8
community
august3
2017
Farmwoman’s Nursery: Homegrown History
2007 was a major setback for
both Poetter and her business.
She originally started her
business on her former property
on Keasey Road in 2000, but
moved closer to town when the
barn property became available
in 2004.
“It was a great time
and then December 3, 2007
happened,” says Poetter as she
takes a rare moment to relax in
the shade of her garden shop.
“The flood just devastated the
nursery. It washed everything
north, down the Nehalem River.
Everything. There was three
feet of water inside the barn,
which was my retail space at the
time.”
Poetter says that after the
cleaning up from the flood, there was no
money left to restart the business; she
did not have flood insurance and FEMA
was unable to assist her small business.
“It was really tough to look out
at the nursery and see the devastation,”
says Poetter.
Poetter says she took a job at
Tri-Met for several years. But running
a nursery was still a goal, so she slowly
started to rebuild her business. She
started selling bare-root trees in 2009
on a small scale. “That’s really my
first love,” says Poetter, “selling fruit
and shade trees. I went to school for
horticulture and landscape design and
Marie Krahn
it’s really in my blood.”
Poetter slowly straightened out
other parts of her life, building a
new house on the property next to
the barn and continuing to work.
For the last three years she has been
expanding the business, selling ad-
ditional nursery stock. “This is the
first year I have shrubs and flowers,”
says Poetter. “We grow a lot of our
plants here ourselves, like our hos-
tas and some of the perennials.”
The Farmwoman’s Nursery
is now open four days a week,
Thursday through Sunday, selling
plants specifically for the Upper
Nehalem Valley growing zone.
The barn is also open for people to
see and Poetter has other items for
sale there, “...treasures,
antiques, and that type of
thing,” she says. “ I pick
up things at various places
and people can come here and
shop.”
The barn has been
restored, with a new roof and
remains an attraction on the
property. Twice a year in the
spring and fall Poetter hosts
the ‘Farmwoman’s Barn Sale.’
While the nursery
business continues to grow
and thrive, Poetter believes
the barn and the history scat-
tered throughout the property,
remain a highlight and makes
a perfect backdrop for her nursery busi-
ness. Farm and garden implements and
decorations are placed throughout the
gardens. “People really like to see the
continued from front page
inside of the barn, and walk
through our display gardens and
through the nursery,” says Poet-
ter. “People just love the barn
and I really love the barn, too.
Old barns are not being saved
and to see one in better-than-
original condition is a real treat.
The milking stanchions are still
there and the old uneven, heavy
duty old-growth fir plank floor
is still there. The air and the
smell of the barn brings back a
lot of memories. There used to
be barn dances up on the second
floor, so there is a lot of history
here.”
Poetter says she has spoken
to members of the Malmsten
family who have expressed their
pleasure that the barn has been
restored and is being so well cared
for.
Poetter recently added her
garden shop, constructed by local
builder Alan Hein, to resemble the barn,
complete with cupola, which serves as an
office and retail spot for the nursery. It’s
made from reclaimed wood, reclaimed
tin roof and old windows from the barn.
The garden shop includes a large front
window salvaged from the Oregon-
American Mill, and a screen door
that belonged to beloved community
member Terry Schaumberg. Hanging
on the wall is a painting by local artist
Dave Anderson, commemorating the
Malmsten family – the barn sits in the
background behind the family home.
Poetter likes to tell the story
of where the name “Farmwoman’s
Nursery” came from. “In the 1980s I
worked for Washington County in their
9-1-1 dispatch center. We had our farm
on Keasey Road and I would always tell
stories to my co-workers about things
that happened on the farm – last night
we had to pull a calf out during a birth,
the other day the chickens got out, or
we were chasing pigs around the farm
– things like that. And they dubbed me
‘The Farmwoman.’ And I thought that
was a nice name and that I would wear
it with honor. Farm women are hard
workers, they’re resourceful. I liked it
and it stuck. I thought it was perfect.
I love animals, I love to work hard, I
love being around hay and barns. And
I thought it made a great name for my
nursery.”
Poetter likes people to use her
display gardens to get a feel for what her
plants will look like before they purchase
them. “I like to help people be good gar-
deners and be suc-
cessful,” says Po-
etter. “I want them
to leaving know-
ing enough about
the plants, know-
ing where they will
best thrive on their
property, and how
to care for them. If
that happens then I
feel like I have done
my job.”
It’s
obvious
that Lorna Poetter
loves what she does
and where she does
it, and loves sharing
it with people. “I want to invite people
to come here, to see the old barn, enjoy
the gardens, and experience the history
of the property.”
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