Short Hill Springs (2024)

28/05/2024

One by one we are checking off the businessy admin tasks any new venture needs to take on; we have an email address now! The website is almost ready! But my favorite so far has been getting a logo.

I worked with my dear friend and incredible artist Breana and as her name suggests, it was a creative collaboration. I created stream of consciousness words like botanical but not scientific, bold watercolor, magical, woodland, nouveau influences but not a Mucha copy, saturated color. I sent lists of things we grow and Breana walked the property and collected white swamp oak leaves.

We sat together while she painted, talked of old memories and new life events, leaves and flowers spread out around her. We shared breaks and meals while layers of paint dried, building building building until we both looked and knew it was finished.

Breana works in hard copy 3D, which is one of my favorite things about her work, and we went big and created the farm sign first in large scale. I've painstakingly been digitizing it, evening out shadows from my photo, but leaving her brushstrokes and the lovely textures and colors that exist in three dimensions. And just in time to put it on the new website.

Thank you, dear friend, for knowing how to interpret my rambling and helping me clarify my vision for Short Hill Springs; for your time and company and talent and friendship. Thank you for being a part of this passion project in such a visceral, concrete way. Thank you, love you ❤️

26/05/2024

I have the worlds smallest 😂 Not sure what I did wrong, but I'll change a few things up and try again this year!

22/05/2024

The last of my peonies and the first of my garden roses delivered for teacher appreciation gifts this morning!

07/10/2023

We're set up inside the dry for day! When the rain clears we'll roll out to the sidewalk; I have a handsome helper today making mixed bunches with dahlia, zinnia, spider lily, snapdragon, and sedum- come snag one!

04/10/2023

Another group effort! Such beautiful beautiful design work and blooms from , with additional stems from us and !

03/10/2023

Oh, Farm...you are so pretty

28/09/2023

Cool Flowers! Trying out the cool flowers method for spring flowers, I headed out to the big fields with my seed packets, my cool flowers book and spent a gorgeous evening with my hands in the dirt. Bachelor Button and Love-in-a-Mist are in the ground; poppy, feverfew, dara, pincushion, buplerum tomorrow. I'm fairly confident I haven't done this 100% properly 🫣, but we're going to trust that plants want to grow, we have beautiful flood plain dirt, and I filled those little seeds with lots of affirmations and love. They will grow and thrive.

Cool flowers book and seeds from
Seeds from and
Confidence in my bed plan from

23/09/2023

More work this week before the rains arrived. So very grateful for this rainy weekend!

11/09/2023

Three local growers provided pieces of these gorgeous wedding flowers designed by Laura - yours truly sent some dahlia and snapdragon, and the rest was sourced by Laura from her own farm and the phenomenal . Grown not flown, local flowers all day every day!

10/09/2023

We've got the whole circle of life happening in the rows and I love it. I'm thrilled to be pesticide free so butterflies can visit and when their time is done these beneficial garden spiders can also eat. This lady is actually living between two tomatoes this year- what shall we name her?

06/09/2023

Evening meander in the rows; boy this drought thing is awful! Still managing some delightful blooms heading out to a wedding this week via the wonderful work of !

And we had a great site visit from this week to help us start to connect with the incredible resources available in Loudoun...and steering us straight on things like getting a farm sign permit!

03/09/2023

The farmer and the flowers made it to the wedding!

31/08/2023

DIY Buckets heading out for a bride this evening! I can't wait to see the lovely rehearsal dinner she will create with these!

If you follow farmers or flower farms, you've read about our devastating lack of rain. As a new grower, I'm grateful for zinnia, sunflowers, and dahlias that are still kicking in spite of dry conditions. And I can't even believe I still have snapdragons happily blooming. But I can see the stress in the rows and wonder how much longer I can expect the blooms to keep going. I'll take what I can get in this learning year and keep praying for rain.

22/08/2023

I've tried maybe a dozen times in my life to grow sunflowers and failed miserably every time: low germination, deer, lawn mowers, w**d whackers, droughts, have done me in time and time again. But this year is my year! I grew one. There are a few more coming- maybe a dozen, I didn't want to get my hopes up-but this first one has made my heart sing.

18/08/2023

Finally sent some dahlias in the market bunches to Waterford today with Grandview Farm. Cafe Au Lait is such a diva, she stole all the attention!

I have growers choice buckets and bunches available for both retail and wholesale customers; just let me know what you need and when!

13/08/2023

This wildflower meadow has made me so, so happy! But...farmer fail: the mile a minute w**d is winning. And we sowed the seed too dense. So onward and upward! Our proof of concept worked beautifully! Now it's time to mow this down, solarize the soil properly, and get it set up for real success next year. I'm a little sad about it, but I want this to be a perennial feature on the farm- for us and for wildlife, so we're going to do it right!

12/08/2023

The Oak is telling me she is ready to preside over her first wedding. This farm/venture/space is a gift in our lives and we want to gift our first wedding to a couple looking for a perfectly imperfect simple forest elopement in October. Is that you? Reach out and let's talk; we'll be having conversations until September 20 and The Oak will let us know who she has chosen. A small gift for The Oak won't go amiss n gaining her favor. She likes hugs, quiet moments of reflection, and flowers.

11/08/2023

We spent this cool evening laying out new beds for fall planting in the big fields; seed orders have been made and fingers are crossed for my first efforts at direct sowing cool flowers. I'm excited by the rhythm of cool flower fall planting: following the natural timeline of when flowers drop their own seeds, paying attention to air and soil temperatures, and creating spaces that cater to each flower's needs. I'm excited for nigella, bachelor button, poppy, daucus, and more to join what we are growing here. I'm following and to give me the best chance of success. If you are planting cool flowers this fall let me know and we can do it together!

07/08/2023

The zinnias are starting to double up and get fluffy and some are showing this super cool gradient in their coloring. It catches my attention every time!

05/08/2023

Mixed bunches are with at today for the Cibtage Pop Up!

04/08/2023

Logan and I are back from a quick getaway and the flowers are on fire! These bold and bright summer zinnias will be at the Waterford Farmers Market this afternoon 4-6 with Grandview Farm!

31/07/2023

Made a friend in the zins this morning. Welcome, stay as long as you like!

29/07/2023

😍😍😍

25/07/2023

Just another phenomenal sunset!

We are getting closer to welcoming photographers and couples to the farm...not tomorrow...but soon. If you are interested in an early tour of our spaces for fall elopements or family photo sessions please DM me and we'll get you out for a visit!

22/07/2023

Short Hill springs is a table sponsor of the Purcellville Food and Wine Festival today in town; it's an absolutely beautiful day in the shady Dillons Woods!

21/07/2023

Is this a dream? Is this really my farm?

16/07/2023

I wasn't looking and I crossed 100 followers! Wow! Thank you so so much for joining me at the very beginning of our farming adventures; it is my sincere hope to see you all at the farm very soon!

13/07/2023

Look at the length of these snapdragons! Oddball weather, curious dogs, and this farmers first real effort in harvestable crop aided by extremely healthy plugs from and we have strong, straight, TALL snapdragons! Extras are available in mixed or straight bunches over at today!

12/07/2023

One of the natural springs on the property; this space completely dried out during the six week of no rain this spring and was dry as late as last week. But the recent summer rains have replenished the groundwater and it's full again. One of my long term hopes is to explore this spot and see if the spring is partially blocked and how it makes its way into the nearby creek. For now it's one of the secret spaces we're keeping just for ourselves and the resident wildlife and fae.

09/07/2023

Who needs some snapdragons? My spring planted butterfly snaps are just starting to kick off and they have beeeeeutiful straight tall stems! Coupl'a bunches of these and happy zinnias fresh harvested today, let me know if you need 'em!

Short Hill Springs