Parsley & Petal is a publication of essays, observations, and practical gardening from one botanical corner lot.
I spent more than a decade working as a fashion stylist and producer in New York, translating ideas into show-stopping visuals.
The same questions always came up: What belongs? What doesn’t? What’s missing? What needs to move?
Then I moved into a coastal cottage (Zone 7A) and found myself standing in the yard, asking the same questions, just with dirt under my nails instead of expensive designer samples.
Some days, it looks like a clear win. Other days, it looks like moving the same plant three times and calling it research.
The story of how that yard gradually became both a garden and a publication is told in My Botanical Corner Lot.
Gardens, like fashion collections, should be built with proportion, texture, restraint, and the seasons, in mind. When something feels off, it’s rarely just one plant. It’s usually an editing problem. Too much of the wrong thing. Not enough breathing room. A piece that’s beautiful on its own but wrong for the setting.
I don’t garden by a strict rulebook. I experiment. I move things. I change my mind. Sometimes I get it right. Sometimes a plant ends up in the “Graveyard”.
What interests me is what happens over time: how a garden and your own eye change as you learn about the land, the plants, and the fact that an entire population of deer and rabbits has just opened an R&D Department in your backyard.
Parsley & Petal is where I document that evolution, along with the ideas, mistakes, experiments, and discoveries that arise along the way.
If you’re a little overwhelmed and hoping your outdoor space can feel more relaxing and less chaotic, welcome.
It’ll be OK. I’ll take care of everything.