Earth Day Reflections from the Garden
This afternoon, I wandered through the garden in the golden hush of spring sunshine. The kind that warms your skin and makes everything feel tender and just beginning. I had been feeling behind—on planting, on growing, on all the invisible tasks that make up a season on a small farm. The to-do list in my mind was longer than the day.
But as I stepped out into the garden, I noticed something else:
The nettles are just starting to stretch.
St. John’s wort is waking up slowly, quietly.
The violets have arrived, whispering in the shady edges.
Even the rhubarb is still curled in on itself, waiting.
In that moment, I realized the earth is not behind.
It is simply moving at its own pace.
And it is my own impatience, not the land, that makes me feel rushed.
We talk a lot in the herbal world about aligning with the rhythms of nature. It sounds beautiful, but it is also hard. The world we live in demands urgency, production, results. Nature, on the other hand, offers us slowness. Intention. A pace that asks us to notice instead of control.
And so, this Earth Day, I am taking a breath.
Not to do more, but to trust more.
To remember that the nettle knows when to grow.
That the violet blooms in its own time.
That the earth leads—and I am here to follow.
These early spring plants are more than just the first signs of life on the farm—they are the beginning of our offerings for the season ahead. The nettle will find its way into nourishing teas. The St. John’s wort, once it soaks up the summer sun, will infuse oils that calm the body and spirit. The violets bring their gentle touch to facial care, while rhubarb marks conserved energy turning once again toward abundance.
At Half Wild Arts, everything we make begins here—with the land, the plants, and the rhythm of the seasons. Our skincare and saining sprays are handcrafted in small batches using herbs we grow with care, right here on our New Hampshire farm. Products like our Facial Set (with Rosewater Mist and Facial Serum), or our Mugwort Sain begin in moments just like this—quiet, connected, and in rhythm with the natural world.
This work is not about rushing to harvest or meeting a sales deadline. It is about honoring the slow beauty of the earth. The kind of beauty that cannot be rushed. The kind of beauty that begins underground, in roots and stillness and the patient push toward light.
As you move through this season, I invite you to walk with the land. Let the earth lead you. Trust its timing. And let your care—of self, of others, of the planet—begin not in urgency, but in reverence.
Happy Earth Day.
With love from the garden,
Ruth Ann 💜
