About Marcella
I wanted to share my story with hopes it will inspire others. I suppose my love of gardening came naturally to me through the passion of both of my Parents. I vividly recall being with my Mother as she tended to her garden, from as far back as I can remember.
My Parents were both born and raised in Vienna and ironically, their families lived only a few houses apart. Keeping in mind, there were 10 acres per property between them. Both of their properties backed onto the enchanted Black Forest. As a necessity, my parents learned to grow their own food which was an essential skill during the war. In addition, they raised bees for honey and of course, a variety of flowers to bring charm and lighten up their lives.
I recall with great fondness a variety of colourful flowers and plants adorning our gardens. The plants I recall are, Sweet William, Smoke Tree, Tulips, Ground Cover Sedum, Daffodils, Forsythia, Weigela and a glorious Crab apple tree which accommodated a family of Robins each spring.
The Homestead
My Parents purchased a 50 acre farm when I was 5 years old. It was my Mother’s idea as she saw great potential even though the property was mostly overrun and neglected. She believed this is would a wonderful place to raise her family. She was right.
My Father missed the views of the Black Forest from back home and made it his mission to recreate it, in our own backyard here in Canada. The local government at the time was encouraging tree planting, and offered yearling trees in bulk Over a span of 10 years, as a family we planted over 14,000 trees. My Dad had two massive ponds dug, which spanned the width of the property totaling an impressive 1100 feet wide each. He would spend numerous hours puttering around with his backhoe, often getting it stuck in the valley, as he continued to realize his dream.
As a Sunday tradition, my Dad would take our entire family all around Ontario and collect plant material for the farm. I remember with great fondness, wadding in waist high water as my dad passed me plants from a bog. His favorite plants to collect were ferns, and a variety of water plants for our 2 ponds, He also propagated thousands of evergreens which started the base of the gardens around the farmhouse.
This farm was my Mother and Father’s beautiful creation. My Father passed away in 2007. In order to keep his memory alive and to continue his legacy, I purchased the farm from my Mother. I rented out the farm house for the next decade,
Life Changing
Fast forward 50 years, I was a successful real estate broker earning a spot as one of the top Agents in Canada when a chain of events turned my world upside down. In 2017, I lost my beloved Mother and three of my precious dogs. In 2019 I was diagnosed with two very aggressive forms of breast cancer. After battling cancer for two years and undergoing extremely aggressive treatments, I made the decision to completely change the direction of my life. It was time to start to follow my dreams and be truly happy.
In 2020 I started started to dedicate all my time and focus on reviving and expanding the gardens. I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to take this glorious piece of land my parents started and grow and nurture the land along with all the wildlife which has come to relay on it.
With Gratitude
Kammerer Heritage Farm is a 50 acre property located within the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada. In addition to landscaping, I raise Heritage Poultry and free roaming Peacocks. My Boutique Garden Center will open spring 2022. My dreams do not end there. More exciting projects to come.
I will dedicate the remainder of my life to this amazing property and in honour and memory of my parents Victor Joseph Kammerer and Fredericka Anne Kammerer.
With Gratitude Marcella Kammerer
