April Garden Walk at Little Farm Flowers East
What could be more relaxing on a Friday evening than a sunset stroll around a beautiful garden, yummy snacks, herbal tea, and good conversation around a firepit? Nothing! And that’s why you should come to Cross Quarter Club’s Garden Walks at Little Farm Flowers East this year.
Little Farm Flowers East is just a magical place to be. Owner Sharon de Beaumont took her ordinary 1/3-acre urban lot in New Freedom, PA, and transformed it into a bountiful micro flower farm. It is clear from every corner of this space that Sharon has poured her love and care into it, and in return, the gardens have nourished her well. This is precisely why she wanted to open up her space to our community - to let others experience the healing power of nature.
So what is a garden walk?
Our main intention for this series is to provide the opportunity for a contemplative, self-guided tour through Sharon’s gardens at sunset. We begin by gathering in a circle for a brief welcome and introductions. Next, Sharon introduces us to a few plants that are currently at their peak in the garden and holds a casual Q&A session. After that, we start our individual garden walks, spaced approximately 4-5 minutes apart. You are encouraged to walk slowly and pause often to take a closer look, feel the textures, discover the scents, sample the tastes, and listen to the sounds of the garden as it grows and changes through the seasons.
Cross Quarter Club really is a “come as strangers, leave as friends” sort of group. Gathering around the firepit, we savor fresh herbal tea from Sharon's garden and a spread of seasonal snacks provided by Christie Altland. As we come together, we allow the conversation to unfold naturally, meandering wherever it may. Our Garden Walks are all about connecting with the seasons of nature, and the fact that we get to do so in the company of like-minded individuals, sharing stories and knowledge, forming new connections, nurturing existing ones, and finding a sense of belonging—well, that's the cherry on top.
April Garden Walk
Our first garden walk of the season was held on Friday, April 26th. Once everyone had arrived and we took some time to introduce ourselves the traditional Cross Quarter Club way — sharing our names, where we’re from, how we spend our days, and what we’re excited about this season. From there, Sharon passed around cuttings of a few different plants to highlight this month: tulips, daffodils, lily of the valley, and several varieties of mint. She shared her favorite source for specialty spring bulbs, Dutch Grown, which is headquartered here in Pennsylvania! This is a new segment we are doing this year, and based on the number of questions asked and answered, it seems it was really valuable for all of us! From there we began our individual walks, and settled in around the firepit with snacks and drinks. I brought my Soulflower Oracle Deck for anyone who wanted to pull a card and we just enjoyed the beautiful evening and each others’s company.
