THE SCENE

Upward Growth

Maximize the beauty and harvests of vertical gardening.

TEXT MELINDA MYERS

This spring, consider going vertical to expand your outdoor gardening space, create privacy, and add beauty to bare walls and fences. This centuries-old technique has been used to grow food and fl owers, cultivating productivity from the ground up. Gardening on a small city lot, balcony, or deck? Maximize the space to expand your gardening opportunities.

Ideal vertical plants include pole beans, peas, squash, melons, tomatoes, and other vining edible plants. With supports, growing these crops vertically saves space, reduces the risk of disease, and makes harvesting much easier. Include trellises and arbors in raised beds and elevated gardens to further maximize growing space. Trellises train vines upward while arches allow you to grow two layers of plants— one over the trellis and one below.

Grow annual vines for quick cover and perennial vines for years of beauty. Mix the two to quickly cover the trellis with the annual vine while waiting for the perennial to establish and reach its mature size. Plant two vines with diff erent bloom times on one trellis to extend the colorful fl ower display. Or look for those that bloom at the same time to double the fl oral impact.

Vertical gardening techniques can also be used when gardening in containers. Create your own or purchase a support that securely fi ts and supports vines growing in the container. Some containers come with an integrated trellis. Further reduce maintenance by utilizing a self-watering pot like the City Jungle Self-Watering Tomato Planter large enough to grow and support two indeterminate tomatoes. Some containers can be mounted on a wall or fence or stacked and secured vertically to increase growing space. Systems like the Vigoroot 4-Tiered Balcony Garden provide lots of planting space in just a few square feet.

Decorative supports add beauty or a focal point year-round. Select the style—rustic, formal or colorful—that complements your garden design, furnishings, and personality. Make sure whatever you choose is strong enough to support the plants you grow. Mask rain barrels, compost bins and other functional areas in the landscape with a wall of plants. Leave space for easy access as you fi ll your compost bin or harvest fi nished compost and rainwater.

Use trellises and arbors to brighten often overlooked spaces. A vine-covered arbor makes a nice fl oral welcome at the entrance to a walkway or colorful transition between garden areas. Make sure the opening is large enough to accommodate visitors and any equipment needed. Dress up a lamp or mailbox post with a vine covered support. Create your own from chicken wire or

Grow a vegetable garden vertically in a compact space, whether on a balcony or patio.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melinda Myers is the author of more than 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses How to Grow Anything DVD series and the Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is melindamyers.com.

purchase a curved trellis like the Bosmere Trellis (gardeners.com) suitable for this application.

You can easily dress up a bare wall or fence, screen a bad view, or create privacy with a plant-covered trellis. Leave space between the wall and trellis when gardening next to a building. This space allows airfl ow between the building and plants, reducing the risk of mildew on the wall and diseases infecting the plants.

No matter your style and location, vertical gardening can help you maximize your growing space and garden’s beauty.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll: oOYes

Get to know the groovy, sex-positive woman behind this new line of “cannagasmic” products created by women—for anyone who enjoys a good f*cking.

TEXT STEPHANIE WILSON

Founded in 2018, oOYes isn’t just another lube company—it’s a whole sex-positive lifestyle. “The focus is on creating sex-forward experiences that open communication and remind people that sex is fun and good for you,” says Tanya Griffi n, whose love aff air with sex runs deep.

A badass businesswoman based in Denver, Griffi n spent the last 30 years opening retail stores, restaurants, and dispensaries, creating products focused on women’s and family health while she hopped continents and industries, working in everything from cannabis to fi nancial services to software development— all while raising four kids. With the launch of her latest venture, oOYes, she can add an “ecstatic sex, experience-driven lifestyle brand” to her list of entrepreneurial ventures.

“I like to say that I’ve gone from colostrum to cannabis to cum,” Griffi n says with an easy laugh.

Colostrum is a type of breastmilk, and Griffi n was a lactation specialist early in her career. She transitioned into cannabis in 2014, joining The Green Solution to help build the fi rst vertically integrated cultivation, manufacturing, and retail national franchise opportunity in the industry—a highly successful eff ort. The multistate dispensary chain was bought by Columbia Care in 2019 for $140 million.

Which brings us to the third C in that triple alliteration: cum.

The oOYes line of sex products is created to help you do just that; and they’re formulated with cannabis-derived terpenes and cannabinoids, so oOYes combines two of the Cs into a brand that exudes a 1960s mod-hippie sex-drugsand-rock-n-roll vibe. It’s a whole mood—and it’s a good one, if not a little bit forward. There’s a sex quiz featured frontand-center on the oOYes homepage that calculates your kink score by asking whether you’d be down to try sex acts that range from the basic (oral sex, sensual massage) to the extreme (foot jobs, swinging, anal fi sting, so much more). Have your partner take the quiz as well, and fi nd out where your kinks align, perhaps opening both your eyes (and other orifi ces) to experiences you hadn’t realized were on the proverbial table.

The whole thing is very sex positive, as are the products, all of which feature a rock-nroll theme and a groovy 1970s-inspired branding. Created and formulated by women, oOYes sex lubricants and wellness products have a subtle orange blossom fl avor and feature plant-based botanicals, active terpenes, and minor and major cannabinoids including cannabigerol (CBG), cannabidiol (CBD), as well as patented BeeFused Superhoney.

While cannabis sexual product lines grow in popularity, the brands behind them tend to play it safe, with vibes that are clinical, possibly sensual. But fun? Heavens, no!

That’s not how they roll baby roll at oOYes, as evidenced by the products themselves: Roll Baby Roll is a sex oil with BeeFused Honey and CBD. It’s oral friendly, vegan, gluten free, and safe to ingest. “The bottle has a roller ball that you roll right onto your clitoris—and it feels so good,” Griffi n says (she’s not lying).

Going Down is an oral sex elixer that combines sunfl ower oil, BeeFused honey, and orange blossom with CBD that tastes delightful. Love Me Too, a sensual moisturizer “for your other lips,” features CBG and cannabinoid-rich honey. Start Me Up is a lickable glide that, according to the product description, is “crafted to rock your world while your partner gets to taste a subtle yet sweet orange blossom fl avor. Made to encourage licking, sucking, and f*cking.”

Many of the products feature the brand’s Bee Wild tantric honey, which uses BeeFused patented technology where freerange bees organically feed on nectar made from hemp-derived cannabinoids, cannabis strains, and superfoods to create highly bioavailable, cannabinoid-rich raw honey. “Bees do all the work!” Griffi n says. “Nothing is added, nothing is made in a lab. This is nature doing what it does best.”

Griffi n says, “oOYes is sex forward and by no means shy.” And if it’s not clear yet, neither is she. The Denver-based entrepreneur loves sex, and she loves talking about sex—not in a sterile, clinical way, but not in an omg-TMI-please-stop way either. She just enjoys it, and she’s passionate about helping others enjoy it too. For her, it’s about creating experiences for people. “That’s why all the products are travel sized, that’s why everything is tied to rock-n-roll. It’s all designed around how you feel, it’s about getting your mind in the right place, and—yes—using drugs to do it. Having fun with it in a nice way.”

And it all comes down to basic biology: sex is fun, and having more of it is good for you. Science backs this up: There are a ton of emotional and psychological benefi ts of getting busy, and sex is strongly linked to a better quality of life, off ering both mental and physical benefi ts ranging from better self-image and higher rates of happiness to enhanced brain function.

“I freaking love sex,” Griffi n continues. “I think it’s like eating and sleeping and everything else. I think everybody should be having lots of it.”

oOYes founder Tanya Gri n is having fun in the sex space.

Be a Savvy CBD Shopper

Try these six tips for nding the product that’s just right for you.

TEXT ABIGAIL NUEVE, SOCIAL COORDINATOR, MEDICALLY CORRECT

With the fl ood of CBD products on the market these days, here’s everything you need to know to ensure you’re getting the best bang for your CBD bucks.

1. Review the test results.

Trustworthy companies test their CBD-infused products to ensure safety and accuracy. Always ask the retailer or brand for testing results to make sure you’re getting the advertised CBD milligram content and no harmful residuals.

2. Inquire where the hemp was grown.

Hemp is a hyper-accumulator (say what?), meaning it greatly absorbs pollutants like heavy metals and radioactive contaminants—you don’t want those toxins entering your body. Choose CBD products that use USA-grown hemp, preferably from states like Colorado, where the Department of Agriculture inspects for illegal pesticides and THC content.

3. Know the diff erence between CBD isolate and full-spectrum. Full-spectrum refers to a whole

plant extract, and scientists have found that the synergy of all-natural cannabinoids and compounds (called the “entourage effect”) create greater eff ectiveness than other formulas. However, if you’re undergoing drug testing or are concerned about any potential psychoactive eff ects, choose a product that uses CBD isolate. These are THC-free and won’t put your job in jeopardy.

4. Consider what you’re looking to achieve.

There are CBD products in gas stations and groceries, in everything from gummy bears to toothpaste. Consider your needs and each product’s perks. Fast-acting tinctures suit various ailments, with short-term, heightened eff ects; whereas long-lasting edibles promote all-day relief. Try a topical or bath soak for localized external issues.

5. Read the whole label.

You may be able to reduce your dose when using a CBD product that features other nutraceuticals, often made for specifi c eff ects. If you’re seeking insomnia relief, perhaps consider a CBD product infused with melatonin. Alternatively, be cautious not to waste money in purchasing a product infused with a nonsuitable nutraceutical like caff eine. Even with CBD, it won’t help you sleep.

6. Trust your gut.

Testimonies off er some validity, but don’t waste your time and money with brands that boast unfounded medical claims. If a product seems too good to be true, claiming to cure all your ailments and life’s problems, be aware the company may be taking advantage of consumers’ vulnerabilities. There are dozens of other great brands that truly have your best interest in mind.