Throughout my life, flowers have had a way of decorating time. Though, it wasn’t until I completed treatment for my breast cancer diagnosis during the pandemic, that my hands found their way into the soil, nurturing a plant’s journey from seed to bloom.

My flower story started with the most humble beginnings, and was energized by an urge to rediscover myself again, during a time when so much of the world felt new and uncertain. As I would kneel and bring my hands to the earth, working my fingertips through the dirt, I was also unknowingly working through my own fears, loss, grief and planting seeds of hope. Slowly, gently, as the seasons continued to shift, so did I. And the more time I spent outdoors working alongside nature, the deeper the truth revealed itself to me - when I tend to the flowers I am also tending to myself and my own growth.

This new discovery unveiled the important question - what if the healing didn’t end with me, what if it could be shared with others? It was from this truth that a new dream would begin and carry me forward to today, stewarding and sharing the land of Patina Meadows.

I am most inspired by what is real and unhurried, natural and spacious, wild and connected. It is through these values that my work is influenced and guided by. The word Patina, to me, means to be layered with stories. Which I believe beautifully symbolizes the human experience.

It is my hope that Patina continues to serve as a conduit for connection, inviting others to connect to themselves and their own unique stories through the gifts of nature, for years to come.

- Danielle Doby, owner of Patina Meadows