425. Garden Variety | Christy Wilhelmi | Gardenerd | Los Angeles, CA

Garden Variety: A Novel 

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March 11, 2022

Back to tell us about her new book Garden Variety. Things I love that there's not just one main character, there is but there's great characters and Christy does such a great job of building community and the language and sentences are fantastic the way she describes garden events. You will

I garden here in Zone 10b, we used to be zone 9b but with climate change. I belonged to this community garden for 22 years and I was on the board for 20 of those years. I knew from my first season I needed to write a story about a community garden, there's so many things that go on, so I began tucking little stories away over the years.

3 books and a NOVEL

Originally I didn't want to write a garden book, and as you know I have 3 garden books, but Garden Variety is the way I wanted to write which is telling garden lessons through story. Took a long time, because it was my first novel, it started out in a different way. 

I love that you say it's my first because I can't wait to read the sequel and find out what happens to the other characters.

Lost Angelos has more than 120 community gardens and needs more of them. 60% or maybe more live in an apartment and community gardens are the solace that provides the space for those people.

I am an advocate for more gardens in any empty space.

Jackie asks where did you come up with the size because the beds are a really nice size in the story. They must be a composite of people you've met over the years.

The main character is Lizzy. She's a section rep. She brings people in, writes citations,

At first I was like citations? But then I realized how important they are.

Usually rules come about because of something that has caused a lot of damage. 

Lizzy brings in this new guy named Jared, who's sort of a surfer, handyman, a really nice guy but doesn't really know how to commit to anything, and is used to just sliding from one thing to the next wherever the wind sends him.

Mary who is the president.

Bernice who is her foe, who is also on the board who wants to be president.

Ned who is the garden master.

And some ancillary characters. An eclectic group of people. My goal was to make the characters as diverse as I could, it's called Garden Variety because gardens usually are.

I could see me being just like Jared in the beginning, and not even realizing there were rules or things I should or shouldn't do. 

I love how in the back you have all the garden tips, because in the beginning I was like I should be taking notes and