Meet this week’s guest editor, Conner Parrish. Conner founded Blossoming Roots Farm & Supply in Ashland, Virginia in 2022. The farm teaches conservation gardening workshops around the Richmond metro area and operates a local cut flower farm, with the mission to protect and nurture the environment around us.
After the sudden loss of his father at an early age, Conner quickly realized nature is what kept him grounded. He became a beekeeper in college at Virginia Commonwealth University, and experienced the therapeutic benefits and life lessons of our harmonious pollinators. Flower farming naturally entered the picture as he planted several varieties to feed his bees.
Conner is finally living the dream and doing his part to help our shared world become ecologically in tune once again. Blossoming Roots Farm & Supply practices a pay-it-forward ideology with every sale, giving a portion to pollinator education and conservation efforts. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family, working on his saltwater aquariums, and being outdoors.
Take it away, Conner…
Richmond Home + Garden Show
My favorite way to kick off the dawning of spring is the Richmond Home + Garden Show. And Blossoming Roots Farm & Supply will be there selling peony flower plants, dahlia flower roots, and local berry plants. It’s a great place to stock up on greenery for the season, find your dream local contractor for your new home projects, or just browse for future ideas and inspiration for your home and garden. Leslie Davis and Lyndsay Lamb from HGTV’s “Unsellable Houses” will also be there!
Vitals:
Richmond Home + Garden Show / Fri., February 28 & Sat., March 1, 10:00 am - 7:00 pm, Sun., March 2, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm / Tickets: $9 at door, $7 online, children 12 & under free / Richmond Raceway Complex, 600 E Laburnum Ave
Adult Learning Spring Classes at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden (LGBG)
I love how Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden strives to provide continued learning for curious and creative minds. Adult and youth classes are taught by field experts in the world of horticulture and floriculture. Art, craft, and yoga classes are also offered, so there is something for everyone. Come take a class with Blossoming Roots & Farm Supply and get crafty or learn about how important our gardens are for the environment.
Among their grounds, you can explore gorgeous outdoor gardens and pools, a glass conservatory, a children’s playground, tea house, gift shop, library, classrooms, and walls filled with rotating community art. In the spring and summer, they host live music events, plant swaps, and plant sales.
Parallel Nursery is a woman-owned native perennial nursery in Richmond, specializing in growing perennial plants for pollinator support and habitat building. They offer a limited selection of plant species (including local Virginia ecotypes) grown in a variety of easily plantable sizes, from landscaping plugs up to one-gallon pots. They also offer native plant landscaping consultation and design services. All plants are grown pesticide-free and sustainably outdoors here in RVA!
It’s almost wedding season! Blossoming Roots & Farm Supply now offers wedding flower preservation services, transforming your cherished blooms into timeless keepsakes. The farm carefully preserves bridal bouquets and floral arrangements by pressing and drying your arrangement to capture the beauty of your special day. Their expert techniques ensure that every petal retains its charm, allowing you to relive your wedding memories for years to come. Flower preservation is a great wedding gift too!
Meet this week’s guest editor, Deb Freeman! As a culinary anthropologist, Deb explores the intersections of race, culture, and food, with a focus on Virginia and the South. She is the executive producer and host of Finding Edna Lewis on PBS and created Setting the Table, a critically acclaimed, award-winning podcast on Black foodways and culinary history.
Freeman has appeared on Finding Flavor (Max) and The Key Ingredient (PBS) and has written for Eater, Condé Nast Traveler, Food52, Garden & Gun, and more. She has also provided cultural commentary for BBC Radio.
Originally from Norfolk, Freeman moved to Richmond six years ago. She enjoys exploring international grocery stores to discover unique snacks from around the world.
Take it away, Deb ...
Free Tours of Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia
Each tour is led by a knowledgeable guide and will explore the same key themes, so you only need to register for one date. Spaces are limited, so don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with history—reserve your spot today!
As a young lawyer with a growing family in Springfield, Illinois, Abraham Lincoln often donned an apron to help whip up dinner when his wife was in need. What tasty dishes did he prepare? We’ll explore the simple cookbooks available in his era with such tasty treats as jumble cookies, rhubarb tonic, and slow-cooked barbecue. This presentation will take a culinary look at Abe Lincoln’s dinner table.
Experience Richmond’s rising musical talent as the Richmond Symphony Youth Orchestra performs Haydn’s Symphony No. 103, “Drum Roll,” alongside woodwinds, brass, and percussion. The Percussion Ensemble will also take the stage, showcasing chamber music by YCO and RSYO percussionists.
A highlight of the evening is violist Joe Legukto, winner of the 2025 Richmond Symphony Student Concerto Competition. Don’t miss this inspiring performance by Central Virginia’s most advanced young musicians!
I recently finished filming Finding Edna Lewis, a PBS documentary now available on the PBS app, website, and VPM (check local listings). The film explores the life and legacy of Edna Lewis, a pioneering Black chef from Freetown, Virginia, whose farm-to-table philosophy reshaped the way Americans view Southern cuisine.
Through interviews with chefs, historians, and those who knew her, Finding Edna Lewis highlights her influence on modern food culture and celebrates her role in preserving Southern culinary traditions.
Meet this week’s guest editor, Beth Anne Booth! Beth Anne is an artist, survivor, and advocate for the healing power of creativity and nature. A Williamsburg, Virginia, native, she studied art history and design at the University of Alabama, Oxford University, and the Corcoran College of Art + Design. Her career has spanned prestigious institutions like the Smithsonian, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and Richmond’s arts and culture scene, most recently at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.
A woman in recovery, Beth Anne shares openly about her sober journey, which has provided her with a strong spiritual foundation. In 2022, she faced a life-altering lung disease that led to a double-lung transplant in June 2024. Through it all, she found strength in abstract expressionism, embracing the deep connection between art and healing.
Now based in Richmond, Beth Anne continues to create, travel for live music, and draw inspiration from bold colors, eclectic textures, and the natural world. She collects Mexican folk art, finds comfort in hawks, and secretly dreams of being a DJ.
Take it away, Beth Anne ...
photo credit: John Enright
Valentines Day at Rosewood
Stop by Rosewood Clothing on Friday, February 14th, starting at 12:00 pm, to pick up a beautiful premade bouquet—perfect for your sweetheart or yourself! All proceeds will benefit Safe Harbor RVA, supporting survivors of violence and abuse. Swing by, grab a bouquet, and help spread the love while supplies last!
Soul for Soil (January 31 – March 27, 2025) at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden explores the deep historical and spiritual bond between African American culture and the natural world. Curated by The Art Seen, this exhibit highlights resilience, creativity, and renewal through an artistic lens. Located in the Community Art Gallery in the Kelly Education Center, it is included with Garden admission.
Portals, a community-based exhibition in Shockoe Bottom, is on display now through the end of February. Created by the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia (BHMVA) in collaboration with the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities, with support from Venture Richmond and The Art Seen, this exhibit features large-scale historic photographs showcasing African American life from the early 1800s to the 1980s.
image credit: Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia
More from Beth Anne...
I created Healing Whole Arts in 2021 as a space for reflection, healing, and creativity—unaware that it would prepare me for a profound physical journey. After a sudden unspecified interstitial lung disease (ILD) diagnosis in 2023, I received a double-lung transplant on June 14, 2024, a moment that transformed both my life and my art.
An elevated perspective, combined with a surge of creative energy, gave rise to the "Breathe" series—a body of large-scale paintings rooted in abstract expressionism. This collection is my artistic response to the emotions and experiences I went through, from the moment I received "The Call" that lungs were available to the "First Breath" I took with my donor’s lungs.
Join me for an Artist Q&A and public viewing of the "Breathe" series on Wednesday, February 26, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at The Yellow House. Experience the art, embrace the present, and breathe it all in. FREE with RSVP via Eventbrite.
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