Twilight Grove, LLC

05/29/2026

What happens in an elderberry field after dark?

A few evenings ago, while finishing up work in our elderberry orchard near sunset, I stopped to watch two young rabbits racing through the shrubs while birds filled the air with song.

It got me thinking.

We planted elderberries to grow fruit, but over the past year I've realized we're growing something else too: habitat.

From native bees and butterflies visiting the flowers, to birds, rabbits, turkeys, and countless insects finding food and shelter, elderberry does far more than produce berries. These native shrubs help support an entire ecosystem.

In my latest Grove Life blog post, I share some of the wildlife we've observed in our planting, the surprising role fungi play beneath the mulch, and why native plants like American elderberry can have impacts far beyond the harvest basket.

Read the full article here: https://grovelife.substack.com/p/elderberry-wildlife-benefits

05/27/2026

Honored to be part of the Heartland American Elderberry Collaborative. 🌿

Building a stronger elderberry market takes growers working together, sharing knowledge, and thinking beyond individual farms. Excited to work alongside others who care deeply about regenerative agriculture and growing the future of American elderberry.

🌿 Participating Farm Spotlight: Twilight Grove Farm 🌿

Located in Clinton County, Missouri, Twilight Grove Farm is a family farm operated by Julianne and Ben Hemphill with a commitment to regenerative agriculture, conservation, and building a resilient future through perennial agriculture.

In early 2025, approximately 675 American elderberry plants went into the ground at Twilight Grove, including Bob Gordon, Adams, York, Wyldewood, and Ranch varieties. While the elderberries mature toward future production, the farm remains busy with a wide range of projects and hands-on work.

Julianne manages the day-to-day farm labor and farm management activities, while Ben provides logistics and mechanical support to help keep projects moving forward.

Recent farm projects include installation of a hybrid hazelnut orchard, wildlife enhancement and conservation work, and establishment of a 1.2-acre pollinator field that is blooming for the very first time this season. Julianne is also a beekeeper, and Twilight Grove has started dipping its toes into farmers markets with honey, beeswax soaps, and lip balms.

The farm also offers private farm camping opportunities, allowing guests to experience quiet rural spaces, wildlife, pollinator habitat, and time outdoors while enjoying the natural beauty of the property.

Twilight Grove believes healthy farms and healthy ecosystems go hand in hand. Conservation, pollinator support, soil stewardship, and regenerative practices are central to the farm’s long-term vision.

As participating members of the Heartland American Elderberry Collaborative, Twilight Grove is excited to work alongside fellow growers to strengthen regional elderberry production and help build a stronger future for this remarkable native crop.

Interested in following along with life on the farm? Julianne shares weekly stories, projects, successes, failures, and farm experiments through GROVE LIFE: grovelife.substack.com

🌱 American Elderberry • Regenerative Agriculture • Pollinator Habitat • Conservation • Beekeeping • Small Farm Life

05/26/2026

Some surprises completely make your day.

Our friend Kyle Harper surprised me with this beautiful Twilight Grove wooden sign, and I couldn't love it more. The craftsmanship is incredible, and the details fit Twilight Grove perfectly.

There's something special about handmade work created by talented people who care about what they do.

I'm already looking forward to adding this to our farmers market table display this season. 🌿✨

Thank you, Kyle. We love it.

05/22/2026

Last year, we planted beautyberry along a difficult stretch beside a fence that had poor soil, changing light conditions, uneven moisture, and spots where even weeds struggled to grow.

Instead of giving up on the area, we decided to experiment.

🌿 Could divided moss plugs become a living groundcover?
🌿 Would beautyberry survive the tough conditions?
🌿 Can difficult spaces become something beautiful over time?

Our latest Grove Life post shares the process, lessons learned, and why gardening sometimes means playing the long game.

Read here: https://grovelife.substack.com/p/the-groundcover-experiment

05/19/2026

One year ago, in February 2025, we planted our pollinator field. At the time, it mostly looked like bare soil and a lot of hope.

This spring, the Lance-leaved Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) has become the first native wildflower to really burst onto the scene. Now the field is dotted with hundreds - maybe thousands - of bright golden blooms.

Native plant gardeners often talk about the “sleep, creep, leap” pattern during years 1–3:
• Year 1: sleep
• Year 2: creep
• Year 3: leap

It’s exciting to finally start seeing that process unfold here. Every walk through the field feels a little different as new species begin to emerge and establish themselves. I can’t wait to see how the pollinator field changes through the seasons and over the next few years.

If you’d like to read about the original installation of the pollinator field, you can find the blog post here: https://grovelife.substack.com/p/pollinator-field-planting

05/15/2026

Storms are part of farming… but they still hurt.

A couple weeks ago, hail and strong winds tore through our elderberry fields. From a distance, everything looked fine. Up close? More than 90% of the plants had damage from snapped canes and broken branches. Even our little footbridge washed away. Again. 😅

This post is a look at the cleanup, the recovery process, and the reality that farming is often about adapting after things don’t go according to plan.

The good news? Elderberry is resilient. We keep moving forward.

Read the full story here:
https://grovelife.substack.com/p/storm-damage-elderberry-field

05/12/2026

From planting to picking - the first fruit is here 🍓

05/08/2026

You can do everything “right”…
and still not get the outcome you expected.

After splitting one strong hive into three, things got complicated fast - low populations, questionable queen behavior, and one colony hanging by a thread.

It’s not the clean success story I hoped for…

👉 Read the full update:
https://grovelife.substack.com/p/hive-split-week-after-results

05/05/2026

Second year for the elderberries 🌿

Year 1: we removed every bloom to build strong roots.
Year 2: we’re still cutting back - removing 1/3 to 1/2 of blooms to keep that growth going.

The Ranch plants are already pushing ~20 budding flower cymes each… which means a lot of time clipping.

Not glamorous work - but this is what sets up future harvests.

Also… thankful for audiobooks to make these repetitive tasks a little more enjoyable🎧

05/01/2026

🐝 From 1 hive → 3 colonies… but not without a few curveballs.

This spring, our overwintered Carniolan colony hit full momentum - three deep boxes, rapid buildup, and right on the edge of swarming.

So we split it into three.

I ordered two Carniolan queens to speed things up…
and came home with Italians instead.

Not ideal - but also a good opportunity to see how the two compare in real time.

In this post I walk through:
• How the splits were structured (frame by frame)
• Why I used mated queens instead of letting them raise their own
• How we installed them and what to watch in the first 7 days
• What I’m tracking now to know if things are actually working

If all goes well, we’ll head into the season with three strong colonies instead of one.

If not… the bees will let us know 😅

🔗 Read it here: https://grovelife.substack.com/p/spring-hive-split-mated-queens

05/01/2026

At the Plattsburg Old Depot today for their first ever farmers market, paired with the city-wide garage sales! We’ll be here until 2:00 at 500 N 7th St Plattsburg, MO.

We’ve got tunes to listen to today, as my booth neighbor has been jamming out on the accordion 🪗