We got our start working with houseplants and still love cultivating our indoor garden. It’s full of tropical and arid plants that are especially therapeutic to tend to. I also enjoy growing my lemon tree outdoors in the summer and bringing it in for the winter when it flowers. And in late winter, on the cusp of spring, I bring in a few cut branches of magnolia in bud and bloom to invite spring to come a little sooner.
Every garden needs a…
At least one fragrant plant that can transport you to another place. A manageable hose that won’t drive you crazy and a good place to store it.
Favorite hardscaping material:
Bluestone and pea gravel. We love the combination and both are regionally appropriate materials.
Tool you can’t live without:
Adam: San Angelo bar—you never know when you’re going to come across a chunk of concrete buried in a backyard.
Jarema: My grandpa’s giant watering can.
Go-to gardening outfit:
Jarema: Coveralls and clogs.
Adam: I think we both aspire to dress like Monty Don but haven’t quite been able to pull it off yet.
Favorite nursery, plant shop, or seed company:
Pleasant Run Nursery. They have an amazing native plant selection and we get to hang out with the nursery dogs that jump into our golf cart.
On your wishlist:
Carex woodii, Mt. Cuba Center’s top performing carex, but we still haven’t seen it in person. [See Trend Alert: A Carex for Every Garden.]
Not-to-be-missed public garden/park/botanical garden:
Jarema’s sister lives in Santa Cruz so we’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of time there over the years, and the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden has an amazing collection of plants. One moment you’re immersed in an Australian landscape, the next moment you’re in South Africa. It’s a great opportunity to see a totally different type of flora without traversing an ocean.
The REAL reason you garden:
Jarema: As an artist, it was a pivotal moment when I realized that plants were the medium I had been searching for. Gardens are restorative–places for growth, life and healing. Working with plants has been an incredibly healing process for me.
Adam: Connecting with the land—its past, present, and future. Every moment I spend in the garden, I understand how all of this works just a little better.
Thanks so much, Jarema and Adam! (Follow them on Instagram @dirtqueennyc.)
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