The Farmhouse

Mid December 2007, a girl, her young son, 2 dogs, 2 miniature hamsters, a fish, Grandma and a mean cat drove from Long Beach, California to Newburgh, Indiana.  Believe it or not I was actually very excited to have a new start and own my first home.  I was ready for a change and a slower pace of life.  I was ready to lay down some roots and renovate my broken down farmhouse.  I had a vision to turn this horrible, extremely dated, 1892 farmhouse into a dream house.  I put so much heart and soul into that old house.  When everyone around me wanted to give up I was always there driving the renovation on.  We had many setbacks in the beginning, we had no idea what we were doing.  I was so intimidated and clueless.  I let a contractor take advantage of me and butcher my beloved farmhouse.  From that point on I decided to do years of research, and take on this farmhouse my way.  

My husband and I were young and just starting out.   We already spent all of our money on the first disaster and had no money to re-due the bad renovation as well as restore the rest of the home that hadn't been touched yet.  So I decided that I would restore the outside of my home while we saved money to do the inside.  I went and did the Master Gardener program as well as researched everything I could about flowers, shrubs trees etc. in this area.

I became completely obsessed with flowers and began planting different gardens throughout the property.  I definitely experimented with my gardening. I made anything from, rose gardens, butterfly gardens, Monarch Butterfly stations, wildlife habitat, english gardens, native gardens and wildflower gardens.  

Gardening became my meditation, my sense of calm.  I enjoyed connecting with nature as well as learning about plants and wildlife.  I created a wildlife habitat for the birds, frogs, etc. I used indigenous plants I found local to the area.  

                                                      WildLife garden in the Spring

I love the elegant yet effortless look of the english garden.  The mix of wild flowers and roses give a cottage feel that was perfect for this old Farmhouse.

My garden helped me create beauty and give my old farmhouse a face lift it desperately needed.  I feel gardening is good for the soul, it grounds you and calms the mind.  Everyone should try it sometime, just go out in your yard with no kids, when its really quite and just listen to the elements around you.  Listen to the leaves dancing in the wind, the birds talking amongst each other.  Put your pretty little hands in the earth and dig a little, connect with the simple elements in life.  Slow down and do it yourself, you will feel relaxed and accomplished at what you have created in your own little garden.  

A lot of people complain that they don't have time to take care of their plants.  That's the whole process, to make time, to slow down and connect with nature.  These moments are good for the soul as well as reflection.  I do a lot of thinking and creating when I garden, I get a lot of inspiration as well.  

An added bonus is, you can cut your own flowers and take the beauty inside your home.  I love sharing my flowers with friends as well. There is nothing better than home picked flowers, they are fresh and grown with love.