South River Living

You may be wondering where the title of the blog comes from. If you live in Northwest Indiana then you may have heard the phrase "South of the River" before. It refers to living south of the Kankakee River. I happen to work north of the river & life is not the same "up" there. Not sure what it is, but I feel like everyone is always in a big hurry, always rushing around. I grew up on a farm...on a gravel road...in the middle of nowhere & I prefer life much simpler & slower, even though that's not always the case.....I can dream, right?  At the end of every work day I look forward to heading "south of the river." 

Just for fun here's a photo of the gravel road I lived on the majority of my life.

Nothing exciting ever really happened but life was simple...

The farm I grew up on is a Hoosier Homestead Farm. Which means it has been in my 

family for over 100 years!

Meeting Dr. Allan Armitage!

Recently I had the opportunity to hear one of my favorite horticultural authors & plantsman speak, his name is Dr. Allan Armitage.  I'm sure most of you have no idea who this is. When I told Mr. D what I was doing that day & how excited I was to be meeting Dr. Armitage again, he gave me a look like I was crazy as most people do when I start talking about horticulture. But, I admit I am a hortiholic....the first step is admitting right?!?

If you haven't been introduced to the great Dr. Allan Armitage & all of his awesome books about perennials, then I recommend checking out "Armitage's Garden Perennials." For those of you who are obsessed with horticulture like I am....check out his online course about perennials. And, for those of you who love technology Dr. Armitage has just released an app for Android & Apple called "Dr. A's Great Perennials & Annuals." Of course I have already downloaded the app on the iPad at work.  It will be a great resource on those busy retail days at the garden center.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough space to store all of the books I would love to have about horticulture (including all 13 of Dr. Armitage's books). But, thankfully my boss has developed a library in our design office complete with all of Dr. A's books, which I am very grateful for! His books are referenced frequently while we are in the design process.

Here is a photo of me with Dr. A & a copy of his book "Armitage's Garden Perennials."

I hope I've turned you on to a great new gardening resource, or at least entertained you with my horticulture obsession! Happy Gardening!

Here We Go!

I've been thinking about blogging for awhile & decided there's no time like the present.  So here we are.....my life is a little crazy sometimes & I decided to try blogging so everyone could keep up with what I've been doing. Life revolves around my family which includes my husband (Mr. D) & 1.5 year old baby girl, my full time job as a landscape designer, & my ever evolving home which Mr. D & I have been renovating for almost 6 years!  

So now that you know a little about my crazy life, we can move on to what you may see on this blog adventure of mine.  First off...plants....lots & lots of plants.  I love horticulture, it's my passion & what I do every day of my life! Renovation projects & decorating...especially holiday decorating.  I love just about every holiday & especially decorating for them. I hope you enjoy following me on my crazy journey of life!!