Photography courtesy of Flora Animalia.
Rozae Nichols made a name for herself in the fashion industry designing smart, pattern-happy pieces for her label Clover Canyon. But then in 2016, she decided to shutter the brand.
The following year, she found inspiration for her next project in Los Angeles’ Mid-City, a diverse neighborhood that is, as its name suggests, in the middle of the city.
Before
This is what the yard, approximately 4,000 square feet, looked like when Rozae found the property.
And here’s what it looked like after clearing it out.
A surprising source for the planters: municipal sewer and water pipes.
“Deciding on the sizes and heights was a challenge…. So to determine the final proportions, I mapped out the sizes with core board disks that I cut at the scale of the pipes I had already chosen in order to envision the exact positions prior to the delivery of the pipes.”
“The pipes were brought in by a very, very long Flatbed truck and then a forklift to position. My contractor’s team, who worked on the interior and exterior renovations, hauled in and placed the heavy pipes. The entire process was like a dance performance of brawn and grace.”
After
The gravel garden oasis that now greets visitors.
Since I planned on hosting families with kids, I had imagined large, soft, round shapes that children might enjoy—the scale, curves, and recesses of hidden space around which to play and plant.”
“I plant and harvest nearly everything. This is my physical and mental therapy, my spiritual grounding and my joy of sharing with others. On occasion, I invite someone to help out.
But I really enjoy the entire process from seeding, transplanting, feeding the soil, pruning, to harvest and cleaning. I always knew I would become one of those middle aged woman who falls in love with gardening—now, here I am.”
Flora Animalia’s creative operations manager, Aleta Caraco, raking the gravel.
“The 12 foot fences are lined with passionfruit vines that gives us so much fruit that we peel and freeze a lot of it and share it with local neighbors and friends,” says Rozae.
The corrugated walls were in the original space.
“Depending on the season, we grow everything from herbs to beets, carrots, corn, loads of leafy greens, assorted nightshades, squash, beans and fruits— blueberries, citrus, persimmons, pomegranate, and passion fruit.”
“We eat everything from the garden and share with people in our local community. And now with the spring weather and continued caution and social distancing...
...hopefully we can start our garden and outdoor workshops with a little less fear. The edible garden is all about sharing and inspiring others to embrace gardening at any size.”
“I love, love watering the garden by hand. That is a special time when I feel very connected with the plants, the bees, the worms,” shares Rozae.
“It’s a quiet time when I can observe the subtle phases in the growth and health of the plants and observe the beneficial insects. I believe that plants are sentient and thrive on our human kindness and attention.”