The East Edit Vol. 3
How I bring the Garden Inside, from tomato leaves, fragrant herbs, garden clippings, and the simple rituals that carry the scent and soul of the garden into our home.
The East Edit is a weekly Friday collection of what I’m loving, noticing, wearing, reading, growing, and bringing home—an edit of beautiful finds, thoughtful recommendations, and everyday inspiration for living a little more intentionally.
It’s strange how we remember moments from our childhood—the four-wheeler accident, falling from the treehouse, or how Grandma’s house smelled after she made her famous Southern biscuits. But our childhood is also kind of, at least for me, a blur. I think, and I suspect, that when we are children, we subconsciously absorb our environment and really have no idea just how important that environment is until we become adults.
I say this now as a forty-year-old mother, wife, and entrepreneur: I know how much my childhood has influenced my love of the garden and the outdoors. I spent my entire childhood outside. I remember the smell of the rain after a summer afternoon storm, my grandmother always leaving the windows open even if she was running the air conditioner, and just how magical and peaceful those times were. Time literally moved so slowly, and I know that being a kid is part of it. Time moves slowly when you’re young. And oh, how I wish it still did!
I remember my grandma and my Papa planting and keeping a garden. And although they didn’t involve me in it much, it was still happening all around me—the planting, the seed sowing, the watering—and I think somehow I absorbed all of it, only for it to surface later in my life once I had my son.
I get asked a lot about how I know what I’m doing in the garden, how I remember all the plant names, or how I remember where I’ve planted everything. I honestly cannot tell you how I do it. It literally comes so naturally to me, as if someone else is taking the reins and guiding me. Maybe I’m channeling my grandma and her love of plants and flowers. Whatever it may be, I’m in my zone when it comes to gardens, arranging flowers, and photographing them. One might even say it’s quite magical.
And that, my friends, I believe is where one of the most important ways to relieve stress, release oxytocin, and actually slow down time lies. Plant a garden. Bring the flowers and herbs inside, and soak up the sun while you’re doing it.
I truly believe that we were meant to be outside, and that time spent outdoors with the birds, the trees, and the streams is something deeply missing from our modern world. So many of us spend nearly our entire lives indoors. I heard on a podcast the other day that the average American spends around 22 hours a day inside. That’s so crazy to me!
We’re also constantly being told to stay out of the sun and to protect ourselves whenever we’re outdoors. And while sun protection is, of course, important, I think sometimes we can become so afraid of the sun that we forget how good it feels to simply step outside, feel its warmth on our skin, breathe in the fresh air, and experience all the beautiful benefits that come from spending time in nature.
It does not surprise me in the least that our society is so unhealthy, unhappy, and really just lost in general. I think we need to bring back some of the days of old—well, not entirely—but at least some of the wisdom and connection to nature those days carried.
So, this leads me to today’s East Edit: sharing the ways in which I bring the garden inside my home, and how you can do the same. I realize most of you might not have a garden of your own, so I want to help you find little ways to bring that feeling inside until you have the chance to create one for yourself. And honestly, it doesn’t have to be much. Even if it’s just one small pot of rosemary or lavender sitting in a sunny window, it’s a start.
I LOVE flowers. “Must have flowers, always” is pretty much my motto. A house without flowers or plants, in my opinion, just doesn’t feel quite complete. They bring life, beauty, and a little bit of magic into a space, turning a house into a home—and, even better, a sanctuary.
Right now, as I write this East Edit to you, it is August here in the Southern United States, in North Carolina. What started out as an unbelievably dry summer has now opened up to a regular cadence of afternoon summer storms—and thank goodness, because my husband was really starting to worry about our increasing water bill!
There’s nothing quite like an afternoon or evening rainstorm to hydrate the garden. I can water it all day long with city water and my sprinkler, but the plants just do better with rain from the sky. And now, my garden is absolutely overflowing with flowers, vegetables, and herbs.
Literally, my bed of strawberry plants—which aren’t even in season at the moment—has completely taken over, with greenery spilling out over the sides of the bed. And I’m just looking at them like, okay, where exactly are you planning to go, and am I really going to let this happen? And the answer is probably yes.
Part of my own garden experience is letting nature take its course and simply seeing what happens. I like to think of myself as a gentle guide and caretaker of the plants, but really, they’re in charge. The whole garden feels like one big experiment, and I absolutely love watching to see what transpires.
For example, I currently have three cherry tomato plants growing completely randomly in the garden that I did not plant. Thank you, birdies! Or perhaps they’re little gifts from seeds that dropped into the soil last season and decided this was their year to make an appearance. Either way, I love that the garden has a mind of its own.
Okay, I digress—I could talk about my garden 24/7. What I really want to share with you today are the flowers, herbs, and little garden clippings I’m bringing inside to disperse and dot throughout our home. Some of them might not be things you would immediately think to bring indoors or arrange with, but that’s part of what makes it so fun and beautiful.
One of my favorite things to do while I’m out in the garden is rub the leaves of my plants between my fingers, especially the herbs and vegetables, just to release their scent. There are three in particular that I’m completely obsessed with: tomato leaves, holy basil, and peppermint. If someone were to secretly video me walking through my garden, you would see me sniffing my fingers A LOT. One might wonder what in the world I’m doing—or think I’m on drugs, lol. But truly, it’s one of my most cherished little rituals while wandering through the garden.
And because I have such an abundance of herbs and vegetables growing right now, I love finding ways to bring them inside and arrange with them, too. Something as simple as clipping a few branches from a tomato plant and putting them in a beautiful vessel can make your entire house smell amazing. And let me tell you, I LOVE the smell of tomato leaves. Like, truly love it. I’m addicted to that fresh, green, earthy smell!
I also LOVE arranging with peppermint, especially once it starts to flower because it gets these beautiful, simple little purple flowers. And the best part is that peppermint lasts forever in a vase—I’m talking weeks, sometimes even months! The leaves stay green, and eventually it starts growing roots right there in the water, which you can then easily propagate and turn into even more peppermint plants.
I love having little sprigs of peppermint sprinkled throughout the house, too. And whenever I walk by, I can pinch off a leaf or two, bruise them between my fingers, and get this incredible little hit of peppermint. I know, I know...I sound like a crazy plant lady! But I swear, it’s the little things.
And finally, Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi, is incredible to arrange with indoors. It will also last for weeks in a vase, although I’ve found that the leaves don’t stay quite as long as peppermint. And just like peppermint, you can propagate it right from your arrangement! The aroma of Holy Basil is sweet with a little bit of spice and smells somewhat similar to regular basil, but what I really love are the delicate little purple flowers. They’ll continue blooming even after the stems have been sitting in a vase for weeks, which feels like a little bit of garden magic happening right inside the house.
Sometimes I won’t even add the herbs or tomato branches to my flower arrangements. I’ll just create little arrangements of them on their own and dot them throughout the house—in the bathrooms, by the kitchen window, on my bedside table, the dining room table, or in the entryway. It truly is such a simple way to bring the garden indoors, add some beautiful greenery, and create this lovely aromatic experience throughout your home.
Now, let’s say you don’t have a garden you can wander out to and clip all of these lovely plants from. I have something that’s almost equally as good, and it’s called Flamingo Estate. This brand has somehow managed to capture the scent, feeling, and wildness of being in a garden and bring it indoors. Their candles, home fragrances, and cleaning products are AMAZING and truly make your home smell like you’ve just stepped outside into the garden.
My absolute favorite candle is the Heirloom Tomato, and I’m telling you, it smells JUST like a tomato leaf! It’s insane. Ever since I started gardening, I’ve thought to myself, Why can’t someone make a candle that smells like fresh tomato leaves? And then last fall, I discovered this one. I swear, it’s like someone bottled up one of my favorite smells from the garden and turned it into a candle.
I also recently ordered the Heirloom Tomato Surface Spray to add to my cleaning ritual in the bathrooms and kitchen. Normally, we keep things pretty simple and clean our surfaces with rubbing alcohol and water, but when I know we have guests coming over, I love pulling this one out. It’s just another little way to bring the garden inside and add an unexpected sensory element for our guests to experience when they visit. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that I already have little arrangements dotted throughout the house with actual tomato leaves. Apparently, I’m really committed to this whole tomato-leaf thing!
Some of my other favorites from Flamingo Estate include the Jasmine Damask Rose candle. I’m also completely obsessed with jasmine and rose, so naturally, this one is incredible! Another thing I love about Flamingo Estate candles is that they don’t make me sneeze or give me a headache, which is fabulous because I can actually enjoy having them burning throughout the house.
And then there’s the Jasmine Damask Rose Rich Cream, which I use as a hand cream and always keep in my purse. I absolutely HAVE to have hand cream with me at all times. No questions asked. I cannot stand having dry hands! This cream smells like an absolute dream—like walking through a garden at night when everything is blooming and the scent of the flowers is just hanging in the air.
These are just a few of their amazing products and scents, and I encourage you to take a little gander for yourself and wander through the Flamingo Estate garden. You might just find a scent that brings a little bit of the garden into your own home.
What I’m Watching, Reading & Listening To This Week
Apparently, I’m in my I just want to laugh and feel good era right now—and I am completely okay with that.
Last weekend, I wanted to put on a movie that was fun, lighthearted, and didn’t require me to feel too many strong emotions. 😂 Sometimes you just want to be entertained, laugh a little, and feel good when the credits roll.
So I watched The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, and it was exactly what I needed. Ryan Gosling plays a stuntman—and, I mean, it’s Ryan Gosling. He’s incredibly handsome to look at, as we all know. We’ve loved him since The Notebook, which I cannot believe is now more than 20 years old. How is that even possible?!
But beyond being very easy on the eyes, he is just so charming and endearing in this movie. And funny. He and Emily Blunt have such great chemistry together. Her character starts out as a camera operator and eventually gets her chance to direct a film, and there’s this sweet, funny romance woven throughout all of the action and ridiculousness.
It’s just a genuinely fun, feel-good movie, and if you’re looking for something that doesn’t take itself too seriously, I think you’ll enjoy it.
As far as what I’m reading, I’ve actually been spending a lot more time reading right here on Substack lately. I’ve found some really wonderful writers and accounts that I look forward to opening, so I’m going to share a few of the ones I’ve been loving with you here:
Bex Partridge For my gardening and flower fix.
Sara Covey For my photography and travel inspiration.
Olivia Wickstrom For learning how to grow my Substack.
At home, I haven’t really been deep into a novel or anything at the moment. Instead, I’ve been flipping through my magazines—Architectural Digest, Magnolia Journal—and pulling some of my old cookbooks off the shelves. I love going back through books I already own and rediscovering recipes I’ve forgotten about. There’s something very cozy about that to me.
And then there’s Amy Poehler.
I’ve been listening to her podcast, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, and I absolutely love it. Amy Poehler is just wonderful. She has people on from SNL, her Parks and Recreation days, and other projects and friendships throughout her career, and it’s funny, easy, and genuinely enjoyable to listen to.
Which has also led me back to Parks and Recreation.
I watched Parks and Rec when it originally aired, and it has remained one of my ultimate comfort shows. I probably go through the entire series at least once a year, and lately I’ve been putting episodes on here and there again. Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope will forever make me happy.
And I think there’s a theme here.
I’ve been gravitating toward things that make me laugh.
Things that make me want to have fun, loosen up, be a little silly, and not take everything quite so seriously.
Life gets heavy. The world gets heavy. And I think sometimes we forget how important it is to laugh—to actually laugh until your stomach hurts, to play, to be ridiculous, to watch something simply because it makes you happy.
We need more of that.
More laughter. More play. More fun for the sake of fun.
So that’s what I’ve been choosing lately. And it feels really, really good.
Until next Friday,
xo,
Jamie
P.S. Here’s one of my favorite SNL clips I think you might enjoy with Ryan Gosling. Makes me pee my pants every time! Enjoy :)
Oh, and if you’d like to see me in action arranging flowers, I’ll be doing my first-ever live right here on Substack this Sunday, August 16th at 11:00 a.m.! I would love to see you there. And since it’s my first one, let’s just hope I can get all the technology working. 😂💐
Love this! Thank you for the mention I really appreciate it and so glad you enjoy my flowery bits and bobs x
❤️❤️❤️ love these photos! Thanks for the love! Xx