Mayfield Farm brings exuberant, sustainably grown flowers to Morgantown.
To say Kelly Ross and her husband, Zane Montgomery, lead full lives would be an understatement. Ross works as an oncologist specializing in blood cancer, bone marrow transplants, and cellular therapy. Montgomery is an engineer, beekeeper, and full-time dad to their two sons: 6-year-old Charlie and 4-year-old Theo.
But the couple are also farmers and entrepreneurs, operating Mayfield Farm as an ecologically conscious flower farm on their 21-acre homestead.
Ross, who was originally from Pittsburgh, met Montgomery during her fellowship in Denver. After they married in 2016, they moved to West Virginia for her job. Although they didn’t have firm plans in mind, they knew they wanted to purchase land. “When we came to look at the property, the road was terrible,” she says. “But as we turned down the driveway, we knew there’s something special about this place. We both felt it.” The peaceful property was once part of a 1,000-acre historic homestead, which Ross says adds to its charm.
Once the two settled into their space, they considered how they could fill any gaps in the local grower’s market. After extensive research, Ross landed on flowers. The planning stage happened in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and while she was pregnant. She remembers lying in her bed, learning as much as she could about the history of flowers, the cut flower industry, and everything it takes to become a flower farmer. In 2021, Ross and Montgomery took a hoe and a wheelbarrow and got started with a 50-by-100-foot plot of land.
They have since expanded their growing space to roughly an acre, with three sections for annuals and one for perennials. They grow 40 to 50 types of flowers, but even more when you take the various colors and species into account. For example, they grow 30 varieties of dahlias, the dominant flower in their fall lineup, which also includes marigolds, amaranths, and billy balls. They also have a robust lineup of spring flowers, including ranunculus, anemones, fragrant stock, and peonies. In addition to fresh cut flower bouquets, Mayfield Farm offers dried flowers for wreaths, arrangements, and other types of art.
It was important for the couple to work with nature, not against it. They do not use any pesticides or herbicides; their vehicles and tractor are electric; and they minimize plastic use as much as possible. “We really try to create an environment we want to be in,” Ross says. “We want to leave this place better than how we found it.” Their farming endeavor also helps bring some levity to their lives. “In my day job, I’m a cancer doctor,” Ross says. “This, it’s just flowers. It isn’t life or death. If there are bugs on a couple of flowers and we can’t sell them, that’s OK.”
Mayfield Farm can often be found at the Morgantown Farmers Market. Ross and Montgomery also offer special events at the farm, including floral design workshops, dried wreath workshops, and an annual fall festival. To stay up to date on the latest, follow the farm on Instagram @mayfieldfarmwv.
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