Over the past 15 years, Rachel’s passion for gardening has grown into a beautiful space that started with a butterfly garden in 2008 and expanded to include an herb garden (2018), shade bed (2021), and an iris bed (2022). 

Rachel likes to move plants around and Joel, who discovered the benefits of gardening from Rachel, likes to put down hardscaping. Their garden features special touches like a bird sculpture made by Rachel’s dad and repurposed items from family and friends.

Rachel and Joel’s youngest daughter also helps in the garden and now plans to study landscape design and agriculture—proof of the passion they’ve passed on. Joel loves the cheerful ditch lilies and they both enjoy watching monarch caterpillars arrive in their butterfly garden each summer.

The More family’s garden has a rustic charm out front and a relaxed, personal feel around the backyard pool. Brian, the main gardener, started the garden in 1996 and especially enjoys growing vegetables—a passion that began while helping his mom as a kid. 

He’s always finding new ways to preserve the harvest and keeps the garden thriving with cow manure and fertilizer soaks for the annual porch ferns, their favorite plants. 

For Brian, gardening is his way to unwind. He looks for easy solutions, like automatic watering, so he and Robin can kick back and enjoy the view in the evenings and weekends.

Randi’s garden has a charming cottage style with a mix of vegetables, flowers, and hardscaping. Growing up, Randi’s family grew all of their own produce. After retiring in 2020, she started tending to her own garden, followed around by her cat, Mittens.

Most of the plants are newly added in 2024/2025, but the space also includes earlier landscaping and raised beds for veggies (2021).

While Mark helps with the mulching and hardscape projects, Randi enjoys trying new plants and adding spots of color with annuals in containers. Randi’s favorite plant is hardy hibiscus—she has over 30, most grown from seed! She uses slow-release fertilizer to help everything thrive. She and Mark love their oasis, especially in early summer when everything’s in bloom and wildlife is all around.

Alice’s gardens are all about growing fresh food for her family and their restaurant, Joseph Decuis. Most vegetables are started from seed, including favorites like okra, squash, broccoli, carrots, and beets.

The heritage garden features both veggies and cut flowers, with a colonnade lined by colorful beds of marigolds to keep pests away. Edible flowers are picked for the restaurant. 

A new pollinator garden, divided into four sections, attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Alice’s daughter also started a kids’ garden that’s growing this year. Each morning, Alice enjoys her coffee among the gardens as she plans her day.

Mary Kay has loved gardening since childhood and started her current cutting flower garden in 2020. She favors classic, hardy plants like peonies from her mother, colorful dahlias, and annuals for season-long blooms.

Jeff tends the 2,000 square foot vegetable garden, now in its third year, growing a wide variety of produce and battling hungry raccoons and weeds with fencing and landscape fabric. 

In 2024, he added a small vineyard with 16 vines—mostly seedless table grapes and reds for wine. Jeff also uses a heated greenhouse to grow lettuce, spinach, and tomatoes from seed. Together, Mary Kay and Jeff have cultivated a romantic and bountiful homestead, just the way they like it!