The History of Mary
In our loamy soil there is a deep history with our magnolia farm. On the same land where our magnolia groves thrive, a farm was established in 1936 by Mary Underhill (Julie’s grandmother).
Mary was a champion of business from a very young age running a hard fought but successful cut foliage business for many decades. She was a business pioneer in those early days and as a female that was a rarity. Mary was passionate and resilient. Her abilities to manage a path through the frequent trials of those years was trying, but appeared effortless to those watching.
She was an eternal optimist and an example of unconditional love. Still today when I am facing doubt or uncertainty I like to lean on my favorite quote from Mary:
“You don’t have the time to sit around feeling sorry for yourself, if you don’t know what to do…just go out and pull some weeds…it’ll make you feel better until you know what to do.”
Of course we can use this metaphor figuratively, as there is no shortage of weeds on our farm. But if you are stuck in the midst of darkness and need encouragement to find a path towards the light, the literal meaning of her thought is priceless. Mary’s history as a founder of the land, pioneering spirit and optimistic outlook in our past is the reason why we wanted to name our new line “Mary’s Magnolias.”