Follow Joy.

Did I always have a green thumb? Well, if I did, I never knew until I was in my thirties. 

As a child, I asked my mom if I could use a corner of the yard as a garden. I was allowed, but I never actually learned how to garden.  I thought my one season trial and a scraggly garden of dead plants completely confirmed that this curiosity was unfounded. 

When I was a teenager, I killed a cactus.  I bought it because I assumed it would be easy to maintain. When it didn’t succeed, thought I was a failure. It turns out no one told me how to water a plant properly. And I didn’t have internet then (okay, maybe AOL dial up?).

No one told me that you can kill plants and still be a good gardener. I learned this 8 years ago when I moved into a cape style farmhouse which is rumored to be circa 1770. I was immediately inspired to transform my green grass into a circular “secret garden,” and to line my newly installed fence with any perennial I could buy at any store ever. I made a ton of mistakes, and learned so much on this breathtaking journey in my yard.

Sometimes things just don’t work. It could be the location, the soil, the lack of fertilizer, or the amount of water … I know that an experienced gardener gets a “green thumb” from trial and error and wisdom from others.

As I look back, it was crazy that I innately knew how to lasagna garden my yard with compost, soil, and cardboard to make flower beds without tilling or digging. I literally thought I was looking like a fool to my neighbors with cardboard all over my grass. Maybe I was. It worked though, and my mature 8 year old gardens are gorgeous, healthy, and lush.

Over the past 8 years, I discovered that growing flowers brings me so much joy, and I’m going to let you in on my journey as a burgeoning petite flower farm owner. This is literally my PASSION.

I don’t expect major crops to grow this year. This year I’m going to be learning something completely new, establishing and refining growing locations, and I know I will make mistakes. I’m transitioning from a backyard landscaper to a teeny tiny farm owner.

I want to show you my journey and maybe some day down the road bring you happiness with the results of my hard work and … green thumb.