Our story

Five generations in Montana. Forty acres since 2014.

GardenMontana sits on forty acres in the Jefferson River Valley, six miles north of Whitehall. Our family has been in Montana for five generations; this particular ground we bought in July 2014 and have built into what it is today. The mountains do the decorating, the irrigation pivots keep the neighbors’ fields green, and the sky does what Montana sky does.

Jaelene and Kevin own and work the place. Jaelene grows the flowers - rows of dahlias, zinnias, sunflowers, and cosmos that bloom July through October - and hosts every stay on the farm. Together they built nearly every structure on the place with their own hands - the Bourbon Barn included. Jack runs the digital side, so if the website answered you quickly, that’s him.

We farm chemical-free - no sprays, no shortcuts - because we live here, our chickens range here, and our guests’ kids run through these gardens. A flock of Buff Orpington hens handles the eggs; three livestock guardian dogs handle security and, frankly, most of the charm.

The stays, the weddings, the bouquets, and the workshops all serve one quiet purpose: keeping this land in the family for the next generation. When you book a night or a wedding here, that’s what you’re part of.

Aerial view of the farm: greenhouses, flower beds, the Bourbon Barn and stays, with the Jefferson River Valley and mountains beyond

Hand-painted sunflower mural on the farm

Preparing new flower beds beside the greenhouse, with the tractor parked nearby and green hills behind

A farm bouquet on the windowsill at sunset, the tipi, pines and mountains glowing beyond the glass

From the flower field

An armful of cafe-au-lait dahlias in blush, cream and lavender, held against the log wall

A copper pitcher of delphinium, hollyhocks, black-eyed Susans and hanging amaranth on the old green farm wagon

The hand-painted GardenMontana sign on the weathered board fence, the valley and mountains beyond

A copper pot overflowing with dahlias, zinnias and trailing amaranth, set on an old cast-iron stove in the garden

A farm-grown centerpiece of dahlias and wild grasses on a reception table, with a GardenMontana card

The family

Who we are

A farmer’s daughter · Owner

Jaelene Johnson

Jae grew up along the Rocky Mountain Front, alongside three generations of farmers and ranchers - her parents, her grandparents, and her great-aunt Leona, whose flower garden could hold her for hours, lost in the colors and fragrance. Through every one of life’s tribulations, flowers and gardening have healed and strengthened her. A lifelong advocate of healthy living, she farms chemical-free to protect the land, and keeps sharpening her craft with continuing education in European market-garden techniques - the kind that grow the healthiest flowers and produce. This farm is how she carries her ancestors’ tradition forward.

Master of operations · Owner

Kevin Pogatchnik

Kevin is the builder behind everything on the farm that stands, pours, or turns on. Happiest with his hands at work, he has fixed up the barn, raised the greenhouse, and run the irrigation - and he’ll stop at nothing to give old materials a second life. A broken wooden door becomes a rustic bench; a slab of stone becomes a tabletop. His designs are a big part of why the place feels the way it does. His most cherished moments are the quiet ones: sunrise over the valley, before another day’s work begins.

The digital side · Marketing

Jack

Jack runs the digital side of the farm - the website, the words, and the systems that keep every inquiry answered. He’s the reason you can find the farm at midnight and still hear back from a real person in the morning. When he’s not at a screen, he’s usually out helping with whatever the land needs next.

The beginning

Where we started - Summer 2014

Every photo below is from one summer: 2014, when this chapter of the farm began. Raw ground, tall grass, and a lot of plans. The “after” is everything else on this website.