Ever since I can remember, I’ve relished the act of conscientiously getting dirt under my nails. Of course I love warmly washing off afterwards, but gardening is something near and dear to my heart. I was lucky that my family introduced me early to soil.
When I had a window box in Kyoto, a messy backyard in North London, two nearby CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) farms in Pennsylvania, I always have found a way to take part in growing something. Now with five years of work on my little postage stamp backyard I’ve tried to put all my dirty lessons into practice. I grow plants from many different countries, and also have a few sections dedicated to making my own cosmetics and toiletries.
I am in disbelief that this bright magenta color exists in nature, these are my hydrangeas
We found a salamander friend when digging beds
An early summer harvest
A mid-summer harvest
Weeding between the green beans and zucchini
A jasmine vine canopy over the gate door
The fringed yellow tulips are up towards the end of March
Radishes sprout, a baby Chinese tree peony, and above the peony an astromeria
Japanese giant mustard and a sunny double geranium
a winter harvest
lettuce at various stages
ground cover in my herb beds makes pretty purple flowers and also keeps the soil moist in summer
Mache goes to seed, it’ll sew itself and grow again next year
parsley is sprouting in my old drawer, now a raised garden bed, I just took the bottom off
Two artichokes are sprouting already!