Hi! I’m Laura,

a plant nerd who has spent a lot of time digging in the dirt as well as digging through plant information (about 20 years!)

I have apprenticed with herbalists and at organic farms; I have taken permacultre, food forest design, organic agriculture and herbal medicine courses; I have grown vegetables, herbs, weeds (lots of those!) and edible perennial plants; and I have read and read and read about plants.

But even after devoting so much of my life to learning about plants, rather than feeling like an expert, I feel humbled by how much plants still have to teach me. So, I want to continue to learn. And that's where you come in.

I am going to be completely honest with you: I'm using you. I know it's not nice but hear me out. Part of the reason I'm writing this blog is because I need outside motivation to learn about the perennial plants around me. So, knowing that you are waiting, with baited breath (okay maybe just with a bit of curiosity?), to read my next post will force me to stay on schedule. It's really a reflection of my own shortcomings so I hope that you're not offended.

My other reason for writing this blog is less self-serving: I want to share my passion and excitement (and some information too!) with you. No one person has all the answers so I'm offering my bit of plant knowledge to add to the discussion and hopefully make you giggle. Enjoy the sillyness!

And this is my yard,

aka The Wonky Walnut Garden, home to all my plant pals.

Like all pieces of land, it's constantly evolving and changing and I want to be a positive influence on this process! So, as well as focusing on growing food and medicinal plants for people, I'm growing plants to create healthy soil, ensure resilience to extreme weather and provide food and habitat for pollinators and other critters.

But there are certain things about this land that can't be changed and I've had to learn (sometimes the hard way- I've cried on more than one occasion!) to work with it, rather than fight it. Over the years, I've come to terms with:

Black walnut trees (and their plant inhibiting chemical, juglone)
Shallow bedrock, often less than a foot below the surface
A large north-facing slope and many other changes in elevation
My yard being a long and narrow
A healthy population of bunnies, beavers and squirrels that all wreak garden havoc in their own ways

So considering the rather significant challenges of my yard, one of my takeaways is (and I hope it's yours too), if I can grow an abundance of useful perennial plants on this wonky little piece of land, abundance can be found/created anywhere!

A Funtastic Journey

Please join me on my journey into the funtastic (yes, it is both fun and fantastic) world of useful perennial plants. Whether you simply read about them, go out and search for them, plant them or use them, it's reassuring to know that the plant world has got your back!

Hi! I’m Laura,

a plant nerd who has spent a lot of time digging in the dirt as well as digging through plant information (about 20 years!)

And this is my yard,

aka The Wonky Walnut Garden, home to all my plant pals.

A Funtastic Journey

Fun with F'Laura

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