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Ours is a family business. I, Christy, am the Chief of this particular enterprise, but I get help whenever I ask for it and oftentimes when I don't (which is a good thing...) from my husband, Philip. My background is that of a gardener and amateur ecologist whose hobby sort of took over. What that means for you is that the plants that we offer are more than just the latest trendy money makers that many nurseries carry. They are truly wonderful plants. Some are rare and difficult to find in nature or in commerce, others are common in nature, but overlooked by the trade. But, the attributes that make a plant desirable to a gardener often have little to do with those that the nursery industry values. We strive to grow quality plants that make you smile every time you see them in your garden, or use them in your home or kitchen. We believe that money can't buy you happiness, but it can buy plants, which is the next best thing. We opened for business in 2001, selling bulbs and divisions from our garden at Exchange Place in Kingsport at their September sale, just days after 9-11. Our focus has always been to grow natives, heirlooms and herbs. We started out on Philip's family farm in Greene County, Tennessee, where we made our home for the first 14 years of our married life. When we moved to our new place in Fall Branch in December, 2007, we moved our business with us. Philip is a potter by training and by occupation, although he has been doing a lot of other necessary things since our move. He has very recently finished building his pottery studio cabin, and is now making pots again. Click here to see his work. I have recently returned to school full time. I am pursuing a Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy at Milligan College. I had been thinking/ daydreaming about a career change for a while when I stumbled upon Occupational Therapy. Not that I don't LOVE running the nursery, but the economics of working full time for very little money and no benefits was getting to be a little unnerving. After eight years without health insurance, family vacations, or a pretty little house to call my own, I was beginning to wonder whether I could do this another 10 years. I thought about teaching, writing, or working at Wal-mart. (Not really Wal-mart...) Then my daughter started seeing an Occupational Therapist and I saw a perfect fit for me. I sent off for information from the closest OT program. Everything looked promising, until I saw the price tag of the program. I threw the information packet away and decided to go with teaching, which I would also love if not for everything but the kids. But, I never could completely shed doubts about that direction, and eventually decided to just work harder at making the farm work out. While I was going about that, OT kept popping up and catching my attention, until I finally couldn't ignore the fact that this was something I wanted to do, expensive or not. So I just jumped right in and here I am. I am really excited about this new direction. I have just finished my first semester (Hooray!), and am enrolled full time again right now. I'll be 41 when I graduate! Pray for me! I do love it, and hope to help spread the word about Occupational Therapy just as I have been doing with native plants all these years. I also hope to keep the nursery going on some level, even after graduating and going to work, possibly combining the two somehow.
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