Garden Center Update

This spring, the Co-op bid a f(r)ond farewell to Jay Williams, our Garden Center Coordinator. He came to us a number of years ago from Seattle, where he and his husband Andy had co-owned and managed a small nursery business. Jay had already been in the industry for years before that venture, and has a wide breadth of horticultural experience.

Jay has been a great asset to the Co-op, with tips, tricks, do’s, don’ts, and an encyclopedic knowledge of all things gardening. In addition to his work in the garden center, he also led some wonderful free workshops for the Co-op community. One of his favorite workshop topics was constructing small self-contained globe terrariums—something to which he has devoted a lot of time. He is excited now to be working for ACE Hardware in Anacortes, where he has the chance to work again with his husband in their garden center. We will miss him, and we wish him well.

And while it is a bittersweet departure, we’re excited to introduce you to the Co-op’s new Garden Center Coordinator: Magnolia Mullen, a woman named after a flower who loves flowers. Apropos, no?

Magnolia started working at the Co-op in January 2021, after years of shopping here because of the way the Co-op supports local farmers and stocks peak-season produce. She worked alongside Jay for nine months gleaning from his extensive

knowledge of plant genera and his impressive ability to recite the botanical name of almost any plant you can think of.

But Magnolia is not new to gardening. She grew up in Arlington, where some of her first memories include a deep love of plants, trees, and flowers: “the earwigs that lived in the fragrant lilac tree blooming outside our dining room window, the massive pampas grass and its razor-sharp leaves and soft fronds, the unripe fallen hazelnuts with their tight green jackets, being wary and in awe of the beautiful but toxic foxglove and nightshade growing in the pastures around my home.” All of this to credit for her appreciation and respect for nature.

She’s worked on organic farms, nurseries, and roadside stands in Western Washington, Hawaii, and New Zealand for the last ten years. Now that she’s back in the Pacific Northwest, she plans to grow a new garden from scratch, planting perennials and, of course, herbs and edible flowers galore since she loves to cook.

“Plants are amazing!” was Magnolia’s simple and straightforward response to what she loves about gardening. She loves watching the cycle from seed to plant to fruit back to seed again, and takes a great interest in the contrast between the resilience of some plants, and the fickleness of others.

Earlier this spring when Magnolia was restocking seeds, she witnessed a mother and her very young daughter deciding which seeds to get. The daughter

wanted everything! How happy it made her to see such a young person involved in and excited about eating food the family had grown themselves. Magnolia is looking forward to meeting even more people who are excited to garden and grow their own food.

Fresh summer zucchini or carrots pulled straight from the earth and hose-rinsed are her favorite plants to eat. And if you ask Magnolia what her favorite flower is, she won’t point to herself. Instead, daffodils! Because they’re so colorful after our dark, grey months. She also fancies our native red huckleberry, “plants that vary so much in size it’s comical. They feed the birds, they feed us! They are just an all-around adorable plant.”

Magnolia is here, ready to help, and full of her own fun facts and gardening tips. For instance, did you know cultivated carrots were originally white, yellow, and purple—not orange? As for gardening in the upcoming months, she suggests keeping a serious awareness of major weather events. Water deeply, consistently and keep shade cloth on hand in case this year is anything like 2021. Last, but not least, don’t forget to sow successional seeds or plant starts, so you can have more fresh veggies in the fall.

So, next time you’re in the Co-op Garden Center, make sure you say hello to our newest flower. Magnolia is excited to meet you!