Livvy Arau McSweeney – Edmonton/Treaty 6
Chamomile and Calendula (summer 2024)
I remember taking my seed packets home after the show and unwrapping them from the beautiful floral wrapping. I imagined sowing them and placing the pots on my small back porch. But when the time came, I chose not to have a garden. I traveled so much in the summer, and I did not know if my subletter would want to take on the labor of caring for my plants so the seeds remain in their packets.

Although I did not have a garden of my own this season, I visited many gardens while traveling. Both big display and botanical ones and smaller private ones. I looked out for Chamomile and Calendula, as these were the seeds I grabbed from the exhibit and ones I’ve always had in my own garden. My former roommate Emma, a herbalist, used to dry these two flowers, along with many, many other plants, so we could make teas and extracts or simply decorate our home with the beautiful dried flowers. When we lived together –a few years ago now–we made a garden in the backyard even though our landlord forbade it. He wasn’t a very nice man, and he lived across the country, so we figured he’d never know. The garden was beautiful.

I’ve kept my seed packets next to the dried flowers in my apartment. I am hopeful that next season will be the time to sow them.