Slow Flowers Show Episode 728V: Lori and Jim Bochner of Bochner Farms, Indianola, Iowa

Building a Successful Floral Tourism Destination, with Lori and Jim Bochner of Bochner Farms in Indianola, Iowa
The Bochner family lived in the suburbs surrounding Des Moines, Iowa, for many years in a house surrounded by a beautiful flower garden. As gardeners with other careers, Lori and Jim never dreamed of packing up everything, moving to rural Iowa, and growing thousands of flowers on a farm. Today, they consider Bochner Farms an unplanned accident that emerged from 50 acres of raw land originally intended for weekend camping, fishing, hiking and sitting around the campfire -- you know, an outdoor escape from city life. One year after buying the land, Lori and Jim decided to move there permanently. They built a farmhouse, planted thousands of flowers, and have slowly transitioned the property into a botanical wonderland to share with other flower lovers and for those in search of beauty and a sense of peace. Join me on a walking tour with the Bochners and a conversation that connects the dots between an idea and the reality of being a destination flower farm.
If you’re a longtime listener of the Slow Flowers Podcast, you know that I can find great interview guests wherever I travel – and that’s because we have Slow Flowers members in all 50 states and in most Canadian provinces! I also mange to find slow flowers-minded guests when I travel abroad, like on last year’s visit to France – and hint, hint – as part of my upcoming trip to Japan!
Last weekend, when I flew to Des Moines, Iowa, to have a garden-and-art weekend with two of my longtime writer-editor friends, I invited myself to meet Lori and Jim Bochner of Bochner Farms. Friends in tow, I made the 30-minute drive south of Des Moines into the rural, Central Iowa countryside. When we arrived at Bochner Farms, we discovered an oasis of flowers surrounded, it seemed, on all sides by corn stalks and bean fields.
There, Lori and Jim Bochner greeted us and led a stroll through their event-focused flower farm and nursery. With distinctive, farm-style architecture (even for the chicken house), a huge covered pavilion for groups up to 50, a charming cottage garden, an enviable she-shed, and displays of dahlias, annuals, and their unique collection of daylilies, there was so much to see!
By necessity, they have installed air conditioning inside the design studio and the picture-perfect shed, as well as in the event barn, currently being upgraded for larger gatherings beginning in 2026. Climate control ensures that all guests are comfortable and never want to leave!
We wore our sun hats and let our fascination with Jim and Lori’s flower farming story – and the beauty of their blooms – distract us from the Midwest heat!
I’m so grateful to Lori and Jim and Bochner Farms for their membership in and support of the Slow Flowers Movement. I hope their story inspires you on your floral journey. Check out our show notes for Episode 728 at slowflowerspodcast.com to see photos of this special slice of the Midwest, including Bochner Farms’ fields, flowers and more. You’ll also find links to their social places.