What's in a name?

So.....Why Hodge Podge Flower and Photo Co.? Over the year or so that we developed the ideas and business plan, we realized that we couldn't pick just one thing to focus on. Yes, this is going against what everyone out there says to do, but that just isn't us. We believe that the variety of items that we love to do all go hand in hand and thus in the end really are one experience, even when it isn't one product at the end of the day.

I already had a photography studio business that I loved and didn't want to give up when we started talking about the flower farm. Instead we saw the amazing opportunities a photography studio on a flower farm could provide. We love growing flowers, plants, supporting native plants and wildlife, and seeing how these items can light up someone's day. We love building things, especially from the wood that comes from the forest that surrounds the flower farm. Instead of seeing a competing product, we found items that support the flower and garden lover's interests (like our Harvest Basket and wood flower vase varieties).

We couldn't find a name that brought together a flower farm, photography studio and woodworking business. Then my mother chimed in with Hodge Podge. She is an amazing cook and had run a catering company for a short time that she named Hodge Podge Catering because she "did a little bit of everything." We immediately loved it and knew that it was the right fit for us. We do offer a number of different things, but they also work together to create an amazing experience that we are excited to share with the community!

2021 Mini Session Schedule!

With so much uncertainty and change experienced over the last year, I am so excited to confirm the 2021 mini session schedule. While COVID has created a mini session season with fewer sessions, there will be nothing mini about this year's sessions!

Spring Flower/Valentine Jan/Feb - CANCELED - COVID

Spring Flower April - CANCELED - COVID

Summer Flower June 19 & 20

Summer Sunflower August 7 & 8

Hay Stack/ Field October 9 & 10

Holiday/ Winter November 13 & 14

Sessions are $150 which includes:

- 20 min session

- 5 high resolution digital images of your choice

- Professionally edited viewing gallery for selection of images

Additional digital images can be added to any package for $10 per image or $150 for the entire album.

Email hodgepodge@flowersandphotos.com or call 618-409-4026 to schedule your session.

New Years Resolution #2 - Getting Healthy with Native Plants

That's right, native plants can provide health benefits to the planet, local wildlife, and you!

Incorporating native plants into your outdoor spaces can have several wide-ranging benefits. Increased green spaces have been shown to have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. Native plants provide nutritionally useful food and shelter for wildlife, and even can be considered carbon sinks.

“The real work of planet-saving will be small, humble, and humbling, and (insofar as it involves love) pleasing and rewarding. Its jobs will be too many to count, too many to report, too many to be publicly noticed or rewarded, too small to make anyone rich or famous.”

~ Wendell Berry

There is a common misconception that public policy or funding is needed to create lasting and measurable change. It is true that money can grease the wheels of progress, but it is also true the motivated masses can turn even the stubbornest of wheels. In a world of crowd-sourcing, it seems increasingly likely that incremental "green" changes, like planting a few native shrubs in your yard, can become global movements and begin to carry the weight that programs like the Marshall Plan had for rebuilding after WWII.

The Red mulberry

Native to the US, and hardy in zones 4-9, the red mulberry is a great example of one native plant that can bring multiple benefits to your green space. Its large leaves and fairly rapid growth can bring a lovely shade tree into your future sooner than you think.

The tree provides many red to almost purple-black berries that are a lovely tart flavor in the Summer. These nutritious and tasty berries can be used for cooking but will also provide local wildlife with a healthy food source. When the tree is filled with berries, you will struggle to find a moment that a squirrel or bluebird isn't doing their best to taste them all, jumping from branch to branch excitedly.

With this one plant/tree, you can provide a wonderful aesthetic for your lawn, create a rewarding and mentally beneficial green space, and also actively contribute to the protecting biodiversity in your neck of the woods.