WELCOME TO MCDONALD'S! The flower barn, that is. A local dairy farm is also grounds of a farm-fresh flower biz, the blooms sold at the McDonald Flower Barn.

It’s a tale as old as Wisconsin: A dairy farm rooted in lush green land, a long driveway up to the family home, cared for by a hard-working couple and their kids. This story isn’t about the animals or dairying, though – it’s about flowers.

Brigid and Peter McDonald are the helm of a proud Wisconsin family, married for 15 years and parents to eight kiddos who keep them just as busy as their rural Chippewa Falls farm. Life is nothing if not chock-full of ups, downs, and topsy-turvy times, and that’s part of why Brigid began tending to her own garden. Her expression of self-care and passion would later turn into the McDonald Flower Barn.

“My kids and family are my life. We are a very close and tight-knit family, and we work together as a family,” Brigid said. “But things in life can get rough sometimes, and this is my outlet to get out of my head and also nurture something.”

About 10 years ago – “My son’s birthday is this week and he turns 10, so it’s been 10 years now,” Brigid fondly recalled in a recent interview – Brigid had plenty of tomatoes growing in her vegetable garden and decided to drag a palette to the end of their driveway, put out some plump tomatoes, and see if people wanted to buy some. Coming back to the palette, she found people had done just that, so she kept at it.

“I think flowers can bring so much joy to people‘s lives, especially in the crazy world we have out there.”

BRIGID MCDONALD

MCDONALD FLOWER BARN CREATOR

“I tried a few different vegetables but in our area, everybody’s growing in their own gardens so I didn’t really sell much of those vegetables,” she said. “Then, I had lilies growing, and decided I’d cut some and put them out.”

Folks may not be surprised to be cruising outside of town and find some produce for sale at a farm, but people were drawn to the flowers Brigid was growing and putting on the roadside, and they continued to pull over to admire and purchase them.

What started out as some lilies plunked on a palette with a little shade over them has become a sweet spot off of County Highway F, fitted with its own signage and mini barn: the McDonald Flower Barn.

In the fall of 2016, Brigid planted what felt like thousands of lilies, her favorite flowers, and people kept buying them. She decided to try growing other kinds of flowers and has since outgrown her main plot and expanded to accommodate the lilies, peonies, sunflowers, zinnias, and others she seasonally grows.

Planting and tending the flowers has been a labor of love and a learning process since the beginning, and now Brigid is able to grow flowers from about the middle of May all the way until the ground freezes. Bouquets are prepared and for sale at the white flower barn marking the end of the farm’s driveway.

The McDonald Flower Barn uses the honor system – folks leaving cash at the product stand when the seller isn’t there – something that used to be more common for farmers in gaining payment for their product. A Venmo account was set up this year for people who don’t carry cash. 

And if one or two bouquets just isn’t enough (that’s fair!), folks are always welcome to message the McDonald Flower Barn’s Facebook page to get in touch with Brigid about setting up a bulk order or inquire about a private build-your-own-bouquet bar ($15 and $30 vase options), which she also frequently hosts for the public to attend. There are also vase options ($5 pint-sized jars) for kids.

“I had a company reach out to me in June and order 30 vases from me for their picnic, and it was just the nicest thing,” Brigid recalled. She also hosted a group of local teachers for a private build-your-own-bouquet bar recently, which she is happy to do.

Dairy farming is no easy task, physically or otherwise, and Brigid hopes the flower barn becomes popular enough for their family to concentrate their efforts on it instead, allowing Peter to focus on his health. Until then, Brigid will keep planting and tending to her flower garden alongside her kiddo helpers, and said she hopes others will use her bouquets to spread happiness.

“I think flowers can bring so much joy to people's lives, especially with the crazy world we have out there. ... I’ve handed out some flowers lately, and you should see the looks on people’s faces,” she said. “Maybe they wouldn’t buy them for themselves, but it just brightens their days so much.”

“My mom wanted flowers from my dad. Did she communicate that to him well enough? Probably not. But when my mom died, dad wished that he could give her flowers,” Brigid shared. “So, give her the flowers.”

Head out on a quick drive – roughly 11 minutes west of Chippewa Falls and about 20 minutes from downtown Eau Claire – to the McDonald Flower Barn to pick up a bundle of blossoms today, for yourself or to let someone in your life know you’re thinking of them, at just $15 for a farm-fresh bouquet.

The McDonald Flower Barn is at 7708 County Highway F, Chippewa Falls. If you have questions, want to order in bulk, or to set up a time to bring a group out for a build-your-own-bouquet session, email Brigidsflowers@yahoo.com. You can also keep up with them on Facebook.