Welcome to the very first Gardening Out Loud guest episode!
While I wanted GOL to offer a close look at the evolution of the space I tend over the course of a growing year, there are so many other incredible gardens and gardeners I’d love to share with you. And so I’ll drop periodic guest episodes into the feed, giving you a glimpse into some more amazing spaces, stories, and ways of being in the natural world.
Recently I was revisiting Ross Gay’s Inciting Joy, in which he asks, “What if wonder was the ground for our gathering?” And if there’s an organizing principle for these episodes, it’s coming together for wonder.
This spring, I wanted to kick off with Ateqah Khaki, whose front yard garden I admired long before I knew her. She’s a fellow daffodil superfan, and her spring garden is abundance made manifest: it just explodes with life and colour. Her eye for form is evident too, and you’ll hear her discuss the shapes that really draw her in.
“I love the spring garden so much because it’s like being reunited with old friends after the winter, seeing how everyone is looking and doing. Some have grown some have spread, some have disappeared, but I love getting reacquainted with my garden at ground level so intimately in the spring.” — Ateqah
As she gardened out loud, I relished her insights on motherhood, growing as a gardener, connecting with strangers, and decolonizing the garden. (By the way, the podcast episode she mentions on decolonizing the garden is available today — check out Don’t Call Me Resilient to listen.) May we all remember to ask “what does the garden want?” as part of our regular cultivation practice.
If you’re now invested in Ateqah’s garden, you can follow it through the seasons through her plant Instagram, @planteqah.
Let me know what you thought of this guest episode by leaving a comment, clicking reply to this newsletter, or reaching out directly. I’ll be back to regular programming on Tuesday.
xo
Jen
Guest Episode #1: Spring joy with Ateqah Khaki