From Accidental Horticulture Homicide to Experimental Green Thumb
When you read this blog, you enter the weird and wonderful world that is plants. I don’t know about you, but some living things in the green realm seem to be on “the fringe of magic”.
Picture yourself surrounded by an old growth forest. The moss is underfoot and vines are cascading down from the canopy above.
They cross your path haphazardly while shadows dance through the trees. A sort of humid, dark warmth gently lays like a blanket around you.
You aren’t scared, but you feel a hum buzzing in the air.
You look around because you feel something is there, but your only companions are leaves, trees, and the beetle you avoided stepping on a few moments ago.
But you’re sure something deeper is going on…
And it is. You are on edge of something “magical”.
So how does all of this relate back to “my story”?
Well, this is my mindset today. But the beginning was quite different. Plants were abstract things of nature that you stepped on, around, or looked at when they had a flower.
My parents and other people gardened. Not me.
And if I did get graced with a plant from some poor, unsuspecting soul who thought it would be a nice gift, I would be the reason for its untimely death.
One day, my perspective on green life changed when I decided to grow a tomato.
At that time, I was short on mullah and I thought to myself, “Hey KC, if you could grow your own tomato plant, you could save on money, trucks won’t have to waste gas to get it to you, and, it’s going to taste sweet, succulent and kissed by the sun instead of the hard, red lumps passing as tomatoes in the grocery store.”
So what did I do? I opened up a vegetable catalog and what lay before me was truly astounding.
Red, yellow, orange, purple, black, and green tomatoes. Even a red AND green tie-dyed looking one. A TIE-DYED TOMATO.
My 1990’s ten year old self would have died and gone to heaven.
A tomato rainbow was being displayed before me, and it was beautiful.
There were sooooo many types to choose from. I ended up browsing through the whole catalog eyeing all the different varieties of fruits and vegetables.There were so many colors, shapes, and sizes I never knew existed.
“How could I have never known this?” I thought to myself. And right then and there, is when the plant “bug” started.
Many herbs and vegetables withered and passed in my pursuit of plant passion (and still do occasionally…shhh!), but I developed a relationship with them.
And just like with people, if you start to care, you notice what makes them tick and keep them healthy.
So as the years have progressed, my horticulture accidental homicides have subsided with time.
Whahoo!
Time has also opened other doors. I’m a natural explorer so it wasn’t long before the tomato discovery led me into the world of foraging and plant medicine.
I couldn’t believe there were plants that may calm you, boost your immune system, re-energize you, clean wounds, and improve your memory. The list goes on.
My inspiration led me to become the Regenerative Agriculture Coordinator for the gardens at Piscataway National Park right outside Washington D.C.
After a few years, I become the manager of the gardens where I spent my days immersed in growing plants, learning about their medicinal and nutritional properties, and teaching others about them as well.
Fast forward to the present…
To me, still to this day, the healing ability of plants IS magical.
The more I discover, the more I realize how much we truly don’t understand. Which is quite enchanting, isn’t it?
To be in a place in time when we “know so much”, but really, there is so much left to try and unravel.
I absolutely fell in love with this world and the mysteries surrounding it.
What sprung forth from this passion is TriGardening. This is a place to explore and discover the world of plants and feel totally okay growing wacky and “weird” stuff.
We highly encourage it in fact! Share them with your plant friends who will “ooo” and “ahh” at their awesomeness.
You have full permission to let your imagination wander here…
And feel free to be on the fringe of magic.
-KC
KC Carr is an email marketing strategist and copywriter for health, wellness, and sustainability companies. She helps businesses boost conversions so they can focus on changing customer’s lives with their products rather than worrying about their bottom line.
Reach out to [email protected] today and see if she can help your business or go to www.kccarr.com to find out more.
Meet other members of the team!
Our social media guru and all around maestro is Sarah McAndrew. She showcases the natural world and our gardens in the best light through her own original musical compositions and artistic eye.