Our 37-acre farm is nestled comfortably between a few of the toes of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Just two miles from the Tennessee River, we have a nice blend of woods and pasture, all with lovely views of Little Mountain and Centerpoint Mountain. Of course there's a few big old cedar trees and a couple of brooks that gave the farm its name. Old Highway 227 splits the farm right down the middle, with our homes and greenhouse on one side of the road, the other side devoted to pasture and woods.

The farm is home to Bobbye, Clark, Peter, and Bobbye's dad Howard. And of course to a lot of animals! The farm is a posted sanctuary for wildlife, and all of us have been involved for many years in dog, bird and horse rescue. Our menagerie includes Tucker the donkey who narrowly escaped being slaughtered and Lizzie a mixed-breed dog that was near death when a friend rescued her from the roadside. Merlin the cat was another throw-away that found his way to Cedarbrook and made it home. Along with a dozen goats, 2 horses, 6 rabbits, 2 other dogs (retirees from the years that Bobbye and Peter exhibited English Cockers at AKC events). The newest additions to the menagerie are a flock of birds that were homeless before coming to Cedarbrook. They include Oscar the Amazon parrot, 3 lovebirds, a white parakeet and three finches. Until they came along, Barry Canary was the only winged pet (adopted from a local animal shelter).

Gardening has always been important to all three of the "Cedarbrook Gang," so this new endeavor has everyone excited. What a thrill to be able to search the globe for unique plants to grow and share with others! (Hopefully making enough to supplement Clark and Pete's retirement in a couple of years.) 

Unlike many greenhouses that cater to people who simply plant bright showy annuals every year and think gardening is just something you do when you plant vegetables, we cater to real gardeners! People who know that gardening isn’t something you just do in early spring or just to raise food, but something you do to nourish your soul.

Someone once quoted, with tongue-in-cheek “A Garden is a Thing of Duty and a Job Forever.” Although we all know that’s true, it’s a job that we’re passionate about. We’re starting from scratch with our gardens here at the greenhouse, but we’re hoping you’ll come “watch us grow” in more ways than one.

The greenhouse is situated in a small area between Howard's house and the other two houses. It overlooks the pond, and is bordered by woods on one side and the goat paddock on the other. (The goats love getting all the clippings and consider the herbs especially a wonderful treat...we are sure that our goats have the best breath of any goats in the county!) At the moment, we're slowly getting our garden beds laid out and the area around the greenhouse landscaped. Due to some medical issues, we didn't get things going as soon in the year as we'd planned, but, we're finding that "getting there is indeed half the fun," so we're trying to move as fast as we can, without forgetting to have fun along the way. Bobbye will be taking time off in June for a knee replacement, but she assures the guys she can be just as bossy from a wheelchair as she can on foot. J

In years past, one of our favorite things to do every spring was make a day-trip to Cullman to visit CalMac Nursery. Calera and Ronnie McHenry were the epitome of what nursery owners should be. Their willingness to teach and their friendly demeanor would have been enough reason to visit, but their plants were always unique, healthy and came with Calera's special growing and harvesting hints. Why go anywhere else? Sadly, Calera and Ronnie decided last year to take life in a different direction, and CalMac is no more. On the bright side, we purchased one of their greenhouses and it is now standing proudly on our farm. Although we could never hope to take the place of CalMac, we couldn't be happier to keep their old greenhouse full of herbs and unique plants as a tribute to the things we learned from the McHenrys over the years. We have been lucky enough to be able to maintain our friendship with Calera and Ronnie, and they have become our mentors. We are blessed by both the friendship AND the knowledge they are so willing to share. Our lives, and our business, will always be the better because of them. To say "thank you" seems so inadequate.

We're hoping you'll think of our farm as an oasis. A place to come and unwind and "talk plants." Bring a picnic lunch and eat at one of our tables at the edge of the woods (we keep soft drinks and bottled water for guests). The animals will enjoy meeting you, expecially if you happen to bring along a treat or two! Your well-mannered pets are always welcome to visit too, so long as they can co-exist happily with our own. Want to plan a trail ride in the area? You're welcome to unload at the farm and leave your truck and horse trailer here while you ride.

There are lots of wonderful things to do in the area, making us a great place to plan a day trip around. We'll have maps and driving directions on hand to point you in the direction of some of the most interesting places of interest. And some of the best food in the state at some of our local "eateries."

We're hoping you'll plan a visit to us soon and let us know if we're meeting our goal of being more than "just another greenhouse."