Bountiful, beautiful bouquets

Riffey family shares love of flowers at farmers markets

BY CAROL BANGERT

PHOTOS BY CHRISTINE PETKOV

A visit to Rhoda Riffey’s family farm yields endless delights for the senses — a riot of color in meticulous rows; the perfume of summer blooms with hints of sweet and spice; and the buzz of bees providing a soothing soundtrack.

A mainstay at Greater Lafayette’s farmers markets for more than a decade, Rhoda & Girls — daughters Addie, Beth and Gina — offers a celebration of the summer’s most beautiful and fragrant blooms. Greater Lafayette Magazine toured the operation outside Rossville last August to see first-hand how the family consistently provides flowers from the first day of the markets in May until the first fall freeze in September or October.

Riffey, along with daughter Addie, husband, Kevin, and family dog, Mazie, accompanied us to the flower beds, where we were immediately greeted with dahlias standing in stunning rows next to fiery celosia and fields of proud sunflowers. Perennials included colorful spikes of veronica, Joe pye, sedum, purple and pink dara, silver artemisia, white and purple lisianthus.

Joining the color parade were snapdragons, marigolds, zinnias, coreopsis, gomphrena and other annuals, each adding their own bit of interest and identity to the flamboyant display.

The natural beauty of the Riffey property belies the hard work and planning that make the business a success – beginning with meticulous hand seeding in the still-dark days of March, then long, hot hours of weeding, watering, deadheading, more planting and selecting flowers for the market and other vendors. A large walk-in cooler set at 38 degrees holds the flowers cut and bundled for retail, wholesale and the farmers markets.

Here, Rhoda Riffey talks about her love of flowers and plans she and her girls have for the upcoming farmers market season.

Question: What sparked your interest in growing flowers as a business? Have you always been a gardener?

Visiting a friend in Pennsylvania, Kevin and I were intrigued by her sunflower patch. She sold sunflowers wholesale and provided me with product information and inspiration.

Question: Rhoda & Girls is obviously a family affair. Describe the involvement of your daughters and other family members.

Raising, designing and marketing flowers is a way of life for my daughters. Although the business aspect has grown — our four daughters were backpacked to the patch from infancy. I am thankful that Kevin and my enthusiasm has spread and all of us play an essential role on the farm.

Question: Detail a typical garden day for you in, say, mid-June.

Harvesting begins at daybreak. Especially as the humidity and heat rises, we attempt to cut all flowers in the cool of the day. We cut and bundle all ripened blooms, immediately hydrate them, and place them in the cooler to await delivery or pick up. Then we weed, plant, lay black plastic, adjust drip lines, mulch, etc. We try to complete most in-sun labor by lunch. Often evening finds us back in the patch — harvesting sunflowers, tying up dahlias or weeding the celosia.

Question: On the first day of Greater Lafayette’s farmers markets, what should customers expect to see in your bouquets?

May is a wonderful season! At our first markets you’ll find bountiful specialty tulips, puffy white vibernum, purple poky allium, tall pastel larkspur, brilliant snapdragons, stately bells-of-Ireland, green bupleurum, sweet dianthus, blue bachelor buttons, and gorgeous bright ranunculus.

Question: I’m going to put you on the spot. Name your top five blooms (I think in our conversations you’ve said there actually are eight?), and why you love them.

Hmmm … my top five blooms. Every season I pick and am reminded why I love the varieties available. I’ll try to narrow it to five, so here goes (no particular order): ranunculus, dahlias, lisianthus, sunflowers and peonies. But how can I leave out zinnias, bells-of-Ireland, snapdragons, celosia, cosmos, tulips, straw flower, glads …?

Question: Any never-again flowers you’ve tried? Why did they not live up to your expectations?

Many flowers have only lasted one season in our patch. Growing is exhausting, and if a variety isn’t hardy in our growing zone or has a short vase life, we cull it. An example: sweet peas are a popular bloom, but it takes up space and requires a cool spring. We grew it for one season.

Question: Sunflowers play a starring role in your summer bunches. How do you keep them in bloom consistently throughout the summer?

We grow thousands of sunflowers … Kevin stagger plants them so they’re available until our season ends with frost.

Question: How do you deal with pests – deer, insects, lack of rain!

Deer — I’ve collected hair from our neighbor hairdresser and mulched with it. (It works until the first rain.) We use snow fence around our tulips. We spray pesticides when needed. Battery-operated apparatuses are used to repel moles and voles. We definitely donate some plants and blooms to wildlife, grudgingly.

Drip irrigation hydrates a large percentage of our flowers.

Question: It’s often difficult for customers to pick just one bouquet at your farmers market stall, because your arrangements are always so eye-catching. How did you learn the art of arranging flowers? You clearly have an eye for color, texture and variety.

The farmers market is the highlight of our work week! We love putting together bouquets with the blooms we’ve handled from seeds. Arranging evolves from experience, practice and hard work. We are excited about what we do and enjoy sharing with our customers. The flowers speak for themselves.

Question: In your 12 years at the markets, have you seen a shift in what customers are looking for in your bouquets? Do people ever have requests?

Trends shift and experience educates. So, yes, demand changes at market. For instance, we sell a large quantity of paper-sleeved bouquets, and we didn’t offer them five years ago. People often request specific flowers or sizes of arrangements. We usually have preorders for special events. Overall, customers like to look at our varieties and pick what strikes them. (Editor’s note: many of the bouquets sold by Rhoda & Girls are in vases or jars purchased at Goodwill or yard sales.)

Question: On the last market day in October (or the first freeze) what can customers expect to find in your bouquets?

At the end of season our main focals are dahlias, sunflowers, lisianthus and celosia. Fall brings rusty amaranthus and quirky seed pods. At our last market you’ll find hot colors versus the soft pastels of spring.

Question: Is the plan for Rhoda & Girls to be continued by your daughters once you’re ready to hang up the garden apron? Do your daughters want to keep the business going?

I can’t predict the future for In Season Flowers. But we plan to keep planting and hope you all come see us at the Lafayette farmers market!

Question: Where can flower lovers find your blooms on days when the market is closed?

We do special orders during the off season. Our contact is my cell: 765-404-7860. ★

Greater Lafayette Farmers Markets: When and where

Lafayette Farmer's Market

8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturdays, May through October

The market season opens Saturday, May 3, and runs Saturdays until October 25. The market sets up on Fifth Street between Columbia Street and mid-block between Main and Ferry. This year the market will extend onto Main Street between Fourth and Sixth streets. The market will also introduce a food truck court featuring six food trucks.

Brittany Matthews, director of chamber operations at Greater Lafayette Commerce, “The market is expecting 100 vendors this year, more than 25 of which are new vendors, and featuring more than 20 produce vendors.”

Purdue Farmers' Market

11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays, May through October

The Purdue farmers market is held on the Memorial Mall on Purdue’s campus each Thursday, starting May 1; it runs through October 30. This market is a concession-heavy market that allows for students, faculty and staff to have alternative lunch options in a unique outdoor setting. The Purdue farmers market saw record vendor enrollment at 35 season vendors in 2024, and that number is expected again this season.

West Lafayette Farmers' Market

3:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, May through October

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the West Lafayette market, and market manager Amanda Jeffries says to look for giveaways, prizes and incentives throughout the season. The market is held Wednesdays, starting May 7, at Cumberland Park in West Lafayette, with more than 50 vendors.