Visiting Windmill Meadow Farm in Fredericksburg

When my friend Paula in Fredericksburg invited me up to meet Nancy and Paul Person of Windmill Meadow Farm I quickly accepted.  Nancy and Paul greeted us in the workshop where they were preparing artistic arrangements of flowers from their farm to sell at the weekly Farmer's Market held at the Marktplatz from 4-7pm each Thursday.

Fredericksburg is a beautiful, historic town and a popular getaway destination so there's a built-in demand for specialty services like locally grown flowers.  Windmill Meadow Farm sells by subscription primarily to the Bed and Breakfast trade, wineries, shops, and florists in the surrounding area.  Some clients even arrive with buckets to fill for their own special occasion arrangements.  

Paul learned the flower business early by spending his after-school hours in his grandmother's florist shop in Gonzales, Texas.  Now retired from a career with the Union Pacific railroad he made the move from suburban San Antonio life to commercial flower farming in Fredericksburg.  Windmill Meadow Farm is named after their striking antique 1886 Standard Windmill which appears as their logo.  They had it carefully restored in Nebraska.

Our tour begins where Paul and Nancy began, with a relatively small plot of raised beds near their workshop.

Sweet Peas!  Cool weather annuals are a challenge in Central Texas and I was surprised over and over by the flowers they chose to grow in our climate.

Cosmos and more Sweet Peas on the fence.

Vintage galvanized watering cans make a fun fence decoration.

Abundance of gold flowers just waiting to be cut.

I could enjoy sitting here for a while but there's a larger flower farm to explore.



In just two years they've expanded their commercial growing business from the small garden to a sizable farm.  More than 40 truckloads of top soil were brought in.

Windmill Meadow Farm supplies local chefs with Calendula flowers (shown below) for salads and apple mint goes into Mojitos at a bar in town.

Lisianthus is a spectacular Southern native I had no idea would grow here.

Bells of Ireland is good for color and structure.

Nigella appears to be spent....

....but the seed pods are popular to add texture and color to arrangements.

As each flower goes out of season rows are turned under and prepared for the next crop.  Flowers are irrigated with well water or rain water.

Succession planting keeps a steady supply of in-season flowers.

The same varieties are planted in different parts of the plot to guard against loss by pests or other problems.

Ammi Dara from the same family as Queen Anne's Lace.



Bachelor Buttons are so bright!

Upright Liatris is a European variety.

Statice is another import which grows surprisingly well here.

Rudbeckia, these wowed me with their color variations.

Off to the side a stand of Cowpen Daisy and other wildflowers help attract pollinators.  Nancy is a member of Native Plant Society of Texas.

Bird House gourds grown by request of a local group will soon climb the fence.  I was interested to learn that Oak Wilt evident on adjacent property was stopped by trenching.

Seeds are a must with so many flowers to grow.  Seedlings are set on warming mats and lighted racks in the barn.

Paul also uses a hand-held press to make soil blocks for seeds.

After stepping the seedlings up to 4" pots, plants are set outside to harden off before planting in rows.  Paula and Nancy taking refuge in the shade as it gets hot out here.

Looks like plenty of work ahead!



Back in the workshop I admired Nancy's favorite Dahlias while Paul expertly put together bouquets for us to take home.

Flowers at the ready, a small windmill prop for their Farmer's Market table, Nancy collects vintage vases for special arrangements.

Smiles all around!  Paula is on the left with Paul and Nancy.

Garden companion Stella was a star!  Every time I pointed the camera her way she posed like a pro.

Another view of the vintage windmill from the shop.



Back home I took photos of my sweet bouquet and noticed something special.

Looking closely, I spotted a piece of wheat tucked in there!  During our tour Paul pointed out a patch of wheat he grows for texture in arrangements and I mentioned that my late father-in-law once cut a large shock of wheat from his farm for our house.  We still have it.

What a thoughtful touch!

It's fun to visit gardeners so passionate about their work.  It's a good thing they love what they do because the amount of planning and work that goes into producing a steady supply of cut flowers is amazing.  I came away impressed with how much they have accomplished in a short time and an appreciation for what it takes to run a commercial specialty flower operation.

You can find Paul and Nancy at the Farmer's Market in Fredericksburg every Thursday from 4-7 or at other events throughout the year.  To learn more, sign up for email updates on their website and follow on Instagram.

A day at Gilbriar Gazebo in Fredericksburg

For those of us who love the Texas Hill Country, Paula Stone's house on 10 acres near Fredericksburg is the dream house we would love to own.  Her 1882 stone house has those iconic lines we envy from car windows during drives in the country.  Paula is a transplanted Oklahoman, and going by the front garden which just says "Texas" all over it, she has embraced the local style.

You wouldn't know looking at it now, but the house was a wreck when Paula purchased it several years ago.  When she first bought the run-down house her friends thought she was nuts and it was in such bad shape the realtor wouldn't even go inside the house with her.  It's gorgeous now and I recently took friends April and Lorraine on a road trip out to see how she had transformed the property.  Paula is a fan of Pam Penick's blog Digging as evidenced by the water garden tank in the front walk.  

Blooming water lilies-gorgeous!

I took the  photo below about two years ago after much of the work had already been done.  Paula, an interior designer with her own shop in San Antonio for years, had already removed an old metal-sided addition and porch that were not part of her classic hill country vision for the house.  She spent about a year to get the house to this point.  Comparing the top photo above you can see she eventually took out the old cement porch slab and created a welcoming garden.  The fireplace was originally part of the ugly addition and she left it as an outdoor fireplace on the new porch.  

We'll be back to the porch after a tour of the gardens.  Paula is active in the Native Plant Society of Texas and self-described "overly enthusiastic organic gardener."

Materials from demolition were recycled as raised beds in the extensive vegetable garden. 

We were there in late June just after our spring garden seasons ends so a lot of these beds were empty.  I still enjoyed seeing how so much of her garden uses re-purposed building materials and fits so well with the local style.

She's added a lot of bottles to the recycled conveyor fencing since I was there two years ago.

Before

After

Just visible through the garden is a new addition on the back of the house where comfortable bedrooms, baths, laundry and storage update the house for modern living.  The effect is practically seamless and very well done.

About that "Gazebo" in the title and all those bottles on the fence.  Paula has added an event venue to her property.  The impressive Gilbriar Gazebo, complete with chandelier and surrounded by native plant gardens, is available to rent for weddings and events.

Here's what that spot looked like on my first visit two years ago.  She had just installed a 38,500 gallon water catchment system which is now under the gazebo and the garden is enclosed by a fence.

I remember thinking Paula had a rather ambitious plan as she described the gazebo that would go here.  That was just two years ago.  Below is roughly the same view as above.

The old turkey barn has been renovated and is available for indoor events.

The front reception area has a rustic elegant style  Paula has been collecting vintage furniture for a while and she uses it with great effect in her barn.  Tin from the original barn roof was used for walls.

A bar found at an auction house in San Antonio completes the front reception area.

Enjoy your drink in one of the two silos with seating (seen to the left above) and look up at vintage chandeliers.

Inside the large renovated barn which can hold a sizable crowd!  Paula spent about 9 months renovating the barn.  "Good crew, decisive client" she says.  

Here's what it looked like when I first visited two years ago.  A former turkey barn housed goats until it was renovated.  Paula on the right with Linda Higby whose garden I shared a few years ago.  Those ladder-style metal pieces are the same fencing pieces decorated with bottles near the garden.

The goats have since been relocated to a friend's place in San Antonio.  Soil dug from the floor of the barn filled her raised beds in the gardens.  No wonder everything grows so beautifully!

Custom barn doors cover storage space.

The brass horse in the groom's dressing room was found at Fredericksburg Trade Days.  Paula used to breed Arabian horses so she couldn't pass this up.  That's a Murphy bed on the left.  Paula planned ahead to have these dressing rooms double as guest rooms for family and friends.

Lush native plant gardens continue around a rented guest cottage.

More recycled materials in the fence along the walk next to the cottage.

With a parking lot to the right the fence provides privacy for the cottage.

A colorful garden shed was once a treehouse Paula rescued from a friend's property.

An old stone building reminiscent of the jacal homes used by early settlers in Texas sits nearby.  While the original purpose is unknown, its east facing front and north window make me wonder if it was used as a dwelling.  Early Texas buildings like these inform the modern work of local architects like Lake|Flato.

Skulls decorate the screen.

Back around front to the welcoming front porch.  Love the day bed here which looks so relaxing.  It's easy to imagine reading there on nice days.

The original fireplace in the addition was kept and is used on cool evenings.  Views of the surrounding countryside are beautiful but Paula has planted trees along the fence line for the inevitability of housing developments which will eventually surround the property as town moves closer.  The stairs go to a loft apartment above the house.

Want to see inside?  Of course you do!  Hats by the door is so traditional and looks just right here.

Across the way is a cozy corner where the Biedermeier sofa evokes memories of early Texas-German furniture from the 19th century.  Through the door opening on the right above the addition houses bedrooms and amenities needed for the way we live now.

A stylish modern kitchen blends right in on the other end with dining in between.  The huge stone lintel above the kitchen window is original to the house and was left visible when the wall was plastered.

Stone detail and some of Paula's interesting collections artfully arranged.

A view to the front garden from a window.

After a delicious lunch and fun conversation I paused in the driveway to grab this wide shot of the buildings as I headed back to San Antonio.

Thank you Paula for showing us around and sharing your beautiful home and garden.  We thoroughly enjoyed our day in the country and are so impressed with all Paula has done to save this beautiful farm and make it available for weddings and parties.

You can contact Paula through her Gilbriar Gazebo website.