Life’s a Garden - Dig It

Through the rain, we grow. Together.

My husband, like many husbands I’m sure, is a big fan of Joe Dirt. If you haven’t seen the movie, aside from the off-the-wall and awkward moments, its message is that life can throw some terrible curveballs, but staying positive wins in the end. Joe tries so hard throughout the movie to find his family, and along the way, he learns a lot of life lessons.

Anyway, one day Colt asked me what other blog topics I planned to cover, and I started listing all the fun ideas floating around in my head. He jumped in and said, “How about Life’s a Garden?”

I chuckled because he was so excited about it (which is not normally his style), and I thought, That’s perfect for basically any post I make about being a daylily farmer.

So here I am, living life in my massive daylily garden and digging it — figuratively and literally.

But I’m not the only one living life this way.

I witnessed so many people “digging it” at this past weekend’s GardenFest in Rush County. Through the rain, people still came. As Colt and I were setting up our booth, I thought, I’d be surprised if anyone shows up in this weather. But they did. You did.

Colt and I setting up for GardenFest

What’s the draw? What pushes people out of their homes in terrible weather to attend a small-town garden event?

Well, like Joe Dirt, people want to live — and live happily. Growing life brings joy.

It truly was such a sight to behold.

If I got to meet you at this event — IT WAS SO GREAT TO MEET YOU! It was especially cool to see some familiar daylily fans. I mentioned in another post that we had to shut down Daylily Connection for last year’s season. It broke my heart each time someone mentioned how sad they were when we closed.

But it also reminded me of the special place this farm holds for so many people.

I got to watch eyes light up when they saw the Daylily Connection sign. I smiled and quietly said to the heavens, “Good job, Sheila and Matt.”

Our set up at the beginning. We sold baskets before the event even started!

I felt such a sense of pride being part of something that brings people joy and happiness.

I can’t tell you how much fun it was setting up our booth. Not gonna lie — I put a silly amount of pressure on myself to represent Daylily Connection in a way that would make Matt and Sheila proud. I knew word would get around in this small community, and I just wanted to make sure the word was a good one.

But I had a blast picking out plants, making signage, designing the layout, and putting everything together. Honestly, I didn’t even expect to sell much. I was just excited for the experience and the chance to meet people.

My goddaughter/niece, Quinn, and her fiancé, Drake, joined me too. She actually called and asked if she could come help! As a young couple just starting out, it was lovely to share this part of the world with them — especially since it’s at least two hours away from their everyday world.

Quinny is 24 and planning her wedding for 2027!

Quinn took to it quickly: talking about daylilies, engaging with people, and naturally sharing her sunshine with anyone who came her way. Drake, a quiet and steady presence, sat pretty and handled the heavy lifting.

If I ever question the next generation, it’s moments like this that put me at ease.

I also received a surprise visit from my brother, Phil, and my sister, Sally. It wasn’t lost on me that I’m helping represent my husband’s family business, and my own family showed up to support me without even being asked. They just did. They drove an hour simply to say, “We’re proud of you.”

That’s where I come from — a huge Catholic family that just shows up.

Phil and Sally checking out our remaining Daylilies.

I get teary thinking about how lucky I am to have the family I do. Poor Joe Dirt didn’t get that experience, but he found family in people who loved him just the same.

If you’re wondering how we did at GardenFest — we sold all of our hanging baskets and only had a few daylilies left!

Quinn posing at the end of the day.

I truly didn’t think the daylilies would sell because it isn’t their bloom season yet. On top of that, I potted them a little too late, so those babies were still stressed from being transplanted. I figured people would look at them and think, Oh, these plants are unhealthy. No way.

But I guess in a community of growers, people know the difference.

I was explaining to Jane, one of our longtime customers, that I felt bad about some yellowing leaves on the plants, and she immediately said, “People who grow, know.”

And just like that, she put me completely at ease.

So I guess the moral of the story is this: the story you tell yourself isn’t always true. Your brain can be a liar, liar, pants on fire sometimes.

Living your life like a garden truly brings joy — and it attracts positive, supportive people along the way. Sometimes those people are your family, and sometimes they’re the people you choose as family.

And this Daylily Connection life?

I’m digging it.

Thank you for being part of my story.