While construction continues on the studio, I’ve also been working on what will surround it. As walls go up in the studio and the interior begins to take shape, this winter I began sowing seeds for a new terraced rock garden and several raised beds that will be planted in the spring.

Winter sowing is one of my favorite ways to get a jump on the growing season—simple, low-tech, and well suited to our climate. Seeds are tucked into containers and left outdoors to germinate naturally when conditions are right. It’s a patient process, but a reliable one, and it feels especially fitting while both the building and the landscape are still in progress.

The new garden areas are ready and waiting. The terraced rock garden will help define the slope and add structure, while the raised beds will be dedicated to flowers. Right now, everything looks quiet—fully snow-covered—but the tubs of winter-sown seeds tell a different story. There’s a lot happening beneath the surface, much like inside the studio itself.

Looking ahead to summer, these plantings will be the start of something new. My plan is to offer fresh flower bouquets for sale in the studio’s retail space, grown right here alongside the work being made inside.

In many ways, this season feels like a pause filled with quiet momentum—walls being finished, seeds waiting, plans slowly settling into place. Building and planting require the same kind of trust: careful preparation, steady attention, and the willingness to let time do its work. When warmer weather arrives, I’m looking forward to seeing both the studio and the gardens come fully to life, shaped by all of this early, unseen effort—and by the simple belief that the process, given time, knows where it’s going.