Solidarity: Books Figs and Films
Dear friend,
A few days before The Bill passed, I went to Goldenhour Books at 52nd and College to bring some Tall Larkspur to the owner, Sara and to ask her if I could post up outside of her shop to sell some special fig trees (more on that in a second). We got to talking about the state of things and she mentioned that she was asked recently if talking about our political reality with all her customers who come in to buy books was really good for her mental health.
“Yes!” I said, before my opinion was requested. “Yes, because we are reminding one another that what’s happening is real - which fights the gaslighting. AND,” I continued, “we get to share tactics for how to cope.” And so, we started talking about our gardens. This is a common turn in conversation for me because gardening is how I come back to my body. It is how I cope.
How are you coping?
And also, what are you reading?
Now that lawmakers have more control over universities in Indiana, independent bookstores like Goldenhour provide a vital service - they carry or can order all the books, including the banned ones, AND they host book clubs so you can process them with others. So I’m throwing in with them to say, support your local bookstore!
Well, Sara said yes to the pop up plant sale so mark your calendars for Saturday, July 19th from 10am-2pm. I decided to sell just one special plant at this sale - small rooted cuttings of a cold hardy fig tree called “C’s Red.” They are $25.
You have probably seen the Chicago Hardy Fig around here. It's the one that's sold at Lowes because it's hardy down to zone 6 (that's us). That's cool and all, but they sorta taste like cardboard.
“C’s Red” is a variety sold by one of my favorite fruit and berry wholesalers. The story goes that in 2022, these growers came into some cuttings from trees whose ancestors have been grown in a cold spot in Portugal for a gazillion years. The Portuguese ancestor tree these came from is 50 years old with a trunk that's 12 inches in diameter and 25 feet tall! And THIS fig has a deep red flesh that tastes like sweet berries, not cardboard, with a reddish brown skin that resists cracking with heavy rain. C’s Red has been trialed in our zone. When planted in the ground, it will die back in the winter and return with gusto in the spring.
The tree’s habit, if planted in the ground, will probably be more of a wide (8-10ft) and short (6-7ft) shrub once it’s mature, but you could also plant her in a pot and bring her inside in winter. Either way, she needs full sun (6-8 hours per day) and occasional compost topdressing. She does not need a lot of water. Fig trees are some of the easiest and most prolific fruit trees to grow so it’s great for beginners!
The reason I’m even able to buy this special tree is because I recently received my nursery dealer’s license! This means I can purchase plants from wholesale nurseries! I buy from a variety of wholesalers including strictly native as well as conventional so you can think of me as your mobile plant store. If you need plants, hit me up, I’d be happy to talk through some options for your garden.
The flower farm is coming along nicely. I have fully installed 80 ft x 4 ft rows of columbine, prairie sage, blunt mountain mint, rose milkweed and basketflower - all straight species natives that work well for use as cut flowers.
It looks like the basketflower will begin blooming next week so if you like purple fluffy flowers on long sturdy stems and you need a lot of them, I’ve got you! Just shoot me an email. They are a “cut and come again” flower so I expect to have blooms from next week-ish well into October.
I’m still installing rows of (nonnative) celosia and strawflower which will thrive in this heat and dry beautifully. Did you know you can eat the leaves of celosia? You’ll be able to get your hands on these dry blooms at some of our local gift shops. I’ll keep you posted exactly where!
Finally, I want to give a big shout out of gratitude for everyone who helped me achieve my Kickstarter goal to finance this small business! In a pay-it-forward mentality, I’d like to bring your attention to one of my Kickstarter supporters’ own projects! Ayo Oti (She/Her) is a media entrepreneur and social impact professional who champions content that creates change. She is a member of the team behind the new documentary film YOUR PAIN WAS BORN HERE | Love Letter To The Black Diaspora.
Your Pain Was Born Here is an experimental docu-narrative and coming of age story highlighting the stories of Blackness, self discovery, and community. The story follows director Mina and her team traveling throughout five different countries in Europe, and develops around the interviews with individuals she meets along her journey.
This film aims to deepen conversations and bridge the gap between the African American communities and the greater Black diaspora. Through this process, the film wove itself into a love letter to herself & the Black community.
With just 13 days to go, the production team is raising money to pay for post production costs like editing, sound and color. If you can help, your participation will also help bring this important story to community events, educational screenings and film festivals! Click here to learn more.
Keep your head up, or break down a little and then put it back up again,
-Amy
