Petal power: How one Pueblo woman's love of flowers grew into a post-retirement business
Jun. 18—With a family heritage of gardening that stems back to 1900s England, one local flower fanatic is turning her family calling into a small post-retirement business.
Nancy Tremain created her Nancy's Country Gardens on an acre of fertile farmland at 1790 27th Lane, trading her briefcase for a garden trowel. She spent more than 25 years working as a senior project manager overseeing multimillion-dollar system upgrades and although she's always had her Pueblo garden, she spent a lot of time traveling throughout the country for work.
Her passion for gardening is in her genes, passed down by her grandfather George Tremain who came to the United States from England and her father, Bob Tremain.
"We all love flowers and my father and grandfather were my inspiration. They both gardened until they were in their 80s," she said.
Although she has outdone both her father and grandfather in size of garden, she has never had to take a formal class. She has instead soaked up their teachings.
"If I do this for fun, then it makes it more fun for everybody else," Tremain said. "Although I will make arrangements, I'm not trying to be a florist so whatever is growing and blooming at the time, that's what I cut and that's what I am selling."
Mostly her garden is more of a sanctuary for people to walk through, sit on the benches and chat, get their hardy perennials or cut their own flowers. Her big white fluffy dog Luna is happy for ear scratches and pats.
Tremain grows everything outdoors so she offers tough Pueblo flowers that are bee-approved.
"I have 32 different varieties of perennials that are tried and true for this area like echinachea, feverfew, red hot pokers — which I can barely keep in — lambs ears, a couple different kinds of solidago," she said.
"I try to talk to people about what colors they like whether its going to be in the sun or full shade, what's going to grow for them and where."
Other popular flowers at the gardens include rudbeckia ,or blacked-eyed Susans in minis or regular size, and three different colors of yarrow.
"People like the white yarrow for herbal remedies along with the wormwood. If's just kind of what your heart desires and you can plant all summer long," she explained.
Coming soon to full bloom will be the cosmos, zinnias, marigolds and sunflowers as well as the shasta daisys, gallardias and the favorite flower of hummingbirds — delphinums.
The succulent gardens are very popular right now too.
Tremain said many of her seeds come from Burrells in Rocky Ford. She even offers some garden gift items like functional bird houses made by her sister Judy Cowan and garden trellises Tremain makes out of shovels and rakes.
She pampers her garden with soaker hoses and good old-fashioned hand watering.
"It has been my passion for years — it's a lot of fun," she said.
In keeping with the idea that it is a fun pastime, and not a regular job, she is open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Sunday for drop by business, or Monday through Friday by appointment.
Starting June 26 she will be at the Pueblo West Community Marketplace hosted by the Farmer's Marketeers at 61 Civic Center Plaza from 8 a.m. to noon.
She will be at that farmers market every other Saturday.
To schedule a drop by appointment at Nancy's Country Gardens, text Tremain at 369-5332.
Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.
