The World Can Wait

Not Instagrammed: Desert hiking trail near Azusa, CA. May 2019 

Let’s slow it down. Take a breath. That email can wait. So can that text, and instagram message, and whatsapp message and messenger message and telegram message. It can all wait. The world can wait.

This has been my mantra for the past 4 months. Around the time that both my grandmas passed away, I came up with this mantra for myself. The world can wait until after I have had my cup of coffee in the morning. The world can wait until after I mediate before I answer the those emails. Just because technology moves fast, doesn’t mean that we have to. We have the power to slow it down. The choice is ours.

Around the same time, perhaps a few months before that, I decided to stop posting on instagram. My last post was on March 26th, 2019. I really enjoyed posting and sharing stories, but I found myself, almost everywhere I went, thinking “wow this would such a nice shot and oh this would be the coolest caption.” I began to realize that I kept ruining that moment for myself. I kept going into the future about what a nice instagram post this would be instead of just living in the moment. I realized that the cycle of taking the perfect picture and posting it and then seeing how many likes and views I got was like a tic, everywhere I went. I wanted to just experiment and see what would happen if I just stopped?

The human brain is incredible. The plasticity of our brains allows us to learn new things everyday. This means we can make lasting change in our lives, build new neurological connections and pathways. We have the power to do this everyday. So, I just told myself I would stop posting pictures for a while and just live in the moment.

Not Instagrammed: Hiking with family in Azusa, CA. May 2019

At first, I caught myself thinking, while sitting by a stream on a hike for example, oh this would be such a nice shot of this little flower here. I would, by muscle memory, go for my phone, usually in my back pocket. Only then would I stop myself and put my phone back, reminding myself of my experiment. This would happen for a while. I don’t remember how long exactly.

Eventually, I would no longer think about instagram or facebook or posting photos. I no longer reached for my phone during those moments of beauty I found myself upon. I was living in the moment, really just being in the moment of whatever I was doing and where ever I was. Perhaps my brain made new connections and so I stopped reaching for my phone. And, when I realized this, which was a gradual process, I felt so liberated. I don’t really know liberated from what exactly, but perhaps just from the desire or need to share where I am and what I am doing.

Don’t take this the wrong way, I still look at instagram and this is the main way I keep in touch with my cousins and brother, perhaps even get the news. And I find so much inspiration from it, especially in the realm of yoga and food. It’s a wonderful tool. But like all tools, I think it depends on how you use it. I still find myself some days checking it so many times, too many times. It is so addictive. So, for me, like life in general, it is all about balance.

Not Instagrammed: Interesting Swamp Scene on hike. Azusa, CA May 2019

And, since we are talking about building new good habits and establishing routines, I have begun a new morning and bedtime routine about 2 months ago. It’s not really new, since I had done it before, though I would fall out of the routine and jump back in, so it wasn’t as consistent, but it has been pretty consistent the last 2 months, and I have felt such an improvement in my days and in my nights.

During the morning, the first thing I do is have my coffee. I take the time to grind beans so it’s fresh and boil the water with a fast boiler. I use the pour over method, which I have been for years and absolutely love. Coffee for me, is a non-negotiable. It wakes me up and makes me happy. I sip my coffee on the sofa, enjoy the view of green mountains, and that is it. I try not to think of anything or think about my day yet, I just focus on sipping my coffee, smelling it and waking up, slowly. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, Bodhi will hop onto my lap and cuddle with me for a bit.

When I was working at the farm, I would take the first few sips like this, and then, for the sake of time, I would hop onto my yoga mat and do a few morning poses, cow and cat, a few lunges, forward folds, some sun salutations, and in between poses, I would continue sipping my coffee. I would feel so energized getting my body moving and the energy flowing in a positive way first thing in the morning after hours of sleep. Then I would hop over to the computer room where I have a chair by the window. I have to sit here to get internet reception on my phone so that I can hear my headspace app for meditation. At first, I was annoyed at this, the fact that I couldn’t just meditate on my yoga mat, but then I found the chair quite comfortable for meditation and the view beautiful as well,  so it all worked out. I do 10 mins usually, but sometimes, if I’m pressed for time, I’ll do 5 mins. This part of my morning is so important. I feel like meditation sets the tone for my day, one of clarity and positivity. It also gives me a moment to practice gratitude and that also makes me feel so good and gives such perspective on life.

After that, I do all my bathroom business and get dressed then I’m out the door. The main point that has helped a lot has been that I do not look at my phone or other electronics for the first few hours of my morning. I used to sip my coffee while I scrolled through emails on my phone/ looked at instagram, and though it took me a while, I began to notice that this really exhausted me. I suppose it was just information overload. And, frankly, mostly information I did not need.  It’s also perhaps a luxury of my job. The lettuces and leeks wouldn’t be emailing me, I just knew I had to get down to them ;)

Not Instagrammed: Beautiful CA Buckwheat on trail. Azusa, CA May 2019

After a month, I began noticing the difference. I felt so much more energy in the morning and had such clarity and focus throughout the day. My mind felt less cluttered with stories that didn’t serve me. Some mornings, like Saturday mornings, I’ll sip my coffee, do some yoga and look at instagram because it’s fun and I do enjoy it. Or, I'll sip my coffee and scroll through before yoga and meditation. But, that's more like a treat.

For my evening routine, I also eliminate all electronics at least 1 hour before bed, 2 hours is better though. I don’t look at my phone or the computer. Sometimes, if we watch a movie or show, then I make an exception, but this is rare so it’s ok. The other night I happened to look at my phone because I had gotten a text which usually doesn’t happen, but it did and then I got sucked into some instagram perhaps or something on the phone and had to pull myself out of it. I noticed that night I did not fall asleep as well. I try to be in bed by 9 or 9:30pm though, this week I've been closer to 9pm which has been great. Most of the time I am successful since my body naturally gets tired around then. I like to read a few words from whatever books I’m reading next to my corner of the bed and then fall asleep.

Together, these routines of starting and ending the day have improved my functioning and feeling during the day. I feel like I’m functioning more optimally by keeping to these electronic boundaries for myself.

Not Instagrammed: Sage Blossoms. Azusa, CA May 2019

The world can wait. It really can. I think we keep trying to keep up with the pace of the world, and it’s just not humanely possible and we get swept away by all this stuff we don’t need, dampening and dulling our own personal creative spirits and thoughts, while perhaps even straining our adrenal glands.

I have learned in these past few months not to be pressured by responding to emails and texts and all that messaging stuff right away. Back then, when snail mail or telegrams were the only way to communicate, information took time to get to you and you had time to reflect and write something meaningful back. I love that we have email and that it keeps us so connected and makes life so efficient in many ways, but it also hinders our abilities to take time and reflect, since it's so easy to just respond right away. 

Time. Time is ours and time is precious. Don’t let these superficial pressures of responding right away get the most of your time. Look up, look outside, gaze at the stars or sunset once in a while rather than your phone. Take time to be with your people, to smell the flowers, sages, and buckwheats, together. See how you feel afterwards.

People can wait and if they can’t, they can learn. They will live if you don’t answer them right away. Try it! I promise it’ll be ok if you don’t respond right away. So, for September (and beyond) let's slow down and savor life.

*photos by me. 

Sprouts, the Magic of Gardening

Sometimes, a garden needs a little magic. Last week in Mom's garden I played witch and sprinkled coffee grounds and smoked paprika along the garden borders to keep the cats away. And, either it worked, or the cats had found another garden to call their toilet anyway. Either way, the cats have stayed away!

I think every gardener believes in magic. Whether consciously or subconsciously. You really can't help but be mystified still when you see sprouts and wonder how life begins from the tiniest of seeds.  Even with the scientific understanding of it all, there is something so magical and exciting. I, now 27 years old, still jump with excitement when I see sprouts!!! I did so on this past Tuesday October 18th, when I saw lettuce and radish sprouts, which I had seeded on Thursday October 13th. It took 6 days!

Seeds are magical!! Lettuce sprouts under burlap sack cover.

Only a week ago there was dried dirt and poop here, now heirloom lettuces!

Will thin these. These micro-greens will be great on a sandwich! 

That's incredible! I've known lettuce and radish seeds to germinate quickly, but I suppose maybe I never carefully counted the days, since there was always lots of other seeds and tasks to keep track of in the garden. Seed sprouts never cease to inspire me. I'm rather enjoying this piece-by-piece gardening, starting small, whether it's just a small plot or a few different seeds, or both. It's a great way to learn and observe. I've learned that the burlap sack worked very well as a cover to keep seeds moist for germination. Not only can you test out different gardening practices such as I did with burlap here, but I find that you have high chances of success too if you have say one bed of veggies to care for, rather than a lot of different ones.

It's all part of Slow Gardening. Like the Slow Food Movement, which began in Italy by Carlo Petrini in 1986, who promoted slow eating, saving and savoring traditional foods and cuisines through saving heirloom seeds and sustainable cultivating practices. Slow Gardening is about taking pleasure in gardening, savoring the experience, such as watching seeds sprout, smelling the earthy fragrance of compost, feeling the water splash on your toes as it drips out of the watering can; it's a sensual experience.

Happy Lavender producing new flowers!

Gardenia producing new leaves!

The pots of Lavender and Gardenia are doing really well, too! There are new Lavender flowers popping up and the Gardenia looks bushier with new leaves. I did move the Gardenia pot a little since I had noticed some burnt leaves, so it may have been getting a little too much sun. As a gardener, you learn to be a little more observant of the space around you. Next I will be pruning the butterfly and sage bushes, sewing wildflower seeds, and planting tulip bulbs. I'll keep you updated, slowly, Slow Blogging, we'll call it ;)






*photos by Tiffanie Ma

October 15

I felt somewhere between a witch, chef, and gardener today while working in my mom's garden. A sprinkle of coffee grounds with a dash of smoked paprika powder along the border of a newly amended and seeded bed of lettuce greens, should do the trick. From what I've read cats do not like strong smells such as these. It's another game gardening in the city versus in the country. The rules are different and so are the challenges, such as stray cats pooping and peeing in your garden (yuck!)!

Luckily for us, the problem is not so severe, in fact, no poop found yesterday morning on the burlap sack I used to cover the newly sewn lettuce seeds to keep them moist for germination, reported Mom. Though, it may have been just a lucky morning, so since I don't want to take chances, I played with the magic of coffee grounds and smoked paprika today. We'll see what unfolds.

Getting my Garden on with these clogs! Jorris would appreciate.

Playing with magic of chili and coffee to deter cats from garden. 

Strong scents like coffee grounds and smoked paprika are said to deter cats. 

I’ve been home from France for a month and a half now, since September. It’s been a lot of yoga, reading, resting, creating new projects (a blog post to come!), reconnecting with friends and family. It’s also been about reconnecting to old spaces, like mom’s garden, my first solo garden project I began many moons ago. Much has changed in her garden over the years. I’ve been traveling and my mom isn’t a gardener. My Grandma Lee, her mom, is the gardner. She grew all sorts of things with strange methods I would just crinkle my nose at when I saw her as I played outside, but she could grow anything. Perhaps that’s where my passion for gardening comes from. 

The Succulent Egg project I made for mom in Spring of 2015. 

Some of them now, Fall of 2016! Mom has done a great job watering!

But, Mom actually surprised me this time with her gardening commitment. Before I left for France last Spring, I had instructed her to water this basket of succulents, without much hope since she’s failed in the past to keep plants alive, in fact these succulents were part of that failure. They were cuttings from the succulents that lined my sidewalk when I lived in Silverlake and which I had propagated in egg shells, sharing them with my school, students, encouraging people to plant them and watch them grow. Before I had left for France the first time in the Summer of 2015, I had asked her to water them. Upon my return that Winter, they were sad, all alone, out in the back yard, as dry as the Sahara Desert but still alive and waiting for love. So, I tried to save some and transplanted them in this empty planter basket which I had planted herbs in for a lesson during my Master Gardener class the year prior. This time, returning to Mom’s garden, I see the basket brimming with beautiful and happy succulents, sitting like a trophy on the fountain!! She’s been modest about her success, since she never spoke about how well they were doing while I was in France. I suppose taking care of the succulent basket was like taking care of me, even though I was far away. It's fantastic to have a relic of my time living in Silverlake and to know that some of my gardening skills are rubbing off on my mom.

Gardening piece by piece, first repotting, Mom's favorite Gardenia. 

Repotting is so simple and really changes the atmosphere, here Lavender. 

Amending pieces of the garden, here had to scoop out poop first. 

Then, mix in organic compost but no tilling, just add on top of existent soil.

Water, cover, leave a few days and then sew lettuce seeds!

Cover again with burlap or other cover material to keep seeds protected. 

With the temperatures cooling off, since it has been torrid upon my return to LA, I’ve been more motivated to get back into the garden, and frankly, couldn't wait any longer. I’ve been itching to get back into the soil, and I was about to get back in, weather permitting or not. I’m starting piece by piece. Amending soil here and there. Repotting old pots with Gardenia and Lavender, two of Mom’s favorites. Sewing lettuce seeds. Scooping up poop. I have to admit that I can't put all the blame on the wild cats of Azusa for the poopy mess, our precious Malti-Poo (cross between a Maltese and Poodle), Jet, is also to blame. I've seen him in the past jump up into the beds and do his business in the green sorrel, though it's really not his fault either because Mom and I never laid the rules on him and since he was a puppy, he was trained to do his business on green and since the backyard is cemented floor, the garden is the closest thing to what Jet is familiar with. But, I've told him now not to poop there and have been keeping an eye on him. So far, he's been a pretty good listener.

The flower & herb garden of the farm house in Villetale Haute, France. 

You're all probably wondering why and how I could ever leave the beautiful French Alps and this picture above, but sometimes, a girl's just got to seek comfort in the familiar again, to find new perspective in an old place. It was a very successful season in Villetale Haute, and I promise I won't forget to share some photos in a later post. It was just time to say a bientôt to the place, though not adieu. There was mostly just harvesting in the vegetable garden and on the bee-side of business some markets and transhumances left. But I figured Jorris and Philippe could hold down the fort without me, and they are doing just fine. I suppose I'm slowly giving in to the fact that California will always be home and I will always miss it, wherever I go, no matter how old I get, so maybe I should just make it my physical home, too, deepen the roots I already have here. I've had the privilege of traveling afar and living abroad since my college days, and even before as a kid during family vacations. Each time I come home, I realize how much I miss it. And it's not just my family, though, they are the main reason; but it's also just the way the landscape feels, the vastness, the independent freedom, the Pacific Ocean, the Sierra Madre and San Gabriel Mountains, the forests of central and northern California.

Of course, I also have another home, and that's where Jorris is. His mind is as vast and open as the California landscape, and he is willing to seek a new life here with me, for us. While we can plan our future, we can never anticipate everything that will come. Of course we should plan, hope, dream, though I’ve learned that not everything in life will go as planned. We can’t always rely on our hopes and dreams to come true. In fact, in doing so, we limit ourselves, closing the door to the possible magnificence our human minds could never have dreamed or imagined and only something greater, like the Universe, can create. Why not trust that this Universe could have something even greater than what we could ever have imagined, hoped for, or dreamed of? One thing, however, I’ve learned I can always trust is my gut. Our guts know the truth, but it’s whether or not we choose to listen. The mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of our bodies are inter-dependent, inter-twined, and together work in ways to communicate messages to us. Learning how to hear, decipher, and understand these messages can be a life long journey. It's complicated. It can get a little woo woo, as my beloved yoga teacher Alma says. But we can start by following our guts, our heart. 

The herb bed has seen better days.

I will plant wild flowers here! But first, poop scooping, amending & weeding.

Quick! Duck before the neighbor sees! Lining the wall with coffee & pepper.

For instance, I trusted my gut to save the coffee grounds left over from my, may I say, amazing pour-over coffees I make every morning. My Dad will attest to their amazingness, and I’d bet both my gardening thumbs on that! Even without a composting system, yet, it felt wrong to throw out all this great nitrogen. So I saved them, just in case. And then during the week, I made a uniquely delicious mac ’n cheese for my dad and I, which called for smoked paprika. I hesitated to buy the whole glass bottle of organic smoked paprika for just the teaspoon that I needed, but my gut said go for it. It’s good to experiment with new spices. A few days later, Mom informs me of the cat visitor, so I find myself researching ways to keep cats out of the garden and what do you know? You can sprinkle coffee grounds and chili powder along your garden’s edges to keep them out. And I had both those ingredients! Did I know they would go together like that? Never would I have imagined. 

I suppose you may be calling me a fancy/crazy gardener, and I am, so go ahead call me fancy, call me crazy. I am that gardener who sprinkles organic coffee grounds and organic smoked paprika powder along her garden borders and above the walls, ducking a little so the neighbors won’t see. And while I’m at it, I’ll sprinkle some coffee grounds into the soil itself to add some nitrogen; and since I’m also a chef, I can’t help but shake a few dashes of organic paprika powder into the soil too. A little chili powder in the soil doesn't hurt, right? At least that’s what my gut told me. 



*photos by Tiffanie Ma

Happy 3rd Birthday Garden Gallivanter!!!

Three years ago tomorrow, I wrote my first blog entry and Garden Gallivanter was born. I wanted to post this today, since I’ve woken before the break of daylight to drive down the bumpy mountain road (yes, all by myself!) and catch the only bus from our darling mountain village to Nice to practice some yoga at a local studio; and now at a wine bar for un petit verre du vin rouge and fast Internet connection. Tomorrow we’ll be in Grasse at another marché, so I didn’t want to miss the chance to wish Garden Gallivanter a Happy 3^rd Birthday!

I remember having had this idea I’d been itching to scratch, to create a space where I could reflect on my then new gardening adventures. I wanted to create a portfolio of my work, to map out all the places I was going to make better, more beautiful, and maybe even inspire others out there along the way, to garden, cook, travel, to try something new. I didn’t know where it would take me or where I would take it, but after 3 years, I’d say we’ve covered some good ground.

This Garden Gallivanter has enriched the soil and unearthed a passion for teaching kids how to grow food and community in the inner city, seeing another side of Los Angeles she had never known. This was where it all started.

Meanwhile, she created a garden in the backyard of a new house for the one closest to her heart, her mom. Through that project, she found peace with a new meaning of home, understanding that now it just meant two houses to call home instead of one.

Then she followed her heart to Montana and saw for herself what “amber waves of grain” meant, those words she had sung so many times during Elementary school. And there she learned what hard work really was and how a family farm looked like. There she dodged mosquitoes in the torrid heat of July while harvesting peppers and tomatoes. There she harvested, packaged and delivered organic produce to people and markets, driving through Big Sky country. There she saw how magnificent heritage turkeys look like with their red and blue colors. There she felt what tired really felt like and raced against unexpected rain showers, harvesting as many onions as possible into a rusty wheel barrow before the first drops hit her forehead, and when they did, running full speed to the barn, the wheel barrow bumping along, where she braided the onions to hang and dry.

It was a glorious summer, but LA called her home. So she returned and landed an unimaginable gig as the Edible School Yard GardenTeacher at Larchmont Charter School. She felt like she’d been working to get someplace like this. There she cultivated many hearts and taught some incredibly phenomenal kids and their families how to love and respect the garden and all the food it gives us. And they taught her more about all of the above and more, yes more. There she revitalized a Garden Program and discovered pure joy.  There she dug for rollie pollies and watched the metamorphosis of Monarch butterflies with her gardeners. There she felt valued and loved for not only her work, but her essence of being. There she found her calling and discovered that doing what you love and paying the bills with it is actually possible.

All the while teaching the importance of composting, lady bugs and selling Meyer lemons at the Garden Stand with her kiddos, this Garden Gallivanter discovered an amazing group of other gardeners and studied alongside her fellow comrades to become an LA Master Gardener.  Over summer, she got to go up to Berkeley to the Edible Schoolyard Academy, see the first Edible Schoolyard, say hi to Alice Waters again and meet some even more awesome Gardeners and Educators from all over the world.

After two amazing years of being Ms. Tiffanie Tangerine, a new wind swept up this Garden Gallivanter and took her to France. There she wwoofed, tasted raw lavender honey straight from the hive, under her bee suit, amongst a sea of lavender in Provence. Oh all the things she tasted: raw sheep's milk while herding sheep with Marie and Samuel, Nicolas' cheese on the daily, wild mushrooms sautéed with Sarriette, discomfort, yes, even the bitter taste of discomfort. In the French Alps she learned how to drive a manual 4X4 truck up the mountain and down the mountain; how to catch the bus; how to sleep in cars, on floors, under trees, in J9s, along the coast, the highway, on a mountain top. There she discovered a different kind of love, of struggle, of missing home, of the tears you can only cry when lifting a really heavy bee hive, wet, cold, your fingers almost breaking off, your feet slipping on the gravel, under the pouring rain and thunder…of the gratitude you can only feel when taking a hot shower after 10 days on the road, of learning how to wait, of erasing old boundaries, drawing new ones, re-drawing erased ones, of learning to be without so much and still being….

Santé to all the adventures had, all of them, the ugly and beautiful, to all the wonderful people along the way, who have shaped this blog and my soon to be 27 years of life right on Thanksgiving next Thursday, by the way ;) and to those of you on the other side of this computer screen, reading and ready to catch the next wind with me. Thank you for being there.

*Photo by Tiffanie Ma

Inseparable

                                     

*photos by Juliet Ma

May 3

Gardening is as much about giving as it is about getting. A garden space fosters an atmosphere of sharing and community. The herb bed is peaking and sprang with more lemon balm than I know what to do with. At first I was just going to cut back and discard the fragrant herb, but then I thought, why would I waste such a gift? So, I tied bundles of lemon balm together and gave them to neighbors. I also tied some up to dry and experiment with. While it wasn't my plan to get in touch with neighbors that day, I am glad I got to be neighborly. It seems rare these days to know who's in our community. My mom lives in a cul-de-sac, so we are familiar with our neighbors and wave hi, with the occasional small talk, but we don't really know each other. It felt good to take initiative and reach out, to share a piece of the garden. 

Herb Bed: lavender, thyme, rosemary, sage, lemon balm,
oregano, lemon grass, aloe vera & lambs ear. 

  

The lemon balm is growing healthily, but taking over!

Lemon balm bundles to dry and give away.

I also love to make bouquets for my mom. I leave them in the kitchen, her bathroom, places around the house. Just little ways to tell her I love her.

Sweet Peas, pea tendrils and Gerbera Daisy. 

Lavender, Yarrow, and Zinnias. 

*photos by Tiffanie Ma

TA DA!!!

It's been a busy few weeks here in Mom's garden. With much excitement we begin into our second spring season. How fast time flies! It's neat to observe which plants survived, which ones died and sprang back to life, yet not forgetting those that did not make it and wonder why. We wonder to learn from our past actions and decisions, hoping to be better the next time around. Most of my mistakes have been planting too closely. Plants, like people, need space to grow. Most also need a good six hours or so of sunlight. Urban gardening can be a tricky endeavor, especially when it comes to sun exposure. With walls, fences and other surrounding structures, sunlight may barely, or not at all, reach certain areas. From my observations of which plants survived and which ones did not, I found that the ones I planted too close to the wall died. The wall provided too much shade. The other herbs and perennials survived, bouncing back from a dry twiggy appearance, with some varieties slowly greening as we get deeper into spring. Much progress has been made, and the garden has been revitalized from a barren winter. I've made several trips to Armstrong Gardens in Monrovia with Jet and Lee. It's been fun taking them along and strolling through the beautiful outdoor space of the garden store. I think they enjoy it as much as I do, being introduced to a new space of sounds, colors and smells.

My best friends: Jet & Lee.

Delicate passengers off to a new home.

I myself always enjoy seeing, smelling and feeling new cultivars of plants and flowers. Shopping for gardening is a sensual experience as is working in a garden. Yes, yes, Armstrong Gardens is a little pricey, the boutique for gardeners in the world of garden shopping, but where I don't splurge in shoes I do in plants. Plus, I look at it as an investment in health. I mean, why not Organic Large Leaf Italian Basil? A fresh caprese salad comes to mind and well worth the investment in health and taste. Why not E.B. Organic Compost to build healthy living soil for a healthy garden?

Contains: composted wood shavings, redwood compost, 

composted chicken manure, mushroom compost, fir bark,

bat gauno, kelp meal and alfalfa meal. YUM!

Good, healthy, living soil is the foundation of any garden, whether it be for flowers, vegetables, roses, trees or shrubs. I've used E.B. Stone Organics in the past and the rich hummus-smell tells all. This is a great amendment for the variety of plants mentioned above. It's recommended to amend soil at least once a year, sprinkling two to three inches of this on top of the planting area and gently tilling about six-inches deep. Because soil is the number one priority, the first trip I made to Armstrong was just for some E.B. Organic Compost and research.

Researching, looking, and critical thinking are all important steps, if you are a planner, or if for no other reason to save yourself from burning a hole in your wallet. At least, for me, I hold myself back from buying anything the first time around. So for my first trip, I kept my eyes open (and hands tied behind my back) for ideas of what flowers and edibles were available, which ones to research to see if they would work with my space and garden goals. I was in search of perennials mostly, sprinkled with some annuals, some California natives, hardy, maybe even drought-tolerants, but beautiful...and with flowers....am I asking for too much? No! Because plants like these do indeed exist!

Flowers:

1. Zinnia Magellan Mix and Zinnia State Fair Mix (Zinnia elegans)- Annual. Makes good cut flowers. Attracts butterflies. Looking like teddy bears is how my friend Laila describes them.

Potted Zinnias brighten up garden entrance. 

2. Alyssum Snow Crystals (Lobularia maritima)- Annual.Tiny white flowers which look like a blanket of snow when planted close together. Great for borders.

Alyssum used as border for fountain. 

Alyssum planted together looks like a blanket of snow. 

3. CA poppy (Eschscholzia californica)- California native, technically annual, but can act as a perennial due to self-seeding nature, drought-tolerant, official state flower of California since 1890. Woot!

Good 'ole Cali Poppy.

4. Gerbera Daisy Revolution Mix (Gerbera jamesonii)- My kind of name for a flower! Definite flower power here. These perennial daisies make great vibrant cut flowers. Cut flowers often to encourage more growth and give as gifts to make new friends, or to maintain old ones.

Gerbera Daisies, great cut flowers, for that ikea-display room in your home.

5. Cosmos Sonata Mix (Cosmos bipinnatus)- Bright colors of pink, purple, and white, add musical colors to garden spaces.  Drought-tolerant. Make for great self-seeding annuals.

Cosmos Sonata Mix! Let's Dance!!

6. Freesia- Perennial corms (bulbs), but must be stored at specific 85 degree temperature for 3-4 months before planted. Originates from Africa, okay so not being very sensitive to keeping it local, but if you smelled these fragrant beautiful flowers, you'd buy them too!

Fragrant Freesias will awaken any soul.

7. Santa Barbara Mexican Bush Sage (Salvia leucantha)- An evergreen, water-wise dwarf of the Mexican Bush Sage, this shrub produces beautiful purple flowers which are a favorite to hummingbirds. Great for rock gardens. Blooms spring to fall. Grows rapidly. Does not have same culinary uses as the sage herb.

Santa Barbara Mexican Bush Sage, great for attracting beneficiaries. 

8. Calendula Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)- Edible petals add color to fresh salads. It is a versatile flower which grows in most soil types. Technically a perennial, but typically grows as an annual, since it cannot tolerate extreme temperatures of hot or cold. Flowers can last year round if conditions permit.

Orange Calendula Pot Marigolds in the foreground. 

9. Iceland Poppy (Papaver nudicaule)- Short-lived perennials (2-3 seasons), fury buds and stems; delicate-tissue-paper-like flowers. These colorful beauties prefer full-sun and cool temperatures, thriving in fall or spring. Be careful though, because all parts of this flower are poisonous! Maybe not the best choice for a school garden.

"I'm a delicate, but tough white Iceland Poppy!"

10. Joey Paw (Angiozanthos Bush Tango 1)- Look like little kangaroo paws. This is an evergreen perennial with tubular-like flowers. Why not include some scenes of the Outback in your garden?

Do you Tango?

11. Fern Leaf Yellow Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)- Perennial. Good for butterfly gardens, drought-tolerant, makes a good companion plant, attracts lady bugs and other beneficiaries, herb; also known as "soldier's woundwort" for its medicinal purposes. The way the mini flowers turn from a gray to yellow and at different rates, looks as if someone is slowly painting them.

Fern Leaf Yellow Yarrow before turning yellow. 

Fern Leaf Yellow Yarrow turned yellow. 

Herbs & Edibles:

1. Italian Oregano (Origanum vulgare)- Perennial. To flavor those pastas, pizzas, poultry, fish, meat, even make salsa. Use this herb fresh or dried. This herb also acts as a great cover crop, used as a living mulch rather than wood chips or other types of mulch. I like plants that serve multi-purposes and keeps the habitat as natural as possible. Also produces pretty flowers. Flavor is strongest when herb flowers.

Italian Oregano is a must have herb for any gardener or cook. 

2. Italian Large Leaf Basil (Ocimum basilicum)- Annual. Wonderfully tasting and long lasting if constantly harvested. Cut flowers to elongate growing season and to make great bouquets. This tricks the plant into putting more energy into growing than into flowering and dying off. Basil and tomatoes are good companion plants. Plant in a nice warm spot since they love heat.

Deliciously fragrant and incredibly tasty Italian Basil.

3. Thai Hot Pepper (Capsicum frutescens)- Perennial. My first time growing but sounds tasty and hot, with Scoville heat units of 50,000-100,000!! This is hotter than a Jalapeno. Bright, fat little peppers look like old-fashioned Christmas lights. My mom likes to add chilies to braised fish and pork dishes. The Thai Pepper plant is on the left between the yellow Calendula and green-not-yet-bloomed Zinnia.

Thai Pepper, Jalapeno and Basil, live beside Zinnias and Calendulas. 

4. Jalapeno Pepper (Capsicum annuum)- Annual, but can have long growing season. Scoville heat units of 2,000-8,000. Because I love spicy food! This is my second time growing, but I hope to produce more than one small pepper this time around. Excellent in Mexican cuisine. Jalapeno pepper plant lies in the center.

5. Brandywine Heirloom Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum)- Annual. Sounds like a tomato for hobbits, but I'm eager to try. As with heirloom plants, these tomatoes are open-pollinated, which means that they breed true to the parent from generation to generation, retaining consistency in flavor and genetic make-up, unlike hybrid, or cross-pollinated plants, which lose certain characteristics after generations pass.

Brandywine tomatoes from the Shire (kidding)!

6. Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)- Makes a great seasoning and can be used dried or fresh. Season fish, chicken, pork, meat, eggs, cheeses, sauces, even make a tea! This herb, like the Italian Oregano, also makes a great cover crop, being an evergreen perennial herb and producing pretty pink flowers. Ancient Greeks believed thyme was a source of courage and burned them as incense in Temples. During the European Middle Ages, thyme was placed under pillows to ward off nightmares and help with sleep. Women also gave bundles of thyme to knights for courage.

Creeping Thyme, anything but creepy.

With the plants I selected, I ended up creating a butterfly garden. As I dug each hole, set each plant in its new home, gently patting soil around the crown of each, as a mother tucks her child in bed, I couldn't help but wonder if I had made the right decisions. Had I given each the right home?  Will they be happy? Will they get enough nutrients and sunlight? Do they have enough space to grow alongside their fellow companions? Will they make good companions to one another? Like any gardener, farmer, nurturer or parent, I suppose all we can do is our best.

All I can do is watch over them and take care of them, hoping that my efforts will grow thriving plants and invite more life into the garden: hummingbirds, butterflies, bees, those hard working pollinators which do so much work for us as gardeners and for the environment as deliverers and preservers of biodiversity. Plus, these critters are pretty to look at. I noticed a hummingbird visit the garden, two days in a row I was here, but I hadn't had any flowers yet. Now that the garden is more hospitable to life, I hope our hummingbird friend returns.

*photos by Tiffanie Ma