Rose, rose, rose—native, non-native, shrub, climber, cutter, but never not-fragrant. Because, well, why?
Hardest gardening lesson you’ve learned:
You cannot do it all or have them all—enjoy the ones you have now, and do what you can now.
Unpopular gardening opinion:
Not sure if it’s really unpopular, but I stand by the age old adage: The best time to do it is when you have time to do it, and if you don’t have time to do it, it’s okay to leave it undone. The plants know what they’re doing, even if you don’t.
Gardening or design trend that needs to go:
It’s had to go for a while, so I can’t believe we are still fighting this: anything (plant, planting, or design composition) that “requires” a chemical treatment should not be in your garden.
Favorite gardening hack:
[As the saying goes] the shadow of the gardener is the best fertilizer. If paying attention, your presence in the garden conserves water, it does not over- or under-weed, it sees and enjoys what is germinating, what is growing, what is blooming, what is seeding. In short, it reminds you why you’re out there, clears your head and heart, and is what will keep you rooted out there as your best self.
Favorite way to bring the outdoors in.
Snip a bit of anything anytime and put in water to be by kitchen sink, by bathroom sink, and on bedside table. Every day you can.
Every garden needs a…
At least one human to learn and grow with it and all its other lives.
Favorite hardscaping material:
Local stone, recycled broken-up concrete that’s starting to take on life of its own.
Tool you can’t live without:
Hand-held hula hoe, or my Felcos.
Go-to gardening outfit:
Whatever I have on….starting with my nightclothes, and progressing through the day back into my nightclothes.
Favorite nursery, plant shop, or seed company:
Plant Barn Nursery in Chico, CA.
On your wishlist:
A white flowering quince, a thriving native styrax, and native fragrant rhododendron….all behind my wishlist deer-proof enclosed garden wall/fence….2025!
Not-to-be-missed public garden/park/botanical garden:
The REAL reason you garden:
Makes me so much nicer of a human.
Thanks so much, Jennifer! (You can follow her on Instagram @cultivating_place.)For our full archive of Quick Takes, head here.
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