In Full Bloom
Though Mary Mae Gardens is fairly new in the flower growing industry, it’ s rooted in tradition.
BY PAMELA PALONGUE
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Emily Chivers Yochim grew up on her parents’ hobby farm, where her mother, Mary, practiced organic gardening long before it was trendy. They also had quite a menagerie of farm animals that included beef cattle, chicken, pigs and sheep. It was here that her love of growing things began.
As an adult, Emily chose a practical route for her career— as a professor of communications and media at Allegheny College in Meadville— married and started a family. But eventually she found herself living on the same farm that she loved as a child.
She wanted to garden, just as her mother had always done with her homegrown vegetables.
Through her interest in horticulture, Emily met Jordan Cirillo, who shared her love of gardening and whose mother worked in the floral industry, designing beautiful bouquets and arrangements. He learned the art of combining different flowers, textures and colors to create lovely displays.
Together, Emily and Jordan decided to plant a flower farm on Emily’ s land in Fairview. They began on a small scale, only planting 1 acre of ground. But Emily noted,“ You can plant a stunning amount of flowers on just 1 acre!”
They decided to name the farm after her mother, Mary, and Jordan’ s grandmother, Mae, who was also an avid gardener, calling it Mary Mae Gardens.
One thing that was especially important to Emily and Jordan was the care of the