Two 52-foot rows of sunflowers will invade the north pasture this summer along Ohio 510 at 510 Flower Farm, located 2 miles north of the Clyde city limits.
In 2025, Courtney Payne, and her husband, Joel, an agricultural and dairy farmer, decided to share her love of growing flowers. She began selling home-grown bouquets and flower-filled baskets at a small roadside stand at their farm.
She also sells her flowers at the Marigold Shop 313, 313 Garrison St., in downtown Fremont.
Courtney, a physician’s assistant by day, also is the mother of a four-year-old and a six-year-old, plus stepmom to a high school daughter.
The mom has turned her hobby into a thriving business. She dabbled with growing perennials in the past and found it to be very therapeutic — she said it gave her joy and peace.
She now offers workshops on planting and growing flowers in her small greenhouse on the farm. She has perfected a special recipe for her soil to aid in growing flowers and has planted flats of zinnias, sunflowers, dahlias, snapdragons, cosmos, petunias, geraniums and more to mix into her bouquets and baskets.
She planted rows of hollyhocks outside the new barn as a tribute to Joel’s grandmother, who lived and raised her family on this same farm. Courtney said her children are spending more time outside by helping her with gardening chores.
Courtney continues to learn about gardening, listening to podcasts while she drives to work at either Flower Hospital in Perrysburg or the Dorothy Kern Center in Fremont, where she sees oncology patients. She learned how to dry flowers when she had an excess of cut flowers, which she uses for dried flower arrangements.
Her business is conducted online. Orders and workshop registrations can be made at fivetenflowerfarm@gmail.com. Follow her Facebook page, 510 Flower Farm, or subscribe to learn of new events at https://www.510flowerfarm.com/subscribe.
Pre-orders are being taken now for hanging baskets. Courtney has a seed-starting workshop coming up 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 25. It offers a peaceful morning in the greenhouse with seeds and seedlings. A seed starter kit will be provided to those who cannot attend.
The kit consists of the potted soil, seeds and instructions for starting a small-cut flower plot for making bouquets this summer. A few spaces are available for this workshop and pre-registration is required.
She is hosting a bouquet bar 9-11 a.m. May 9, the day before Mother’s Day, at Wild Brew, 100 S. Main St. Customers can come and create their own arrangements.
Cox remembered at Heritage League meeting
The late Dorothy Cox, Clyde artist, historian and author, was honored with a lifetime achievement award at the April 14 annual meeting of the Clyde Heritage League.
Clyde Mayor Doug McCauley, longtime friend of Cox and her husband Bill, read a proclamation listing her achievements. He had presented it on her 100th birthday on June 2, 2025. Her daughter, LuAnn, was present to accept and talk about her late mother.
The monthly Heritage League meeting speaker was Justin LaBenne, Clyde city manager. He talked about the history of Clyde Light and Power, which began in 1893 for $13,500 and was re-established in 1989. He said that Clyde Light and Power was the first Ohio city to re-enter the municipal power market.
Clyde High School Prom set for May 2
May 2 events will include the Clyde High School junior-senior prom at Camden Falls in Tiffin.
A Tribute Relay For Heroes also will be held with a 10-hour U.S. flag relay benefit from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clyde High School track. That relay will be followed by a raffle at Clyde VFW Post 3343. The event is organized by Clifford Moore, D.D.S., Columbus, a 2003 CHS graduate and a veteran of the U.S. Navy.
Jeanette Liebold Ricker writes about Clyde and Green Springs. Contact her at 419-547-8177 or by email at jeanette.ricker@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Talk About Clyde visits flower farm
Reporting by Jeanette Ricker, Special to The News-Messenger / Fremont News-Messenger
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