Rose Wind Farm

Farm & Gardens

The 118 acres of Rose Wind Farm were first settled in the 1850s and have been in the Oster family since 1941.

Abandoned and derelict when they purchased it, the farm was transformed into a highly productive acreage for dairy and beef cattle by George and Lucille Oster with their use of pioneering conservation and sustainable farming practices.

Their love of nature meant that natural areas were also preserved, with many native Indiana trees, shrubs, flowers, birds, and wildlife populating the farm. Of course, there was always a large vegetable garden and plenty of both wild and tended fruits growing on the farm, too. No matter how long the hours they worked on the farm and in producing and preserving their own food, the flower gardens grew larger every year as well.

Not only did I, their daughter Maggie, inherit the farm from my parents but also their love of the land, nature, and gardening. It is now my responsibility to carry on in their footsteps, maintaining the health of the soil and preserving a way of life that continually presents challenges but that is also one that is immeasurably satisfying.

Because of my career in horticulture as well as garden, food, and craft writing and photography, my emphasis on the farm is as a laboratory and learning center for growing and preparing healthy food, using native plants in the landscape, appreciation of natural history, and practicing traditional skills of country living. In the future, classes will be offered that will give others an opportunity to share in this experience. In the meantime, let me show you around the farm and gardens.

Barn & Square-Bed Garden		1850s Cabin
Originally built in the late 1800s, the barn has been restored. Nearby geometric raised beds are filled with nutritious vegetables and herbs as well as beautiful flowers. The 1850s cabin where my mother grew up in New Albany was moved to the farm and now is my home. The surrounding gardens are filled with flowers, herbs, shrubs, and trees.

Trees & Well		Creek
Once gullied, the fields are now producing abundant pasture and hay. Remnants of the past, such as a stone-topped well, have been maintained. Springs keep the unpolluted creek flowing year-round, providing a natural habitat for a variety of wildlife, including kingfishers, minnows, frogs, and snakes.

Field West From Drive		Ironweed
Using a team of horses and sick with undulant fever, my father persevered in installing over 7 miles of terraces and waterways to stop the erosion on the farm in the ‘40s. Don’t tell anyone, but I’ve been known to mow around the ironweed in pastures because it’s one of my favorite native wildflowers.

Giant SIlver Maple		Yellowwood in Bloom
This giant silver maple, planted in 1943, is an early example of my mother’s passion for using native trees in the landscape. The rare native yellowwood tree, my mother’s pride-and-joy, bears drooping 1-foot-long clusters of fragrant white flowers in June.

Picnic Table & Trees		Red Cedar Trees
My mother’s penchant for planting trees wherever there was space created a shady hideaway for a relaxing meal at a handmade picnic table. The familiar native red cedar is one of my favorite trees as it is incredibly adaptable. If it were rare, people would be extolling it’s virtues.

Pergola		Barn Garden
A large pergola provides a place to share a cup of tea. It is surrounded by trees and shrubs, plus herbaceous plants that grow well in shady conditions. This bed in front of the barn continues to evolve, but remains a lively combination of both the exotic, such as a seven son’s tree, and the native, including the fragrant, summer-blooming clethra.

Border Around Square Beds		Front Bed
Don’t be afraid to add some creative colors to your garden, like this blue-painted picket fence with pink-and-yellow finials. Adding structural elements, such as this arbor and split-rail fence, give emphasis and definition to flower beds and borders.

Arbor & Spruce with Snow		Barn Garden with Snow
The goal in designing a garden is that it will be beautiful in any season. A snowfall is the “icing on the cake” of this arbor flanked by two spruce trees. Although the benches, arbor, and fountain no longer welcome us to a shady retreat, they’re still beautiful with a coating of snow.

Fountain & Bench		Coral Flowers on Deck
Simple to maintain, a mosaic pot is fitted with a pump and fountain, then placed near a bench and containers under a persimmon tree. Containers filled with annual flowers and foliage plants create a stunning mass of color and make a deck an inviting oasis.

Waterfall		Rose Gruss an Aachen
One of my favorite things to add to the landscape is a water feature, such as this waterfall and pond that is viewed from a deck. Roses were beloved by my parents. The varieties chosen for the farm include easy-to-grow heirlooms as well as pest-resistant modern-day varieties.

Clematis		Wisteria
Keeping their roots in the shade and their heads in the sun, clematis are easy to grow and provide a spectacular effect in the garden. Native wisterias, such as this cultivar ‘Aunt Dee’ as well as others, is easier to maintain and blooms at a younger age than Japanese and Chinese wisterias.

Tool Shed & Orchard		Blackberries
One orchard area features apples, native pawpaws and pecans, and European pears, including an heirloom variety grafted from the farm where my mother grew up. Bush and bramble fruits, including blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and currants, provide easy-to-grow, antioxidant-rich fruit.

Cherry Tomatoes		Morning Picking
One of my major endeavors is to compare vegetable varieties each year. Over 30 varieties of cherry tomatoes were part of a 100-variety tomato comparison. A morning’s picking showcases Italian black-eyed peas, heirloom Italian squash, super-nutritious ‘Caroline’ raspberries, and other treats.

Yard-Long Beans		Cold Frame with Lettuce
Improve your health and expand your diet by experimenting with new and different vegetables. Purple yard-long beans are a favorite with children. Food gardening isn’t limited to the summer. Inexpensive and easy-to-install cold frames provide lettuce and other greens during the winter.

Canned Goods		Persimmon Pudding
Part of the pleasure and satisfaction of food gardening is to have a pantry filled with nutritious, flavorful food to enjoy throughout the winter. Wild plants contribute to enjoyable eating here on the farm, too, with persimmon pudding being the highlight of autumn meals.

Punched Tin		Dired Allium
Whether frivolous or functional, making garden ornaments, such as this punched-tin folly, brings another dimension to the gardens. Ornamental alliums, as well as many other flowers, are dried and used in bouquets, wreaths, and other crafts on the farm.

Little Kitty		Oscar the Dog
Little Kitty is a bit shy with visitors, but don’t get in the way of her favorite chair and pillow. Oscar, the resident Jack Russell, looks forward to visiting with his best friends Chester and Mary when they come to the farm.