A Burgeoning Blossum Business
Third Day Family Farm
Vaughn, Montana
Written and Photographed by Amy Grisak
Spring Issue - 2026
If there is one flower that defines Third Day Family Farm it may be tulips and the farm at Vaughn, Montana has plenty of them.
For the past seven seasons, Virginia and Jason Daughtery and their family have offered vibrant bouquets of home grown flowers to the Great Falls Farmers’ Market, as well as subscription customers and local retailers. But its tulips, offered during the winter season that make the farm extra special.
When gardeners are done for the season and only dreaming about next year’s flowers, Virginia is planting tulip bulbs.
"Our tulip season is our favorite," Virginia Daughtery said. "It's a pretty fabulous flower."
Bulbs arrive at the farm in late autumn and after spending weeks chilling in the garage, they are brought out around Christmas to force them by increasing the heat and light. Within weeks, fresh, local tulips brighten even the harshest winter day.
Living in Vaughn, 20 miles outside Great Falls, Virginia, and her husband Jason both enjoyed farm-related upbringings and wanted a similar experience for their children, which inspired her to delve into growing flowers to sell.
In the beginning, she planted the classics including zinnias, cosmos, and sunflowers, among dozens of additional varieties, and soon realized that instead of growing 75 different flowers, it would be better to concentrate on high value ones not commonly grown in home gardens in Montana, with the goal to provide flowers for eleven months of the year.
“We had no idea what we were doing when we started,” Virginia admits. In their second year of business, an August blizzard abruptly ended the season. "It was the shortest season ever. We learned that we have to get things in earlier and that we have to cover. We couldn't do it otherwise."
It didn't take them long to flatten the learning curve and figure out how to utilize their green houses past the growing season.
Tulips carry the farm through winter and into spring, rounding out Virginia's ambitious 11-month production goals. She hopes to scale up dramatically.
“My goal with the tulips is to hit 100,000," she said. Although they'll have to stretch well beyond their garage space.
Tulips aren't just a crop; they've become an anticipated experience for locals. During the colder months, Virginia host events such as "Tea and tulips,” where guests gather at the farm to create their own bouquets and savor a taste of spring.
Two, 75-foot-long tunnels anchor early production. Ranunculus and anemones are early season flowers with roughly 5000 plants tucked inside the farm’s greenhouses. Instead of starting everything by seed, plugs are planted in January and the flowers are blooming by Mother's Day.
Another favorite is lisianthus, which has a delicate, rose-like appearance found in colors ranging from purple, rose, blush, and bicolor hues.
"We have 5000 of them. They're fabulous, and their vase life is terrific," Virginia said proudly.
Dahlias, by contrast, are both showstoppers and high maintenance. They must be dug every fall and stored throughout the winter because they won't survive Montana's cold. In spring, they're protected under hoops to guard against frost. Although they require extra effort, they dominate late summer bouquets.
Flower bouquets are not created solely with annuals, and Virginia has leaned into perennials to create stability in both the field and her design palette. Some of these choices are what separate homegrown bouquets from the store-bought versions, such as the blue-tinged equinox and sea holly, both of which have a thistle-like appearance that adds a new level of interest to the design.
"At least with perennials they'll come back every year,” she said.
Three years ago, the family planted more than 300 peonies, including luminous yellows and the lush, double pink ‘Sarah Bernhardt.’ This year, those plants should begin producing in earnest, marking a major milestone for the farm. Peonies represent long-term thinking for Virginia and her family. Even though it's years of patience before seeing the rewards, once established, the peonies will deliver armfuls of fragrant, high demand blooms.
While perennials provide a unique framework, annuals steal the show. Snapdragons remain a staple, blooming reliably into fall and offering velvety spires in a broad range of colors. Nigella, also called love-in-a-mist, contribute delicate foliage surrounding its striking seed pods. Bells of Ireland, which reportedly smell like lime-flavored Skittles to some people, add height and a brilliant green tone. Each chosen not just for their beauty, but for longevity in the vase.
Last year, Virginia and Jason expanded their reach by installing a flower farm stand called “The Porch," giving customers direct access to bouquets, baked goods and other gifts throughout the year.
On-farm activities continue to grow, as well, transforming Third Day Family Farm from a production space into a gathering place with upcoming classes for hands-on get-togethers with friends.
Still, the daily reality remains labor intensive. After bed preparation and planting in the spring, it's constant weeding, watering, covering, uncovering, harvesting, and arranging… always with an eye on the weather.
While many romanticize flower farming, Virginia knows firsthand that beauty is built on grit.
"It's nonstop in the gardens," she said.
The work is deeply satisfying. The care invested in each bloom visible in every bouquet. What appears serene in that golden light of a summer evening is in truth, the result of relentless planning and a willingness to learn from every setback, including August blizzards.
Amy’s Garden Calendar
ZINNIA
Can be direct-seeded in the garden and features gorgeous blooms on sturdy stems
SUNFLOWERS
Choose smaller varieties with multiple blooms per plant.
SNAPDRAGONS
Eye-catching colors and shapes. Bloom well into fall.
COSMOS
Delicate blossoms are prolific throughout the summer.
STOCK
Their fragrance only is worth growing them; plus they hold up in a vase for well over a week.
OREGANO
Not only is it good in the kitchen, oregano blossoms make exceptional fillers in a bouquet.
NIGELLA
Delicate and lacey, nigella also makes a good filler.
PEONIES
Peonies will live for generations and add a sense of opulence.
SCABIOSA
Also called pincushions, this long-lasting flower comes in a wide range of colors.
