Mixed Heritage Garden

Introduction: Something I’ve always heard about both my grandmas is that they could make anything grow. As I’ve gotten more interested in plants over the past few years, I’ve wondered—what DID they grow? How did they use their gardens? What did they love about them? My grandma Imogene had a huge kitchen garden on her farm in Indiana. And my grandma Sue Lin had a small yard in the middle of LA. I’m undertaking a project to gather what photos I can and to learn more from the folks who remember my grandmas and their gardens.

Though “heritage garden” is not a definitive style in garden design, the project title plays with the ways the term has been used to refer to colonial or cottage-style gardens in the US and Europe. Begun as an Instagram project in 2022 and slowly tended over the years, my work has migrated fully to my website as hashtags and histories have become increasingly unusable. Explore memories and learnings below, and check back as I add some of these plants to my own garden space.

Phase I: Gathering Photos & Memories

My grandmothers died in 1971 and 2001, so there are few people left who have vivid memories of spending time in and around their gardens. I've been lucky to be able to ask them to share!