SUPER LOOM
As the seasons shift from spring to summer, SUPERBLOOM returns for volume two.
I was blown away by your response to the inaugural issue back in March, and almost immediately, this next issue began to take shape.
It’s one thing to create a full magazine in the depths of February, when hibernation is at peak and near record-setting snowfall blankets the garden outside. It’s quite another to create this in May, with the garden changing by the hour. It’s officially the season of “blink, and you’ll miss it.”
And this is one FOMO worth making time for.
The good news: I’ve been able to enter this growing season with far greater focus and intention when it comes to capturing the special plants and moments I’m most eager to share with you via SUPERBLOOM, which continues with a vision as part magazine and part catalog.
This issue, and likely every summer issue moving forward, is dedicated in large part to the plant whose name was the first word I learned to spell as a kid: the intrepid Iris Their story continues here.
The Iris are a fitting way to mark this moment, as they typically reach peak bloom on or around June 1 every year (which is also when this issue is dropping). It also happens to be the start of Pride month.
As a queer-owned business, I can think of few flowers as inclusive, diverse, and easy to grow as Iris. They bloom in nearly every color imaginable, with new varieties emerging from hybridizers every year. The possibilities are limitless.
Summer also marks the return of Botany & Co.’s signature neighborhood block party birthday
bash: Plant Pride.
Envisioned as a celebration of all the ways we grow together, this beautiful day in the neighborhood returns this year on June 27.
And we have a bit more to celebrate than usual, because this year’s Plant Pride also marks our 5th anniversary as a local and independent businesses grounded in the Near Northwest Neighborhood.
If you know anything about business start-ups, there’s something magical about reaching the five year mark. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, roughly 50% of new businesses fail before year five, and those that make it beyond this point have a tendency to endure. In my experience growing Botany, the lessons learned in the first five years have been some of the most painful, exhausting, expensive, and empowering of my life.
I share this in the spirit of celebration, not sympathy. Our survival is a testament to you, our community, who have continued to show up for us time and again.
In this moment of anxiety and fear, uncertainty and crisis, exhaustion and fatigue, community is more essential than ever. It is, undeniably, critical.
And this is the spirit behind Plant Pride.
It has, and always will, take a village. And I remain grateful you’re ours.
It’s going to be a beautiful summer. I can’t wait to welcome you soon.
Ben | Botany & Co. Founder & Farmer
PLANT BINGO
Friday, July 17 | 6:30-9p
at Counterspell Cafe
Get ready for a night full of plants, prizes, and plenty of fun.
A botanical twist on classic bingo where the calls are plants instead of numbers. Think, Monstera! Alocasia! Pothos! as you mark your cards and compete for prizes.
Enjoy great company, plant-themed fun, snacks, and a complimentary beverage from Counterspell included with every ticket. Whether you’re a plant collector or just love a good game night, this event is perfect for you.
the Highlights:
• 10 rounds of plant-themed bingo.
• Prizes awarded each round.
• Door prizes and fun drawings.
• A night of laughter, learning, and community.
SATURDAY, JUNE 27 | 10-4
PLANT PRIDE
PP
Celebrating five years of growing together.
The first Plant Pride took place on Saturday, July 16, 2022.
The day started with our now traditional outdoor maker market and block party, and culminated with a botanical drag show and community focus group, hosted at the Near Northwest Neighborhood Community Center just up the street.
Our special guests included plantbased drag queens Fertile Liza of Bend, Oregon and Miss Leidy the Plant Lady of New York, New York, with emcee Mae Lin Plummer, a friend and colleague who at the time was leading the Idea Center for Public Gardens based at Denver Botanic Garden.
Between performances, Mae Lin helped to guide and facilitate a conversation among our nearly 100 guests as we asked for their help to envision “The Botany Block.” At the time, The Block was just an idea, a dream grounded in the notion of connecting several vacant lots surrounding The Botany Shop into a new kind of public garden: one embedded
in community where neighbors and visitors wouldn’t need to drive, park, or pay admission - the typical experience of visiting the “traditional” public garden/living museum model where I spent the first decade of my career.
My dream for The Botany Block was always one that included plants in every nook and cranny: every alleyway, sidewalk, and parking lot becoming an opportunity for someone to have a positive experience with plants and the people around them. Plants are, after all, fabulous social mediators: they remind us we’re connected while helping us to connect.
At the end of the evening, we asked our guests to share what they wished for The Botany Block via a Wish Tree. The responses ran the gamut and included safety, connection, joy, belonging, and community. I organized all of them by themes and grouped them into an excel doc, because that’s the kind of nerd I am...
Those wishes have guided Botany and myself for the past five years, and since that first Plant Pride when the only “visible” expression of our vision was The Botany Shop, the Botany & Co. of 2026 now includes The Lot Next Door, The Field, and hundreds of new plants, street trees, and soon, a public park, garden, and green space. (See left)
What started as a crazy dream back in 2021 and began to find direction in 2022 has now taken on physical form. The Botany Block is no longer merely conceptual. It’s becoming real, and you made it happen. It takes a village...
What about the actual Wish Tree itself? I had chosen a somewhat worse for wear Nyssa sylvatica (Black Tupelo), one of my absolute favorite indigenous trees. It had been cooped up in its pot for too many years, roots encircling and struggling to find nutrients and space to expand. It required major root surgery at planting time and lost about 50% of it’s branches the following spring. I honestly wasn’t sure it would make it.
It was one of the first things we planted in The Lot Next Door, when it was just “the lot” (lowercase).
Following some soil TLC from our friends at Grassroots Organic Land and Lawn, it turned a corner last year. This spring, as it’s begun to leaf out, it’s never looked better.
You can find it growing today near the Lot entrance, behind the checkout counter. I hope you’ll say hello on your next visit.
So, what’s next for The Botany Block? I’m so glad you asked...
Neighbors and plant lovers, you’re invited to help us envision how we can transform this space into a place.
Through the efforts of a neighbor and friend, the long-vacant home which has sat adjacent to Botany these past five years has officially come into the fold. After extensive evaluation and conversations, the
decision was made to thoughtfully disassemble the structure and salvage/recycle every viable ingredient, from the siding to the floor boards.
This newly vacant lot (which will be clear and open by Plant Pride), along with the already open lot next to it (which includes a gorgeous mature oak tree, a keystone species - quite fitting), will soon become a neighborhood pocket park and public garden.
Below is a first-take concept sketch - this is not a construction document. It’s meant to envision what could be, and ultimately what comes to fruition will be shaped and informed by you.
This year, Plant Pride will be your first opportunity to share your ideas, dreams, and concepts with us. Of, by, and for us all, this new pocket park in the heart of this neighborhood we love and call home will soon begin to grow.
PP
PLANT PRIDE
SATURDAY, JUNE 27 | 10-4
We owe a big botanical shout-out to Jenna, the intrepid coordinator of Plant Pride. She was our very first hire and has been with the team since before we opened at 909 Portage Ave. If you see her buzzing around Plant Pride (or in the Shop) share a big congratulations and thank you!
Thanks, Jenna. Cheers to Plant Pride 5!
Meet our Vendors
Wicked Pop & Co.
Made by Doop
Buttercup Lanes Sales & Louise Studios
The Herbal Bitch Society
Pari Plants - Butterwort & Hoya Plants
Root + River Refillery Co.
Archer Arts Designs
Lovestory Vintage
Thread Drop
Knots by Kelly
Boxwood Bonsai
Lilith’s Vivarium
Reverie Cakes
Homegrown Hype
Aubrey Rand Art
Wisteria Blue Studios
Flamingo Paradise
St. Joseph County Soil & Water Conservation
South Bend Elkhart Bird Alliance
A Bite with Mee
The Savory Stagecoach
The Dogg House Food Trucks
Let’s Get Ready to Party!
Caricatures
In the Botany Shop Studio
$15 in advance | $20 day-of
MAKE YOUR RESERVATION
Face Painting
In The Lot Next Door
Purchase day-of
Bounce House
In the Pocket Park
$5 wrist bands
PURCHASE A WRISTBAND
Hair Tinsel
In The Lot Next Door
Purchase day-of
Kids Activities In The Lot Next Door Free All Day
Tarot Reading
In The Lot Next Door
Purchase day-of
Fancy Schmancy Face and Body Painting
Sparkle Strand Studio Creature Folk
Plant Pride
from Sky Apothecary
Fresh, limited-edition, seasonal candles for a night on the back porch after a day in the garden.
Aestival
Crafted to encapsulate the peak of a sun-drenched, blooming summer, this candle is your passport to long, warm days and lush, fragrant nights.
Tomato Mint
The grounded counterpart to our summer collection. Designed to capture the raw, magical scent of a thriving backyard garden, this candle brings the crisp, rejuvenating energy of the earth right into your living space.
We’ve teamed up with some of our favorite local makers to bring you next-level goods and fragrances that celebrate the season & the iris. Pickup June 27 or we’ll ship to you.
Order by June 17.
PREORDER NOW
collection the
from Herbal Bitch Society
Wearable fragrances infused with Iris from our own backyard, celebrating love in all forms.
Arcus
Arcus is said to be Iris’ Roman counterpart. She is fabled to be a free spirit like Iris, and this natural fragrance embodies that lore. Arcus is a gorgeous mix of powdery iris, sweet citrus bergamot, a touch of earthy spice from the petitgrain, and finishes with ylang ylang.
Eros
Eros, the son of Iris and Zephyros, is storied to be the god of love. Eros is full of florals from the iris, elevated with spicy citrus of palmarosa, the earthy musk of patchouli, and finishes with sultry sweet Jasmine.
IRIS IT’S SEASON
From the beginning, there have been Iris.
The first word I learned to spell, the first plant I fell in love with, and the plant that inspired the SUPERBLOOM idea from the start.
If you’ve never experienced an Iris field in full, spectacular bloom, it’s a magical place.
An incredible rainbow of color is matched only by their sweet and spicy perfume, wafting through the air on warm days. My absolute favorite times to be in the field with them are either early in the morning or evening golden hour, when the sun is low in the sky and the light is diffused. Everything seems dialed up and magnified for those few magical minutes.
I debated how far back I should take you in this journey. Perhaps the patch of Iris inherited from
family members growing in my parent’s garden, the first ones I fell in love with? Maybe the “Iris field” behind my dad’s business in North Liberty, Indiana when I was a teenager?
Or perhaps the Iris collection at Fernwood Botanical Garden in Niles, Michigan where for a few blissful years I’d make a pilgrimage with my parents when they were in full bloom. Fernwood hosted an Iris raffle each spring, and one year we were lucky enough to win. I can’t tell you the name of that plant to save my life, but I still have it growing in the collection today (if anyone recognizes it, please reach out with the name!)
Iris were some of the first plants I ordered for our new garden here in South Bend back in 2021. They had a rough go the first year, being moved more than once as that garden (and Botany) rapidly grew and evolved. I think it was 2023
when their first blooms really arrived, and I was suddenly swept up in the love affair once more.
I remember saying to my partner, Paul, “I’d just love to be an eccentric Iris farmer by the time I’m 50.”
His response, “Why wait?”
Over the past few years I’ve been collecting and trialling new varieties in our tiny garden, and we now have some 150 in the collection. Another 100 or so are on the way over the next few years. So, what’s the plan?
The first Iris will begin their migration to The Field, Botany’s growing space just across the street on Cottage Grove Ave this summer.
This spring I asked local artist Sarah Bloom to help design a new logo for The Field that would celebrate and cement the vision I’ve always had for this space: an Iris field in the heart of the city.
An Iris field in the heart of our neighborhood... talk about dreams coming true! I’m so excited to invite you in next summer to experience the first in-person SUPERBLOOM event when the Iris are at their peak.
In the meantime, Iris are one of the most joyful and easiest plants to share - just one more reason to love them. Something so beautiful (and easy to grow!) deserves to be shared.
The details for this year’s sale are below, and you can find the “Class of 2026” varieties that will be available on the next page.
Annual Iris Sale
Now open for ordering through Sunday, July 12.
Plants will be bare root upon receipt (see left) and should be planted ASAP.
You may choose to either pickup your order at Botany, or we can ship them to you. Pickup orders will be available beginning Wednesday, August 5, and shipping will begin the following week.
‘Desert Echo’
SHOP IRIS
‘Bud to Blossom’
This is the second year I've grown it, and the first year it's bloomed, and it is my top pick for "Coolest f-ing iris to bloom for the first time in my garden," this year.
I have only one rhizome available, and it'll be painful to part with it - but I need someone else to grow this magical beast and feel what I've felt as the flowers opened for the first time.
It deserves to be shared.
GROWING guide
“Treat them like concrete and they’ll be happy.”
Seriously. Iris are one of the easiest plants to grow. Hardy, durable, drought-tolerant, and accessible, their only requirements are full sun and good drainage. Once established, they will thrive with minimal to no intervention for many years. Set ‘em and forget ‘em. (Until they bloom, of course!)
Plants will arrive to you bare-root, and I recommend soaking them in a pan of water for about 12 hours before planting out just to help them get rehydrated.
Iris appreciate being lifted and divided every 5-7 years to help maintain vigor, as clumps can become over-crowded over time which will diminish blooms while encouraging pest and diseases. Spent flowers and stems may be removed after flowering if desired.
Annual Iris Sale
Now open for ordering through Sunday, July 12.
Plants will be bare root upon receipt (see left) and should be planted ASAP.
You may choose to either pickup your order at Botany, or we can ship them to you. Pickup orders will be available beginning Wednesday, August 5, and shipping will begin the following week.
SHOP IRIS
CLASS of
Avalon Sunset Blenheim Royal Bravery
Butterlicious Cavewoman Cheap Frills
Citron Fromage
Spirit
Coral Cove
Dancing in Ruffles
Desert Echo
Dodge City
Easter Charm
Fairy’s Prom Dress Falsettos
Flaming Lava Grand Portage Hold the Line
Orange Crinkle
Outcast
Priceless Memories
Sail Master Shandygaff Stitches
Hop to It
Jamaican Dream
Jingle Dress
Luminate
Misty Twilight Neanderthal
Persian Dawn
Mary Adele
Mimosa Mimosa
Sonic Burst Got Cream
The 2026 season in The Field is already off and rolling. It’s been a busy spring redefining and rebuilding beds, laying out new pathways, and growing more than 2,000 baby plants in our basement for the season ahead.
FIELD notes 2026 crop list
From fresh bouquets to edible flowers, herbs, and a few other special treasures, as the days warm and grow longer, this space is roaring toward a summer abundance.
There’s a few ways you can experience the magic of the flower field this year, starting with a Bouquet Magic or Flower Garland class. Both are now posted on our website, and allow you an exclusive, guided peak into the space, along with beauty to take home.
If you’re a chef, barista, bartender, or baker, the edible flower program is for you. The 2026 crop list is to the right, so you know what to look forward to as the seasons evolve.
Things to look forward to.
EDIBLE FLOWERS & GARNISHES
• Pansies & Violas
• Lavender
• Borage
• Calendula
• Celosia
• Marigold
• Strawflower
FRESH HERBS
GO BEHIND THE SCENES ORDER
• Bronze Fennel
• Calamint
• Dill
• Mountain Mint
• Parsley
• Sage
• Spearmint
• Sweet Basil
• Thai Basil
BEST OF THE REST
• Garlic + Scapes
• Aronia Berries
• Juniper Berries
NOW
from SHOP the
As we slide into summer with Pride Month and Father’s Day, indoors The Shop is featuring gifts meant to encourage everyone to spend a little more time outside.
Here’s just a few of my favorite treasures right now.
Parting Thoughts
It is my hope and dream to bring you beyond the interwebs and into the plantings with each issue of SUPERBLOOM.
Growing something beautiful to share with someone else is my calling. And empowering the next person to do the same in their own place and in their own way simply follows naturally.
Iris are a gateway plant: they were my gateway plant, in point of fact. They’re a big reason I’m the person and gardener I am today, and that Botany & Co. is the business we are today.
In an interview for Cultivating Place with Brenna Estrada, author of the book Pansies, which aired back in April, she talked about being an “Ambassador of Overlooked Flowers” - and I love that. As time goes on, I’m finding myself identifying with this more and more. If you haven’t yet listened, you can find it here.
There’s something about speaking up for a plant you know well, especially one that’s easy to grow and so rewarding. They open up entirely new worlds for gardeners of all experiences when they come into a garden for the first time.
On that note, this issue’s “parting image” to the left is a callback to last issue’s feature on edges. They’re something I’m continuing to study and pay attention to in my own gardening this year, and the dynamism and layers appearing in these spaces is fascinating. I also think there’s a wide range of unsung plant heros for these spaces, and so I’m paying attention to that, too.
As always, my hope for SUPERBLOOM is that it inspires you to plant boldly, joyfully, and with deep empathy for the creatures and living beings around you: to celebrate and embrace communtiy in all its forms.
Plants hold many superpowers, and their ability to remind us we’re connected while helping us to connect remains one of my favorites. This infinite diversity in infinite combinations is what continues to draw me into the garden, always.
I can’t wait to share these plants with you, to see them popping up and thriving in your gardens, and to continue cultivating a vibrant, beautiful, and diverse place to call home along with all of you.
Happy gardening, plant lovers.