Flower Hill Farm Retreat 

         CELEBRATING TWENTY-ONE YEARS!!  2001 – 2022 . . .

. . .  for those longing to be close to nature. A complete sensory awakening.  We are a retreat surrounded by organic gardens, fields, and forest and a large ever changing sky. Birds and butterflies abound in our wildlife sanctuary. Nature nurtures. Give yourself and those you love a special way of life . . .  for awhile. We are a place in a unique landscape where once Pocumtuck ancestors heard the earth calling one to be still and quiet, to listen and explore. We welcome artists, writers, scientist and all others interested in learning from and connecting deeply with nature, with trees and wildlife, and with the mystery and wild that stirs within. And to rediscover our roots and oneness with our living Mother Earth. 

We especially recommend the studio for solo self-catered writing retreats and for those seeking a quiet getaway surrounded by the sounds and moods of nature. The Writer’s Studio, is a private, quiet, large (18X20), open airy room with 16 x 8 feet of sliding glass doors, between the house and barn, with stunning views of the hills, landscape and sky. You are invited to come and stay alone for a week or more for peaceful solitude. 

There is a one-week minimum stay and the option to stay longer depending on availability. Possibly exceptions. Let us know your needs. 

 

Carol Duke

Flower Hill Farm Retreat Founder 

 

“For the last forty-two years, my life has truly been formed by the dirt on this hillside. It is hard to absorb, to fully determine if I am creating the garden or if the garden is creating me and the way my life unfolds. The land is my muse, my guiding light giving me a sense of place and purpose, of connectedness to a deeply cultivated part of my being ever entwining with the intricacies and marvels of the natural world surrounding and within me.  It is my passion, my duty and life work to be a wise and caring steward and dear friend to the many trees and plants living here. Some I planted and have grown old alongside and others are centuries old sages I continue to seek counsel and succor. I carried these friendships and responsibilities a decade before I was blessed to buy the farm. I continue to work from a place of awe, love and reciprocity. The land is ever giving and inspiring.” Carol speaking about Flower Hill Farm Retreat.

Carol Duke is an artist, farmer and activist who, when not working on her twenty-one acre hillside or writing and calling her representatives in Congress, can be found raising butterflies, writing, painting or out in the gardens, fields and forest photographing nature and wildlife.  And if you cannot find her engaged in those creative efforts she might be floating in a hammock, watching clouds or leaning on a tree in the forest next to a small stream with all senses alive and grateful. 

One of her greatest joys in working with the land has been to see how the farm has become home to a diverse community of wildlife.  Carol enjoys being involved in the education of others interested in gardening organically for humans and wildlife.  And to share that sense of fulfillment in knowing intimately the generosity of our earth. When her son’s family visits, she delights in sharing the life of the land and inhabitants with her three grandsons.

This website holds over fifty-six pages of photographs featuring Flower Hill Farm Retreat’s wildlife, gardens, sky and landscapes. There is a page of Carol’s paintings.  And a little shop offering notecards illustrated with her photographs of the flora and fauna who also call this little piece of earth ‘home’. 

Carol’s writing can be found on her Blog and Focusing on Wildlife. She is working on a book about raising butterflies and gardening for wildlife here at Flower Hill Farm Retreat. The working title is A Bestiary — Tales from a Wildlife Garden. 

Flower Hill Farm has become a favorite retreat for hundreds of guests from around the world.