Old City Apothecary

05/24/2026

Hear me out…

I made this basket donation for a local fundraiser and now I’m sitting here wondering if I accidentally created a whole new Old City category.

Limited handmade gift crates might need to happen, what do you think?

05/24/2026

05/23/2026

Apparently the sixteen elevendy days of rain were VERY good for the elderberries because I now have hundreds of healthy American elderberry plants available 🌿

These are hardy American elderberries that do beautifully here and are perfect for:
• herbalists
• homesteads
• pollinator gardens
• syrup makers
• people slowly turning their property into an apothecary

Plants are dug fresh as ordered so they transition better and stay healthier than something sitting around rootbound in a pot.

Link in the comments if you’d like one… or ten.

05/22/2026

People don’t warn you that your 40s come with an overwhelming desire to monitor rainfall and complain about weeds.

05/21/2026

One of the hardest parts about loving a garden is realizing it isn’t just yours.

Birds nest in the ferns.
Toads hide under the oregano.
Bees claim the lavender.
Everything is alive and participating in ways you don’t always notice until something goes wrong.

I took one of my hanging ferns down to water it… something I’ve done many times before.

Then I got distracted and forgot to hang it back up.

The nest inside didn’t survive.

And honestly… it wrecked me.

Not because it was dramatic.
Not because anyone else would probably think much about it.

But because once you start paying attention to the life around you, you realize how fragile all of it really is.

Gardening has made me softer in ways I didn’t expect.
More observant.
More careful.
More aware that we’re sharing space with tiny lives constantly trying to survive around us.

And sometimes loving nature also means carrying the weight of accidentally harming the very things you care about.

05/20/2026

Copper, quartz, oregano, rainstorms, lavender, straw paths…

I don’t know about you, but gardens are supposed to feel a little whimsical to me. And honestly, I think there’s something beautiful about intentionally surrounding ourselves with the things God created instead of pretending the natural world is meaningless.

05/19/2026

Meanwhile my husband thinks I’m outside ‘watering plants’ when I’m actually redesigning the entire property in my head.

05/19/2026

It’s not even officially summer yet and somehow life already feels like I'm running out of time.

The garden is exploding. The apothecary smells like herbs, beeswax, and garlic? Yup, that's garlic.

I’ve been so busy making products that “mom dinner” has been 3 and a half cold bites of chicken breast eaten over the sink and a handful of watermelon while yelling “DID ANYONE FEED THE CAT?”

It’s 90° in Southern Ohio. The kids are basically done with school mentally and academically. My kitchen looks like a botanical crime scene. I’ve been making products while trying to remember if I actually drank my coffee or if I forgot it somewhere. 🤷‍♀️

BUT…

The shelves are restocked.

• Sunblock ☀️
• Nosquito spray 🦟
• Frankinsalve 🌿
• Mini Mag Butters ✨

All fresh. All handmade. All made while surviving on electrolytes and wishful thinking.

If you’ve been waiting for a restock… this is your sign before I disappear back into the garden with dirt under my nails and 47 unfinished projects.

05/16/2026

Just up here staring at my backyard like I’m the lord of a very small, slightly overgrown kingdom. Yes, I know the rain is necessary. But so was my plan to wander around out there moving things for absolutely no reason… and then standing there admiring my decisions.

05/13/2026

Roses need airflow just as much as they need sun and water. When bushes get overcrowded with spent blooms and tangled branches, moisture gets trapped and can lead to fungal issues and stressed plants.

Deadheading your roses regularly keeps them blooming longer, looking healthier, and puts energy back into the plant instead of into dead flowers.

And yes… roses can handle more pruning than most people think. Don’t be scared of them.