Help Us Build a Healing Garden in Honor of Mothers

Wild Heart’s mother garden is an opportunity for us all to cultivate what is lasting.  Annuals are planted each year and die at the end of the season, whereas perennials live for more than one growing season. They can bloom in spring, summer, fall or even winter. This garden is located in the expanded neighboring area of the farm that is about a ¼ acre where we have grown row crops of wheat, garlic, dahlias, sunflowers, amaranth and corn. We call this part of the farm The Wild Edge — giant ash trees tower against a limestone wall and squirrels vie for territory in the canopies above. This is a collective endeavor with cowdsource platform we call Go Farm Me. We are dedicating the garden to all the mothers — for our mothers, all those who mothered us, the mother within, and especially our Earth mother.

This garden represents a shift from annual production to perennials for pollinators, medicine and cut flowers.  It also is a shift towards education and rest. The gardens will be for healing, sitting, drawing, dreaming, learning and playing. 

We are collectively brainstorming our favorite perennials and elements of other gardens we love, and some ideas are: “spaces to sit,”  “a labyrinth to walk,” “stillness,” “quiet” and “a bird bath.” The running perennial list for the garden is ever expanding: artichokes and jujube, echinacea, asparagus, fernbush, penstemon, blanket flower, yarrow, comfrey, lilies and hollyhock.  Please join us by giving any amount on the Go Farm Me. You are invited to attend mother garden events to dig in with us to build and plant it.  Also, please comment below to the following questions: 

1. What are your favorite perennial plants?

2. What garden design elements have you experienced at a garden that you loved?