arrangements. She also sells garden accessories and decorations.

Remley was able to spread the word at trade and garden shows in north-central Kansas.

"I would do a few craft-type fairs every year, and I would have information about the grasses," she said. "I started to develop a mailing list."

The couple and their three children added a showroom and drying room in 2002.

"I really wanted to have a business where I could be flexible with my children's schedules," she said, "and also kind of fill some niches that I saw in the area."

Grassland Gardens currently provides the equivalent of a part-time income. Remley's goal is to grow the business to the point it provides a full-time salary.

She started with two rows and seven varieties of grasses.

It has continued to expand in scope and size.

Remley adds to her product list by reading trade magazines and online shopping at nurseries around the country. Her favorites are Emerald Coast Growers, Pensacola, Fla., and Bluebird Nursery, Clarkson, Neb.

The majority of her customer base is from a 60-mile radius.

Dried flowers provide a year-round income, fresh-cut in the growing season and dried flowers and arrangements anytime.

Grass nursery sales are in the spring. Grasses in gallon pots are $7.50 each. Those in two-gallon pots are $9.50. The bigger varieties, such as zebra grass, are $11.50.

Folks are welcome to Grassland Gardens year-round, but most place ornamental grass orders in the fall. The field day and other special weekends are scheduled while the grasses are sporting their full splendor.

"That's when the grasses are headed out, when (customers) can see how the grasses will fill in their landscape," Remley said. "I dig and divide in the spring for planting."

Seasonal Events

Spring Open House: 2nd weekend in May. Great selection of ornamental grasses, perennials and garden art.

Annual Field Day: 1st weekend after Labor Day. Walk our ornamental grass fields. Over 40 varieties. Reserve choices: place orders for spring planting. Visit the drying shed and design shop.

Holiday Open House: 2nd weekend in November. Vibrant natural homegrown dried florals. Wreaths, swags, baskets, flower bundles & more. Garden art & gifts.

Tours: Tours are available and can be tailored specifically for your group. Email: grass@grasslandgardens.com or call 785-427-2438.