Moss Mountain Farm with P. Allen Smith

 P. Allen Smith, a fifth-generation nurseryman, has parlayed a passion for nature and a southern upbringing into his life’s mission. Becoming one of America’s most talented garden designers. This award-winning designer, Master Gardener, author, and celebrity lifestyle expert, is followed by a worldwide audience. Allen is known sharing for his tried-and-true methods and cutting-edge knowledge with small farm and garden communities. You'll enjoy the entertaining stories he shares today with ‘How we Bloom’ host - Sharon McGukin, from his home at Moss Mountain Farm in Arkansas. You'll want to visit soon!

How we Bloom podcast is an oasis of flower ideas. Hosts Sharon McGukin and Smithers-Oasis North America invite floral guests who dare to do things differently. We listen, learn, explore new opportunities and that's how we bloom!

Transcript

Sharon McGukin: (00:16)
Welcome to 'How we Bloom' an OASIS of flower ideas. I'm your host, Sharon McGukin, AIFD, AAF, PFCI and I believe that every great success story starts with one simple idea. That's why we interview those who 'dare to do things differently.' Inspiring people who plant seeds, grow ideas and bloom to their full potential. In this podcast, we listen, learn, explore new opportunities. And, that's 'How we Bloom!'

Sharon McGukin: (01:07)
Several years ago, while speaking at an Antique and Garden Show in Columbus, Mississippi, I met today's guest. I knew instantly that I'd found a kindred spirit in P Allen Smith. We shared a love for people, places, petals, and great stories. While I was immediately impressed by Allen's Southern gentlemanly charm, I quickly learned that this Award-winning Designer is a Master Gardener, and Celebrity Lifestyle Expert, is followed by a worldwide audience.

(01:37)
Allen is known for sharing his tried-and-true methods and cutting-edge knowledge with small farm and garden communities. Plus, his laid-back personality just makes him fun to spend time with.

Born in Arkansas raised in Tennessee, this fifth-generation Southern nurseryman has become one of America's most talented garden designers. Allen designed the beautiful and eco-friendly American Greek Revival style home, where he lives on Moss Mountain Farm. It sits in a natural setting overlooking the Arkansas river.

Sharon McGukin: (02:09)
The 600 acre working farm and garden retreat serves as a source of inspiration, education and conservation for the visitors from around the country that tour the property. To make life complete, along with the farm animals - chickens, cows, sheep - two Scottish Terriers call the mountain home.

(02:28)
I was so excited when Allen invited my husband, Tim, and I to visit Moss Mountain one weekend. I fell in love with the peaceful place. I have a favorite memory of enjoying the delicious lamb stew and cornbread Allen had prepared for dinner, as we sat around the table, sharing flower travel stories. The next day we filmed a segment of Holiday Design for one of his TV episodes. It was such fun. Somehow in spite of his busy schedule, Allen has found time to author nine bestselling books. He's amazing! That's why it's with great delight that I introduce you to today's guest P Allen Smith. Thank you for joining us, Allen!

P. Allen Smith: (03:09)
Sharon, it's always a pleasure to speak to you. Thank you for having me on your show.

Sharon McGukin: (03:15)
All of your fans, and soon-to-be fans are excited to hear your Moss Mountain stories.

P. Allen Smith: (03:22)
Well, it was delightful to have you and Tim at the farm, and I hope you'll come back soon. This year, the daffodils were absolutely spectacular. I have to say we rolled over 1 million bulbs planted at the farm, which is slightly embarrassing. We did it for the Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and her 70 years on the throne. We actually planted 70 trees to honor her, as well.

Sharon McGukin: (03:56)
Wow, that's amazing. That is amazing! And yes, we would love to come back. We just need to get that on the calendar.

P. Allen Smith: (04:04)
Indeed.

Sharon McGukin: (04:05)
Now, you know, I love Moss Mountain and your home is beautiful. So, I thought maybe you might want to just give a really brief story to our listeners about how you discovered how you wanted to create the home at Moss Mountain.

P. Allen Smith: (04:21)
Well, Moss Mountain Farm is really an idea that goes way back in time. It's considered, and you may recall this in our conversation, Sharon, a ferme ornée or ornamental farm - which was popular in the 18th century. Thomas Jefferson had taken a lot of those principles and applied to Monticello. And that really always intrigued me as a graduate student in England. I'd been around and looked at gardens Jefferson and Adams - the second president, had gone around and looked at in 1786. I was just taken by this notion of something beautiful, but also functional and practical. And, that underscores a big part of Jefferson's personality. He loved function and beauty. The ferme ornée is an expression of that in the landscape. So, we set about with this 600 acre parcel that goes back to the late 1830s.

P. Allen Smith: (05:22)
And, as you mentioned in your very generous and kind introduction, the Greek revival house that was all built to new using time honored methods and also design principles. But, we wanted to make it as green as possible because I'm very interested in sustainability. And so, that house is really meant to be very much a part of time and place 1835 to 1840 in its style, and also this region of the country. So, we went to about, I don't know, six or seven properties within 175-mile radius of the farm to look at designs from that period of time. But, it's also very green. And, we continue that mission with our media work and what we do at Moss Mountain Farm for our many visitors who come to see us throughout the growing season.

Sharon McGukin: (06:21)
Now, when I was there with you, we spoke to a tour - there was a tour group that was coming in. I think there were about 70 attendees. We did a flower demonstration for them, and you spoke with them. Have you been able to resume those tours since COVID at Moss Mountain?

P. Allen Smith: (06:39)
We have resumed our tours. We've had a robust response, with lots of people from all over the country coming to the farm every Thursday and Friday, and some Saturdays. This past Saturday, we had our annual, I think it was probably our 15th annual, Chicken Chat. Which was fun to focus on heritage breeds of poultry and to support the 4-H and FFA organizations. But yes, we are in full force with our 'Lunch and Learns.' We love it when people come and visit. Go to our website and see the scheduled 'Lunch and Learns' and the days that we're open. We're only on Thursdays, Fridays and a few Saturdays.

Sharon McGukin: (07:29)
Fantastic. Now you mentioned the chickens and having grown up on my grandparents' farm, although I must tell you, it is not the kind of pretty farm that you have. I guess ours was just a working farm. My grandparents always had the cows and the chickens. They didn't have those cute little lambs that you had. I did love those. But can you tell us, mentioning the chickens, about your 'Poultry Palace' or I think sometimes you call it 'Poultryville.'

P. Allen Smith: (07:56)
Well, yeah, we built a large poultry house, after we'd had a journalist there. I think it was the first 'Chicken Chat,' they were there to write about the keen interest across the country for backyard poultry and keeping a few hens for fresh eggs and so forth. And, she was very generous with the print. But she did make the comment that my chickens lived in a place called 'Poultryville,' which she described as a shanty town for my chickens, which I took complete offense to. Because at that time we were keeping them in these, I thought very cleverly built, cotton wagons that had been converted into these mobile chicken coops. And, they gave protection to the foul and gave them an opportunity to get out and roam around.

P. Allen Smith: (08:57)
It also fertilized our field. So, it fit very nicely into this sustainable model that we've been following for some time and telling the world about. But, I took Palladio's books on architecture and found a beautiful Italian Villa that we Arkansized and made the 'Poultry Palace'. And, it only got better when my great, and sadly late friend, Giorgiana Corsini came to see me from Italy. So, she's the Princess Giorgiana Corsini. It was great fun to have her there to see the poultry and hold them. And we actually got a picture together in front of the 'Poultry Palace,' and I was able to send it to that journalist. And so it was a sweet moment of a revenge to see what she thought of our shanty town now!

Sharon McGukin: (09:55)
When I went into the 'Poultry Palace' with Laura to see all of the chickens, she said, "would you like to hold one?" And I said, "well, sadly, I've held a lot of chickens in my life, so it's okay". My grandmother said when she would wrap me in blankets to take me with her into the chicken house, and she would put me in a corner with baby chicks. I refused to have any of the baby chicks, except the ones with color, the black chickens, the spotted chickens, the little brown-spotted chickens, a plain yellow chicken just didn't do it for me. Having seen your beautiful chickens, I have a feeling you were somewhat the same.

P. Allen Smith: (10:34)
Oh yeah. I like all those different breeds and all the fun characteristics that you can find with chickens. Some of 'em are very wacky looking.

Sharon McGukin: (10:45)
But, now that's serious work for you also the heritage chickens, correct?

P. Allen Smith: (10:51)
Well, in that we are conserving genetics. I think it is a very serious matter. I did a TEDx talk, about genetic and biodiversity. Um, so a few years ago, and I cited, you know, the, the food system that we have today and, and the lack of genetic diversity that you find there in it. And, um, you certainly see that with poultry, and that's why we keep 40 breeds heritage breeds at Moss Mountain Farm today. Just really to sort of keep these genetics going. Because you have to hatch a new generation each year and be a steward of them. Choosing the best examples of the breed year in and year out and breeding with those moving forward. So, we've made great strides and we've got some of the rarest breed that you can find here in the US. I'm a life member of the Livestock Conservancy. And they rank these birds in terms of whether they're critically endangered or threatened and so forth. And we have a lot of the very critically endangered breeds at the farm.

Sharon McGukin: (12:09)
Now you mentioned people having chickens in their yard, just for eggs and such. I know a lot of people who are getting chickens for that purpose in surprising places. Do you have any advice for them? Is there a particular kind that is better or a particular number when it comes to just having chickens in a small pen for your backyard, anything special about that, that you would share?

P. Allen Smith: (12:34)
Well, I think that it's important to recognize that they're a flock animal. And, so this notion of having one hen is very sad to me because I wouldn't want to be that chicken. I think that three to five hens makes a lot of sense. People don't show a lot of enthusiasm for roosters in the city, sadly. They don't bother me. I think people should be up anyway to hear a rooster in the morning. But, the other thing I think is important is that they have a good pen because everything loves to eat a chicken. And so, I think that you've got to be set up so that these nocturnal predators don't take them out. But, I think they're immensely amusing to have around. And I think, if you've got children or grandchildren or nieces and nephews that you're around - having chickens there for them to raise and so forth is a good learning experience.

Sharon McGukin: (13:38)
I just don't like the big snakes that visit chicken pens to get some of the eggs. That’s sort of is a turnoff for me. I don't want to reach him for an egg and get a snake instead.

P. Allen Smith: (13:50)
It's very rare, but I can understand your ambivalence.

Sharon McGukin: (13:54)
My cousin has a ‘snake in residence’ at her chicken pen, and that's not a friend I care to make.

Now during COVID, did you experience any challenges? I know you're outside of Little Rock and you're out in a rural area and sort of away, so that may have given you more freedom. One of the things that we do on ‘How we Bloom’ is look at how people meet challenge with change. So, I wondered if you had any challenges during COVID that inspired change and if so, perhaps our audience could learn from your struggles.

P. Allen Smith: (14:30)
Well, I, I think that one of the things that comes to mind, Sharon, is that I didn't really adopt or even agree with this phrase - social distancing. That was one of the things that I didn't ascribe to. During the midst of the pandemic, I was all about physical distancing. But, I think it's really important, as we are social species, and I really find it important to maintain contacts and so forth. I found that during that period, I reached out to a lot of my elderly relatives, and had regular connections with them via the phone. Which I had not taken the time to do heretofore. And that was very rewarding and lots of strong reconnections there.

I think that it also gave me a time to do a lot of reflecting and sort of thinking about things in a different way. I actually enjoyed the pace. It reminded me more of a pace that I recalled as a child and just made me realize that perhaps it was time to hit the reset button anyway. Because the world has become so frenetic.

Sharon McGukin: (16:02)

I agree. Speaking of your elder relatives, I was there once when your aunt was preparing a recipe with you in the kitchen. She was quite entertaining. So I think she would be fun to check in with.

P. Allen Smith: (16:17)
Well, if we were in the kitchen cooking, it might have been my great aunt. I speak to them regularly. They're a source of delight and they all have a great sense of humor.

Sharon McGukin: (16:34)
Yeah. She was really cute. 

What do you love most about Moss mountain? Of course, I was in love with the flower gardens. You were so kind just to give me free reign to just go and cut anything that I wanted out of the garden. You did point out I did cut a whole red wagon full. Maybe I could have been a little more frugal. You  had this big, beautiful aloe plant. You said to feel free to cut from the plant. I thought my husband was going to have a heart attack when he came up and found I'd sliced off a big  limb of it - not knowing you'd given me permission. So, I love your flower gardens. What do you love best about Moss Mountain?

P. Allen Smith: (17:15)
Well, I think that what I enjoy the most is sharing it. Having people come and hopefully be inspired, and go away with maybe some different ways of thinking about design or particular plants or methodologies. Ways in which one might go about caring for the planet, and also where they might meet other people of like mind. So, I think it's the sharing of the place is the thing that I enjoy the most about it.

Sharon McGukin: (17:47)
And it is a wonderful place of sharing. I've seen you interact with the groups both at your farm with audiences. You and I have done National Garden Club events and floral speaker events. You just have a natural way of connecting with the audience. They're always very excited to see you. 

Do you see a, a big change possibly in the future for farming, whether it's small farming or larger, or flower farming?  It just seems that maybe we're on the cusp of a change in the way that we do things. Do you ever have that feeling?

P. Allen Smith: (18:29)
I think that there is a movement, Sharon, that is embracing local purveyors of many things. Food being one of them. I want to believe that, so maybe it it's just hopeful thinking on my part. But, we do see it in restaurants, where the chef is listing, not only the ingredients, but, also farms from where those ingredients are grown are raised. And, that's very heartening. We do all we can to support those kinds of endeavors. On the other hand, I think we're looking at a global population expansion of 9 billion by 2050. The industrial agricultural practices will only be amplified to meet that challenge to feed that many people. So, to me, it is a personal choice. I vote with my dollars and I tend to try to vote for the local, the organically grown, even though it's always going to cost more. Because they can't scale. The small grower cannot scale.

Sharon McGukin: (19:55)
And I think that we could learn from the food industry, the way that they have incorporated a lot of new practices and the way that they've embraced organic. I really feel like the flower industry could follow along and learn a lot from that industry. Speaking of flower farming, do you have any advice you would give newbies who are just setting up, maybe their gardens, maybe it's for flower farming to sell, but it could just be flower farming for their own purpose and their own joy. I know you have a lot of raised beds, and I wondered if that was integral to what you think your growth is. You also have a lot of herbs that are grown mixed in with the flowers, any suggestions like those?

P. Allen Smith: (20:40)
I think that the best suggestion I could give anyone is don't over-reach and be moderate in the beginning. If you're a beginner, I mean, there's nothing like the zeal of a new convert. But, sometimes that zealous nature or that moment in time, one can bite off more than one can chew. And I think, starting out with perennials for flowers. Because I think often people struggle trying to grow seed. I would start with simple things, and a few of them to try as cut flowers. As well as things that one might seed directly into a garden bed. Zinnias are marvelous. I love dahlias. They're easy to grow. I think that starting on that level makes a lot of sense. So you're not discouraged.

P. Allen Smith: (21:44)
And we all learn from our mistakes. I mean, I’m a self-described plant killer. I learned many of my lessons from my mistakes. I think the thing is to not be too hard on oneself. It's all about the effort and to really enjoy the process of growing a few things. And there's always next year. I think that the idea of raised beds makes it even easier. I tend to make the beds design where I could sit at one edge and reach. My reach is the halfway point, so I can work around the bed for weeding and picking and that kind of thing. That's particularly helpful with herbs and things like that. 

Probably the best advice I could give anyone starting out, Sharon, would be what we do at Moss Mountain. We really don't grow flowers as much as we grow the soil. Understanding the soil and growing the soil where it has a healthy balance of microbial activity. It's enriched with lots of humus and where one is following organic practices is the best step anyone can make, to success with growing flowers.

Sharon McGukin: (23:11)
Absolutely. And the joy. The flowers you grow yourself is just so much more so than what you buy commercially. And of course, you and I know that the same gene that breeds in longevity breeds out fragrance. So, the flowers from the garden at home may not last as long, but they’re so much more fragrant than commercial flowers are. Fragrance is the trigger to memory. A lot of times our flowers and herbs take us back to special memories in life. 

 I enjoy your cookbooks and you use a lot of herb and your recipes. So that is another way that you bring the joy of your beds right in indoors with you.

P. Allen Smith: (23:53)
Oh, absolutely. Yeah. We have expanded a lot of the plantings and I'm working on the shade garden now, which is probably larger than it needs to be, but that tends to be way I work.

Sharon McGukin: (24:04)
And then it'll be just perfect when it's finished.

P. Allen Smith: (24:06)
Well, we'll see. Perfection is really an illusion.

Sharon McGukin: (24:09)
When I was with you. We did a segment for one of your TV shows, but you actually have, is it four different TV shows – Garden Home, Garden Table, Garden Style, and P Allen Smith's Gardens.

P. Allen Smith: (24:25)
Well, I think that, yeah, we do have three that are out there. Certainly, on PBS.  Garden Home and Garden to Table. And then we have Garden Style and all of that content. Now, we continue production of shows, but they're not like the 30-minute shows that we used to see, Sharon. They're more segments, and those can all be found on YouTube if people want to follow the show. I don't know how many we've put up now. I think it's like, I don't know, 2000 videos.

Sharon McGukin: (25:08)

Oh, wow. On the YouTube channel?
So they just Google your name “P. Allen Smith” to find those videos in particular?

P. Allen Smith: (25:10)
Yeah. On YouTube. Yes, they can. Google my name, and then if they're interested in hydrangea, for instance, they can google that. We have a lot of videos on how to grow hydrangea and peonies and things like that. Most of our perennials. You know, I love perennials and we've got the garden full of those. And I mentioned those earlier because I think that for a beginning gardener having some, some beloved peonies that'll come back. If you're like peonies. They don't have to plant every year and we can depend on them. And I think often perennials can be more forgiving than annuals.

Sharon McGukin: (25:52)
Absolutely. And, annuals are double the work.

P. Allen Smith: (25:59)
Yes. Can be. I love to sort of mix annuals and perennials together, and I know you do that so beautifully with your floral arrangements and the same practice really should be applied to the garden. Our perennials all come from Gilbert H Wild and Son. They've been in business since 1885. We've kind of created a display garden for a lot of their perennials we planted. I just wrote a blog for them about the peonies that we ordered. And we ordered 40, I think, varieties of peonies …  36 varieties of peonies, a few years ago. And what a joy was that, I mean, it was a lot of work. Yeah. But what's the return now? I mean, that was how many years ago? Four, five, maybe even six, but we haven't done anything to those beds other than fertilize the plants. And then, you know, cut them back in the winter. There's a little bit of maintenance, but we're not replanting them every year and they'll be there for 50 more years.

Sharon McGukin: (27:02)
And they're gorgeous.

P. Allen Smith: (27:03)
Oh yeah. And there's that, of course

Sharon McGukin: (27:06)
Yes. Also, I was impressed with your pumpkin patch. You had such beautiful pumpkins that were different sizes and could be used every way. I don't know if you grow these or procure them, but your pumpkin house that you have in the fall, that takes a lot of pumpkins to create that, but it is really attractive and a lot of fun to look at.

P. Allen Smith: (27:28)
Yes, thank you. A lot of people love to come and see the pumpkin house. I, I never know how many it's going to take usually. This year, I think it was 783 pumpkins it took to complete the pumpkin house. We do grow a few of them, Sharon, but mainly what you may be remembering is some of those in the vegetable garden, and then all the gourds we grow. We have a neighboring farmer who does a very good job with a wide range of pumpkins. So we buy a good many of those from them. Again, to support the local smaller farmer.

Sharon McGukin: (28:06)
Mm-hmm . And I think there is a new push to support the local farmer. And I think that is a great thing. I did hear a chef who said he found that to be very important also. But, he also cautioned us to buy from people who are doing ‘quality’, not just ‘closely’. And I thought that made a lot of sense too. We want to look at it from both angles.

P. Allen Smith: (28:33)
Yes. That's a good point. I think so.

Sharon McGukin: (28:35)
Absolutely. Are there other large farms around your area?

P. Allen Smith: (28:40)
There are a lot of extraordinarily large farms in the state and just really literally across the river. You can see them. But they’re mainly in the throes of commercial, industrial, or agricultural plantings as far as you know. Are there larger organic farms, Sharon, there's not that many. I know there's several purveyors of different kinds of proteins. You know, we have some poultry growers that are doing some of the heritage birds, like we are. Also, sheep and pork or lamb and pork and also beef.

Sharon McGukin: (29:37)
Are you wondering, who's partnering with me to bring practical solutions to you. This podcast is brought to you by Smithers-Oasis North America. Why is Smither Oasis investing in your business, helping you to meet challenge with change? Smithers Oasis North America understands that you need fresh ideas to inspire new growth. Oasis carefully plants the seeds of your success by offering a balance of traditional and on trend products that enhance your designs. 

Simply visit your wholesale supplier for your favorite Oasis products or view the online selection of direct deliver to you products and seasonal inspiration. Now available from oasisfloralproducts.com while you're on the website, click into the podcast page for more insightful interviews with innovative guests. Also check out our Floral Hub blog. Scroll down to the featured post section and enjoy the collection of design tips and flower ideas for weddings, holidays, in-store or online business and lots more. After you enjoy each Floral Hub blog or How we Bloom podcast episode, please share them with your flower friends. 

Sharon McGukin:

How many years have you been in this industry? When did you begin when you came back from college?

P. Allen Smith: (31:18)
Well, I had the good fortune to go to a small liberal arts college called Hendrix College in Arkansas. A private school. After that, I went to a way to do my graduate work in England, where I became a Certified Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society. I still maintain strong contacts there in England. I just found this to be a very fertile place, you know, for growing things. My career with television really began officially in 1993, when we started our production company. But, before that time, I was going into the local ABC affiliate here in Little Rock and talking about different kinds of plants and things that we were growing and how to use them. Also espousing organic approaches to the care of plants, lawns and gardens, and things like that. Gosh, I guess next year it'll be 30 years, so yeah.

Sharon McGukin: (32:31)
Your life's work. What you've accomplished in that life's work. That's quite amazing. Now our audience loves to hear interesting things about you. So my last question is going to be, what does the P. stand for?

P. Allen Smith: (32:49)
Well, my grandmother always used to say that stood for 'potential'.  But, it's nothing nearly as clever as that. It's Paul. That was my father's name.

Sharon McGukin: (33:00)
Yeah. I think your grandmother pegged the potential, but your mom said “potential's not a good everyday name. Let's go for Paul.”

P. Allen Smith: (33:07)
I think you're probably right there, you know. So tell me what you’re doing  these days. I'm just curious.

Sharon McGukin: (33:17)
When COVID arrived, it kind of made it difficult for designers who travel. My last trip before COVID took place … my last big trip … was South Africa. So, I went from visiting South Africa to staying in Carrollton, Georgia for two years. We are just beginning to come back out. Because when there are no in-person events, then you can't travel to events as a speaker or as a floral educator. Independently or for Smithers-Oasis North America or for Floriology.

Now, we did a lot of video. We did webinars. I learned how to podcast. Because I am not an IT person, I think you and I both agree on this, give us the flowers or the plants and let somebody else push the buttons. But, I did spend the time learning to podcast and edit. It was hard because I just didn't know the language. And if you don't know the language, then you don’t know that automation means sound. That’s hard. But, you learn.

P. Allen Smith: (34:18)
That's all it is, is just practice. And, and you just need to learn that lexicon. It's different.

Sharon McGukin: (34:24)
Yes. So, I used the time when I couldn't travel to catch up with things that needed to be done. Learned to do things I'd wanted to do. And now it's opening back up. We're starting to have in-person events and such. Of course, I still do the blog. I've written the blog for Oasis for about five years. 

The best part of it, though, if you really are looking for the positives is I had a lot more time to spend with my grandchildren. Attending ball games and such. So, we just took that to treasure and said “you know, it either will come back or it will come back differently.” And it is coming back differently. But as I sat on a plane this past Friday on a trip, for an hour and a half on the runway, I said, “well, the new normal is just like the old normal.”

P. Allen Smith: (35:20)
Some things don't change. I've had some of those travel challenges as well. I'll be speaking in Colonial Williamsburg at the end of the month. And we've been setting up flight schedules and that'll be their 75th Anniversary Garden Symposium. It's great to see people getting back out and doing some of the things that you do so well.

Sharon McGukin: (35:46)
Yes, well, they were the braver of everyone when we were not traveling for the flower industry, those Garden Club women were like “we're not scared. Come on.” So, I did travel for some of those events like you do during that time. I can't remember now where all I  went. I just thought it was amazing that everybody was battened down, but the Garden Club women are like “we're not scared. Come on.” So, I did.

P. Allen Smith: (36:12)
You're exactly right. They were fearless.

Sharon McGukin: (36:17)
They are fearless! And I do enjoy them as do you. Well, we just appreciate so much you spending time with us and sharing all the knowledge that you've shared through the years with flowers. And one thing I wanted to say when we were talking about how beautiful and green your home was, it's also very, very comfortable. It's just a really warm lived-in place to be. And I think that's so important. I think that a home should be exactly that a home. Yours truly is.

P. Allen Smith: (36:48)
That's the highest compliment there because I, I want to be comfortable and I want our visitors to, to feel comfortable. And, I think it goes back to that sort of ferme ornée idea. You want a place to be functional and beautiful and part of the function - the inside of house is comfort. Yeah.

Sharon McGukin: (37:10)
Yes, absolutely. The morning that the tour was coming, you and I were in your kitchen early. Just arranging flowers, drinking coffee and talking about life. And I just so enjoyed that because it was just comfortable and natural. And that gave me that feeling of ‘it's a real home.’ It's not a television set.

P. Allen Smith: (37:33)
That's right. It's a real home first. And from time to time, it serves as a set for the show. Yeah. But you know, that's the way we've always done things. I don't really like talking about anything unless I've done it myself. Every place at Moss Mountain Farm is sort of an experimental station where we're constantly trying new ideas and new plants and so forth. Having great guests, such as yourself, just come see us.

Sharon McGukin: (38:04)
Well, it was wonderful. Pet the Scotty's for me, they're just adorable. I hope you have a wonderful year and we all get back to some form of normal.

P. Allen Smith: (38:14)
Well, I hope you'll come see us and we'll have to do another workshop together. That was great fun.

Sharon McGukin: (38:21)
Let's do that. Let's get it on our calendar and we'll be there. And you know, Tim. He's going to want a second helping. He loves your food.

P. Allen Smith: (38:29)
He's great. We'll give you a call.

Sharon McGukin: (38:30)
Thank you so much. I appreciate you

P. Allen Smith: (38:36)
Enjoyed it so much. Take care. Bye-bye

Sharon McGukin: (38:50)
In closing, Smithers-Oasis North America, and I want to thank you for joining us today. If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. And, be sure to hit subscribe. You don't want to miss the inspired solutions our upcoming guests will share for your personal or business growth. 

 If you have guests or topics you would like to hear on this podcast, please message me. We'd love to hear your suggestions. Until next time, I'm Sharon McGukin reminding you that like the unfolding petals of a flower, we grow by changing form. Soaking up inspiration like raindrops. Absorbing energy from others like warmth from the sun. This growth opens us up to new ideas and that's ‘How we Bloom.’