“WHEN THEY'RE done well, gardens feed our bodies and our souls, knitting us together with the people we love," Kathleen says Pourciau, who discovered gardening's therapeutic properties four years ago. Sick with COVID-19 in March 2020, she was gazing out the window of her Baton Rouge home into an empty yard when her eldest daughter, Bonnie Kate, suggested planting something there.
As Pourciau considered the undertaking, she remembered the 2-acre plot her grandfather had tended until he was in his nineties, sharing the fruits of his labor with the community.
"He didn't sell anything from it; he just gave out of abundance," she reflects. "I suspect he knew the power of growing things, of having your hands in the rich dirt, and how that changes you."
Pourciau was intimidated by the notion of a kitchen garden but then learned about companion planting, where specific vegetables and flowers are grouped together to maximize efficiency.
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Thumbs Up
Three twists on the classic chocolate-filled cookie
SUPPERTIME: Elegant Made Easy
Tender braised short ribs are fancy enough for Christmas dinner or any special occasion. Bonus: They're even make-ahead
A Big Easy Christmas
Let the good times roll in New Orleans
TIMELESS DECOR: Good as Old
Natural elements and folksy finds infuse this 1886 Georgia cottage with warm-fuzzy charm
Classic Pattern, New Spirit
Four tastemakers put their fanciful spins on an old-faithful Spode collection
MEET HER IN ST. LOUIS
Trimmed with ribbon and wrapped in wallpaper, designer Amy Studebaker's 1950s Missouri home proves there's no such thing as too much of a good thing especially this time of year
A TENNESSEE TREASURE
For nearly 115 years, The Hermitage Hotel has been Nashville's holiday mainstay
The Powerg Poinsettias
A little while back, a neighbor knocked on my door, hoisting up a ruby red plant so enormous it concealed her completely from midriff to head. I was new to the area, and this was her way of welcoming me. A poinsettia, vividly colored, overflowing its pot, and endearingly ill-timed-it wasn't even Thanksgiving yet. But the plant seemed to brighten up the whole world just a bit, as if daring anyone to reject the early holiday spirit. You could say it kick-started my love for the leafy shrub and what it seems to represent: a simple kind of goodwill.
WRAPPED WITH CARE
In San Antonio, Christmas isn't complete without a plate of steaming tamales on every family's table
PARTY LIKE IT'S 1984
Entertaining now is quite different than it was 40 years ago, but our recipes stand the test of time