Starting Shelley’s Mini Meadow
Our track record with growing a garden, is well, let’s say, inconsistent.😳😉
At our farm in NC, we did really great! 🌿The kids each had their own area that was tilled, planted, and adorned with walking paths and garden art. Our big family garden section overflowed with vegetables, many that were purple, and some fruits. It was one of our main focus aspects of homeschooling back then… homesteading a bit and learning to live the rural life of owners of a hobby farm that also raised a few horses, chickens, and guinea fowl.
Besides that quaint farm life segment of life, this Pittsburgh gal has not had too much success; and not for the lack of trying. There was a little patch of land out back our Union, SC house and a container garden in our Spartanburg, SC house. We had a lovely strip in our first Lakeland, FL house. I tilled it to perfection, so much so that I went into early labor and had to be on bed rest for the following few weeks before I delivered our fourth baby a few weeks early.
But our NC farm proved that we could do it, so here we go again. This time, it’s all about flowers! Okay, maybe some purple veggies will be in the mix too!
After some guilt-tripping, Hubby finally submitted to my pleas, and one early morning, before the Florida sun and 100 degree weather got ramped up, began the work to clear the grass and weeds in the spot of our designated mini meadow. I woke up to 400 square feet bordered up with 2x4’s and the greeting, “Go ahead and order your seeds.”
“Yippee!”🙌
I found a small business seed supplier on Etsy, Zellajake Farm and Garden. They are out of Sanford, FL not far from here and I always prefer to support small independent businesses when possible.
The seeds I ordered are…Purple Verbena, English Lavender, Dwarf Lupine, Red Poppy, Velvet Queen Sunflower, Tricolor Daisies, Bird/Butterfly/Bee Mix Seeds, Dwarf Blue Bachelor Buttons, Purple Rockcress, and Zinnia Cactus. I just bought some starter plants from our local nursery, Peterson Nursery, too… Dark Lavender, Spike Leaf Lavender, Echinacea (Cone Flower) and Purple Salvia. There’s a little bit of a purple theme going on already!
I also ordered some vegetable and herb seeds to plant in another section of the yard…Purple Tomato, Purple Basil, Purple Asparagus, Purple Beauty Bell Peppers, Purple Carrots, Rosa Bianca Eggplant, Jack Be Little Pumpkins, and Artichokes. Yep, more purple!
Of course, the majority of these beauties will eventually end up as elements for Plant-Stained Paper. I am so excited! Woo hoo!
The other way it fits in with my art, is my love for garden pottery! I recently finished a garden tower featuring animals and I already had in mind my next garden tower in the theme of mermaid’s ocean. Now I am excited to deck out my mini meadow with cool garden pottery as well… a garden sign and bird bath being at the top of my list.
I have named my sweet spot, “Shelley’s Mini Meadow” and am excited to make the sign for it during my next pottery build. Many of you know that my “grandma” name is Shelley! Our sweet grand-daughter Willow, our first grand-baby, was born just a few months ago, and I am so excited to grow this garden for her to come visit and enjoy!
There are already plans for some outdoor decor as well. A bench and a goddess alter to start. How lovely it will be to go sit for my daily sunning, a natural osteoporosis treatment, and write in my journal as I gaze upon my mini meadow.
From our past experiences with gardening, it is obvious that success depends on attention and nurturing. Building on the natural correlation between gardening and Plant-Stained Paper, I am excited to consider taking care of Shelley’s Mini Meadow as part of my work responsibilities.🌸
Life is grand!
