Why subscribe?
Subscribe to get my tips, tricks and musings on what I’m learning in my Zone 8a garden, plus access to a seasonal resource for hyperlocal garden wisdom, tips and inspiration from gardeners around Upstate, SC.
What to expect
Find, follow and support more of our local growers and garden centers.
Get inspiration, coaching and consultations from local gardeners and pros—the people who KNOW our climate and microclimates, and can speak from local EXPERIENCE, not just general expertise.
Connect with gardeners where you live from various ages and backgrounds.
About me
Hi there! I’m Tiffany, and I’m learning to garden here in Greenville, South Carolina.
For a long time I struggled to call myself “a gardener.” That seemed like a title you had to earn with a degree, or by memorizing 100s of latin botanical names. At the very least, it seemed like I should have fewer weeds in my flower beds.
But now—I just own it. I’m a gardener.
Why? Because I grow things.
It changed for me when I started gardening in 2013 with a 4x4 pre-fab raised bed from The Christmas Tree Shoppe, in my backyard in one of those typical subdivisions off Woodruff Road. A few seeds, inexpertly sown, and I had zucchini coming out of my ears. My mind was blown.
My garden has grown since then, but I’m still small-fry. Not an expert; just a foodie and a nerd who found her green thumb.
Gardening as a hobby occupies a curious space. It’s for retirees and homesteaders, but also for working moms (like me!), and singles living in apartments, and the couple that just bought their first home, and the college student with houseplants. It’s somehow both high-brow and low-brow—a pastime for people of wealth just as well as for everyday people like me.
Plants don’t discriminate.
Many of us who garden can’t commit a lot of time to a garden club or plant society, much less start a farm or drop $50k on garden design and construction. We’re just going to pretty-up our average backyards, grow in containers on a balcony, or plant a tiny kitchen garden. You may only want to grow tomatoes for pasta sauce, or a tangle of zinnias, or have beautifully uniform hedges. It’s all gardening. In my book, it all counts.
By training, I’m a communicator, not a horticulturalist or plant designer. But my passion for gardening must be a bit infectious, as friends convinced me I should share more of what I’m learning, and well, that’s what led me to this little project.
With gvlgardening, I try to inspire more people to make good use of the sun and soil they have today: for beauty, for health, for flavor, for fun—for the joy of tending something as it grows.
I hope you’ll subscribe to be part of the growing community and conversation.
More Resources I Offer:
Plants Map - Paper Routes - Good Printed Things
A map I wrote featuring great places to buy plants locally here in Upstate, South Carolina. Illustrated by Charis JB.
The Uncomplicated Gardener - Good Printed Things
My zine sharing six steps I’ve learned over time that brought me success and joy growing and tending plants without overcomplicating things. Illustrated by Jennifer Bilton.
A little more behind the scenes and off the cuff. I started this account on Instagram but I’m gradually moving more of the in-depth content over here to Substack.
