A Garden with a Mind of Its Own, Inspiration in Decorah

At Seed Saver’s Exchange’s Heritage Farm there’s a garden beside the barn. A sign in the garden says it “has a mind of its own.”

I love that.

The plants (herbs and flowers) self seed and spread here and there. It’s beautiful and a little wild.

It’s the sort of garden I love best.

My garden has a mind of its own, too. I love self-seeding plants. Violas. Borage. Dill. Poppies. Amaranth. Nicotiana. Sunflowers. Cilantro.

They bring me so much joy.

Surprises.

Like this knee-high sunflower, a gift from the bird feeder.

Seed Saver’s Exchange is a wonderful place to visit (and get seeds and plants). Decorah, Iowa has a lot of other things to see, too. Good restaurants. A nice Food Co-Op. Cute shops (including The Story People). Vesterheim National Norwegian Heritage Museum. And if you’re into beer, my favorite brewery, Toppling Goliath, is there (and it’s not the only one in town!).

From where I live in Viroqua, Decorah is a little over an hour’s drive. All through the beautiful Driftless Region*. Getting out of town for some inspiration, especially on a sunny summer day is always energizing.

Where have you visited lately?

*An area unique for being unglaciated. It includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. It’s beautiful with hills, valleys, streams and rivers.