notes on may

Rose season begins again. Long the inspiration for so much of my work, this time of year brings with it a very special magic.

In celebration, I included a little rosy gift trio (a luxe packet of our rose & chamomile white tea, a mini jar of rose & chamomile honey clay cleanser, and a travel size of our new rose & bergamot mood mist, plus a vintage-inspired rose postcard) in orders placed while I was away from the studio for a week at the end of the month. Be sure that you are subscribed to our newsletter in order to stay in the loop about exclusive treats like this!

This month has found our household tending and finally planting out many seedlings. as well as making time for a few seasonal rituals including the making of rose cordial (with this general method), chive blossom vinegar and finishing up the process of preserving our cherry blossoms. The small pleasures of spring on the Lower East Side.

I distilled ever more of our windowsill rose geraniums into divine hydrosol mist delicately highlighted with a very special rose geranium sur fleurs oil and sent out parcels brimming with treats to beloved stockists Cultiverre (online), Botanic & Luxe (Santa Cruz), Cedar & Hyde (Boulder), Atomic Garden (Oakland), Marigold & Grey (online) and KinKa, NYC!

A lovely longtime client was briefly in the city and brought me a copy of her beautiful book of poetry, Between Seas. You can find it here. How lucky I am to connect with such incredible people from across the world through my work!

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reading:

a poem that I always return to this time of year, Mei-mei Berssenbrugge’s, "Hello, the Roses’

maybe you can steward an Iranian okra

adding this to my to-read list, The Garden Against Time: In Search of a Common Paradise

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listening:

to our rosy playlist

to Compassion, the new album from the Vijay Iyer Trio

to Bobcats, Beetles, Owls (and to all of the For The Birds series)

above, clockwise from top left:

{ roses from the garden for cordial }

{ preserved cherry blossoms }

{ cordial in progress }

{ making chive blossom vinegar }

Also in the studio this month, I’ve made a fresh batch of our grand street botanical perfume, filled lots of sweet little vintage treasures with scent, and sent many bars of olive oil soap from Nablus on their way to you, with over $600 so far sent to support mutual aid efforts on the ground in Palestine. Thank you!

This month has also brought new batches of two beloved teas & tisanes, our rose & chamomile white tea and our tea for dreamers, both featuring this gorgeous organic golden chamomile from Lancaster Farmacy, below.

And in the garden, some of my favorite old friends have returned in our native plant beds, including the magical purple moss phlox (Phlox subulata), the native bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia), Robin’s plantain (Erigeron pulchellus) and the marvelous Aquilegia canadensis (Eastern red columbine), below, clockwise from top left.

Sending well wishes your way as we turn the corner toward summer,

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more spring things