BROOKS — At an ecological institute turned organic u-pick flower farm in Brooks, Ashley Moore Petrochenko has devoted some of her property to production fields, display beds and a winding path that meanders through lush, mixed plantings at the forest’s edge. Luckily for those who love to pick their own bouquets, Frogmore Flower Farm will be open on Saturday, Aug. 16 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. as the final Belfast Garden Club Open Garden Days event of the 2025 season. Admission to the farm, located at 66 Monroe Highway, is $5. The farm will be open rain or shine.
After the New Forest Institute closed in 2012, the land went untended. Petrochenko came along in 2020 with a background that includes classes at the Phipps Conservatory in her native Pittsburgh, along with big plans to turn the overgrown fields into cutting gardens.
“We follow organic practices and use a no-till approach,” she says. “My goal is to create a place where visitors can wander, explore, and create bouquets inspired by what they see and feel. I want this space to feel immersive and inspiring.”
Petrochenko’s sense of what makes a beautiful garden was honed over the three years she spent traveling the U.S. in an R.V., photographing botanical gardens.
“Designing the u-pick has taught me the power of guiding people through space, creating moments of surprise and delight,” she says. “I want visitors to slow down and connect. I’m constantly designing new garden ‘rooms’ and vignettes to encourage exploration and deepen the sense of wonder.”
Admission to the Belfast Garden Club’s Open Garden Days helps to fund the non-profit’s many civic and educational programs, including the planting and maintenance of Belfast’s 13 public gardens.
