Twenty-two years ago, Shelley A. McGeathy’s husband gave her a gift that has bloomed into a successful business.

Ken L. McGeathy added a fresh flower farm to their traditional farm, 3550 N. Raucholz in Hemlock, to give his then-pregnant wife a place to relax.

“Ken grew up on a traditional farm. He knew I wouldn’t be interested in that, so I think he did this to keep me out of trouble,” Shelley McGeathy said.

The 40-acre farm, which also produces a rotation of corn, soybean and wheat crops, keeps all the McGeathys out of trouble.

Ken McGeathy, 52, does the labor that requires tractors or plows; Shelley McGeathy, 48, is the unofficial community relations officer.

Their children — Anne, 22, and Daniel, 17 — help from time to time.

The farm produces about 1 million flowers each year, so the help is always needed.

In the early years, the McGeathys paid their children and their children’s friends for the work. Word of mouth is making the summer job a favorite among teenagers, Shelley McGeathy said. The workers earn 50 cents a bunch, she said.

Shelley takes the fresh flowers and herbs to the Saginaw Farmers Market, where of her 35 varieties of flowers, herbs and grasses, gladiolas are the most popular.

The glads cost $4 a bouquet.”There’s a surprising number of people that just buy them. And not just women,” Shelley McGeathy said. “A lot of people want to take them to patients in the hospital. I hope it brings a smile to people.”

Among McGeathy’s crop are perennials, zinnias and sunflowers.

During the cold months, the McGeathys take care of the business portion of the farm — buying seeds, budgeting, reviewing trends and attending conferences.

Shelley McGeathy has met many people from warm states at conferences. Her favorite question from those flower farmers: “How can you have a flower farm in Michigan? It snows there.”

“We find flowers that can take temperature extremes,” Shelley McGeathy said. “We’ve been trying to be myth busters. I’ll go head-to-head with anyone from California.”