The Rural Voice, 1991-12, Page 29The Wischs meet many new people at
their bed and breakfast retreat near Hensall.
hanging bunches of colourful, sweet -
scented dried flowers. Almost every
surface is covered by her artistic
displays, or the raw materials that go
into their making: baskets, decorative
pots, boxes of blooms, and jars of
seeds, blossoms, and grains, bits of
moss and other wild plants, ribbons
and other adornments, like tiny birds,
animals, and accents for every
occasion.
Thea's Dried Flowercrafts is a
business that has made a name for
itself in a short span of time. Opened
in 1984, it has a loyal following of
more than 800 customers, who pro-
vide her advertising through the power
of word-of-mouth. Thea sells some of
her displays on consignment at shops
in the region, and puts up posters
locally for her annual Christmas open
house, but satisfied customers do the
rest. Her work sets itself apart from
other dried flower creations because of
its high quality.
Completely self-taught, Thea com-
bines the artist's imagination with the
craftsman's skill, paying equal atten-
tion to aesthetic details and careful
construction. The result is arrange-
ments that look good even up close,
and wreaths whose "wrong" side is
meticulously finished so wires and
background supports are invisible.
The reason for the popularity of
her dried flowercrafts, says Thea
simply, is "I have a variety of flowers,
and I have lots. You have to add var-
iety, with things like baby's breath, or
even grains, or wild grasses, to make it
more interesting. And when I make
an arrangement, I don't think about
how many flowers I need, because I
don't pay for each flower like many
others do, who buy from wholesalers.
I grow my own flowers, and I use as
many as I want to make it look good."
Thea starts her flowers from seed
in mid-March, planting tray after tray
of seedlings, and tending them in the
sun room of her home. Near the end
of April, she moves them out into the
greenhouse, transplanting the inch -
high seedlings into six-inch trays. The
plants are moved to the garden at the
end of May, where daily tending con-
tinues through the summer. Thea
encourages her plants to bloom pro-
fusely by cutting blossoms often, and
by mid-July, she gathers flowers every
day. She takes care to cut the flowers
before they are fully open, since the
petals will open still further during the
drying process, and the flowers will
retain their shape and colour best if
they are kept in a dark place with just
the right amount of humidity.
The ceiling of the Wischs' dry
sauna holds 75 bunches at a time, and
these too are checked every day.
Some types of flowers are ready with-
in 24 hours; others may stay as long as
a week. Their final stop is Thea's
workshop, where the bunches hang
from the ceiling until she begins work
on her arrangements — a year-round
activity. Whether it's Christmas,
Easter, Mother's Day, anniversaries,
or birthdays, Thea fills orders for all
occasions. Some customers even
provide her with a favourite container
— a family heirloom, a special pot,
jug, or basket — to use as the base for
their arrangement. These custom-
made projects are Thea's favourites, as
each creation is one -of -a -kind.
"When we came to Canada, most
people had silk flowers, but that has
changed a lot in the past few years,"
says Thea. "The country style is in,
and now you see dried flower arrange-
ments in the stores, and in every mag-
azine."
"In Germany, there are different
flowers growing in the garden every
week," adds Uwe, "and that's what we
try to do here. From early summer to
late fall, you can go in the garden and
make a flower bouquet."
Guests at Wisch Huron Farms are
made to feel at home, free to roam the
grounds or curl up indoors for a visit
or a quiet rest. Breakfast is an event,
the table laid out with a variety of
European -style breads, cheeses, cold
cuts, and fruit, and Thea prepares eggs
and serves juice, milk, and coffee to
round out the menu. Sharing their
hospitality comes easily to the Wischs.
"With a bed -and -breakfast, we get
to meet a lot of people," says Thea.
"People who stay at bed -and -
breakfast places expect you to take
some time with them, to sit down and
visit, and show them around," adds
Uwe. "That's what I've always liked,
and I have the time for that, now that I
don't farm full-time. We've made
some good friends."0
Wisch Huron Farms is a member
of The Ontario Vacation Farm Associ-
ation, and the South Western Ontario
Travel Association. Located 60 kilo-
metres north of London, four kilo-
metres east of Hensall off Highway 4,
Thea and Uwe Wisch welcome adults
and seniors. A brochure about their
B&B, with a map and list of nearby
attractions, is available by phoning
them at 519-263-2206.
DECEMBER 1991 25