Ever since growing up in her grandmother’s home surrounded by lilac bushes and the woods, a love for flowers stuck to the dean of students Helen Fuller. Her father’s family in England even made money by selling cut flowers as well, which continued her interest. Once she moved into her current home five years ago, Fuller decided to take initiative with the three acres and began learning and experimenting with flowers and vegetables.
“It brings me great joy, I’ve always loved flowers,” Fuller said. “From the time I was a child, I’ve been obsessed with picking flowers—like obsessed. I usually have fresh flowers on my desk because they just bring me pure happiness.”
Last year was the first time she began planting seeds indoors to have flowers grown on time since she had the honor of growing the flowers for her daughter’s wedding. With the help of YouTube, she learned how to make the bouquet as the moment was bittersweet.
“She said, ‘I want this to be very personal and incorporate facets of our family in the wedding.’ I was like, ‘that is so touching,’” Fuller said. “She was super pleased with it and that was all that mattered to me.”
Regardless of the weather, Fuller loves to be outside as she has been working out on the acres every day. Along with heading outside, she takes the time to go through seed catalogs or read about different kinds of fertilizers.
“I think everybody should get their hands dirty. It gives you an appreciation for what goes into things like the food we eat and just nature around us,” Fuller said. “It’s important to connect to that, to the earth in that way, just to have that gratefulness for all that we’re provided with.”
For anyone planning to start gardening, Fuller suggests heading over to the Dollar Tree for the cheap seeds sold there and purchasing dirt before placing the plants near a sunny window. Growing the seeds in a pot is easier in order to control the soil and you do not need a ton of space. If you really want to get into it, a heating pad and a grow light is recommended.
“Decide what you like and then just try it. And if you fail, what have you lost? You’ve learned, right?” Fuller said. “If you fail, you’ve learned something that didn’t work, and that’s okay.”
