Farmhouse Sunny Border

April 2015

Our farm property was quite barren and bland when we purchased it five years ago, but after many seasons of gardening our efforts to beautify the land are now beginning to bear fruit.  We established three garden beds as a start, with the largest being a drumstick shaped sunny border anchored by an existing tree. To fill the huge space, I planted 7 Viburnum 'Winterthur' shrubs below the tree canopy and 5 Callicarpa 'Early Amethyst' (Beautyberry) at the opposite end of the bed.  A Crape Myrtle with purple foliage is also in the mix, just waiting for its breakout moment.  In the center of the bed are masses of  Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue' (Bluebeard), Montauk daisy which I transplanted from another part of the property, and Echinacea 'Powwow Berry'.  The biggest challenge with this garden bed is the front section closest to the Kitchen Garden, as there are suckering tree roots which stubbornly push up out of the soil.  I am also realizing that I need to work at incorporating different foliage colors and more Annuals into my garden, to break up the monotony of all the green.  My plan is to swap out the Echinacea for Heliopsis 'Burning Hearts' as it has a nice dark foliage, and I will also plant a grouping of Carex 'Everlite' which has variegated cream foliage.  Hopefully these new additions will thrive in the location.

Sunflower Power

The glory of summer is symbolized by sunflowers.  I delight in their magnificent cheer and bright happy faces that track to the sun.  This year I planted a variety along the Kitchen Garden, however most were lost in infancy to some kind of animal.  The survivors are in show-off mode and I am relishing them while I can.  The bees and birds and butterflies gleefully flock to them, and next year I look forward to planting up thick patches of sunflowers.

 

Kitchen Garden

My Hobby Farm would not be complete without a dedicated space for growing vegetables and fruits, and since we mapped out the Kitchen Garden in 2015 I have dreamed of the day when my vision would be brought to life.  At long last, that happy day has arrived.  It took a lot of effort, mostly on the part of my hardworking hubby, and the expense was not insignificant.  It feels great to finally check-the-box on this project, and I am excited for the months and years to come.  

Mother's Day on the Farm

It was a blissful weekend with wonderful weather, sweet surprises (my son lost another baby tooth!), and lazy hours spent chilling out on the farm.  The kids found caterpillars and dug out earthworms, my husband mapped out our future Kitchen Garden, and I continued to add perennials to the garden borders.  It was the perfect Mother's Day for me, my family is so precious and I treasure them so dearly.

Mulch Madness

Our newly established garden beds on the farm necessitated a massive load of mulch, as weeds were popping up left and right and we were in a race against time to defeat them.  My husband & I layered newspapers down thick before piling on the mulch, and hopefully the weeds will be smothered and the battles of summer will be less tiresome, allowing me to simply enjoy the pleasures and beauty of favored plants.  It will surely take a few years before my shrubs and perennials have filled out and covered ground, but in the meantime, my new best friend is...mulch.

Creating a Butterfly Garden

Flying Flowers...that's how I think of the brightly colored butterflies who grace my garden in the glorious summer months.  With their charm and whimsy, butterflies add a magical feel and ambiance to any landscape.  My goal of attracting a swarm of them to Sunnytime Farm led me to concoct the below planting scheme, composed of nectar-producing wildflowers and butterfly magnets such as Buddleia and Monarda.  My Bluestone Perennials order just arrived this past weekend, which means I'm now ready to complete the full installation of a large dedicated Butterfly Garden.

Plant List (clock-wise from left):

Coreopsis 'Creme Brulee'

Sedum 'Purple Emperor'

Shasta Daisy 'Becky'

Mondarda 'Raspberry Wine'

Echinacea 'Cheyene Spirit'

Yarrow 'Coronation Gold'

Crocosmia 'Red King'

Liastris 'Kobold'

Guara 'Whirling Butterflies'

Iris 'Harvest Memories'

Iris 'Orange Harvest'

Buddleia 'Miss Molly'

Agastache 'Golden Jubilee'   

The Simple Life

As a child, I traveled cross-country with my parents and siblings most summers to visit extended family in Arkansas.  My grandma lived on an 80 acre farm, down a long winding road, in a house built by my grandfather and his father.  The home had only rudimentary indoor plumbing, and no air conditioning to cool us down during the sticky hotness of a Southern Summer, however there were fruit trees out back and chickens and beautiful warm moments spent on the front porch with cousins and uncles and grandma.  Though at the time I had little appreciation for it, I now fondly recall those magical summers.

Nostalgia is a powerful thing, and as one grows older, the past exerts a stronger pull.  I often think of that farm, and dream of a simpler life where one wakes to the sound of crowing roosters and never has to hear the noise of traffic.  I am descended from a long line of farmers, stretching back generations until the beginning of time, and the need to be close to the land and connected to my ancestral roots culminated in me seeking out a Farmette of my own.

Blessed to reside in the great state of Virginia, with its gorgeous countryside of green rolling hills and fertile soil, my husband & I closed on a secluded peaceful 5 acre property 18 months ago.  Currently we use the farm as a weekend retreat/getaway only, but the eventual plan is to transition to full-time country living.  Last summer we commissioned a Landscape Design Master Plan, to begin the immediate implementation of a pleasure garden, and I see so much potential everywhere I look.  It's exciting to embark on this new adventure, and we're calling our newly found paradise...Sunnytime Farm.