I was asked to simplify a private garden. I replaced annuals with relatively drought tolerant perennials and shrubs. I lobbied unsuccessfully for California natives and more trees. You know, climate change.
By working alongside an earlier generation of horticulturalists who were openly scornful of my role, I gained a window into the interpersonal politics of a passing era. Orchid Black's description of some of the old school methods as "flower arranging in the dirt" makes me laugh, yes, it was true.
Michelle Roohani's photos (scroll to end) document the work of gardening, blissfully unaware of the feudal politics of that year.
