The Perfect Romance: Writing and Gardening!
As many of you know, I moved into my writing life fresh off a decade of work as a flower farmer. On a wish and a whim, I started my own little suburban flower farm, called Butternut Gardens, in Southport, Connecticut, and by the end of my flower career, I was growing and harvesting close to 100,000 flowers a year for retail and wholesale bouquets and events. Think of all those flowers! Sigh…
A question I am frequently asked is, “What did you do with all of your plants and your farm rows of flowers when you shifted to writing?” Thanks for asking. I NEVER WANT TO STOP TALKING ABOUT FLOWERS, no matter how many books I write!
During this upcoming growing season, if you follow my Instagram posts @eblee.author, you will see exactly what I have done with my plants because I want to share with you, my dear Readers and Friends, my journey of turning all the rows of flowers back into a home landscape of perennial plants (plants that come up year after year). Yes, I love writing. I also need breaks from time to time. No reason not to mingle with the flowers.
Last year, throughout the summer, I dug up some 20 rows, at least, of plants. Everything from phlox, coneflower, and black-eyed-Susans, to peonies, lady’s mantel, and more. These are four-foot-wide rows by 50’ to 60’ long. Some plants I gifted to a new flower farmer. Others went into my original gardens, which had been replaced by farm rows during my farming years.
Moving plants last summer was a ton of work. I am thrilled to have that part behind me. The more fun part of last summer’s endeavor was envisioning what is to come. Knowing in my brain what I expect will result from planting certain plants where I placed them is exciting. Now, comes the fun part of seeing this vision come to fruition over time. During the upcoming year, I will share news of my gardens on Instagram, so be sure to check my posts @eblee.author for photos and updates.
Also, be sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter so you will know when I am sharing garden thoughts! As a benefit of signing up for my newsletter, I will send you the first two chapters of Clean Sweep FREE. Just click HERE.
Stay warm, and think plenty of “flowerful” thoughts!