recurrent delights
london, new york, grimsby ... a lot of great stories start in the garden and the best stories keep the garden central to the entire tale. quite frankly, who wants the plot line to stray from the delights which can be found in the garden? when it comes to plants, flowers, roots, trees, bark, spores, basically, everything in the flora kingdom, i can get very evangelical in my feelings and thoughts. heck, dirt, stones, weeds and found objects also occupy my thoughts probably more than they should. i love it all.
i was blessed with a talent to grow things. and, as the seasons have passed, my career evolved from working with hundreds of species of plants to working with a select few which have superior cultural significance ... and now i grow these select species on a larger scale. please note that the term 'cultural significance' really is a cover for the vanity of pursuing plants that centuries of wise-women/horticulturists/royalty/witches/physics have kept safe and alive through the generations due to their highly beneficial qualities to humans. revered tomes on medicinal plants and word-of-mouth knowledge of botanical tonics that have been passed down for centuries because of their unflagging ability to help humans stay on top of their game. keep their skin young and their hair shiny and clean. help with upsetting skin conditions and sore, achy joints. remedies to calm and give hope.
fable versus fraud
having spent most of my life working in a garden, i can spot at 40 paces those who have not. in 2008 i coined the term #farmtoface for something i had been doing since the early 90's and oh boy, has this term taken on quite a few freeloaders. really slick freeloaders. i neither want to fight, flee or join them. i really just want to offer a glimpse into a horticultural journey which strives to keep alive these very valuable plant traditions ... and, when i can, improve upon these traditions.
full disclosure, i don't want to be that wizened crone who became the expert in retaining plant chemistry or the fanatical zealot constantly advocating for the healing properties of #phytonutrients ... (wizened from years of doing hard physical labour, toiling for long agonizing months in the unrelenting hot sun or taking the brunt of an arctic gale force wind with driving rain) ... no thanks! i will take my chances with the ancestral knowledge that now runs through my veins and translates into everything i do. the total recognition and allegiance to the fact that plants can improve all of our lives. when plants are grown with loving intention and their signatures extracted with diligence and care, well, it only stands to reason that using these vibrant, concentrated extracts in formulations for personal care and well being will result in very good things happening.
