Growing Up in the Garden: A Garden Grown from Generations

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A heartwarming story of how gardening in Baltimore became a generational tradition passed from grandmother to granddaughter. Discover how flowers, family, and legacy bloom together.

🌿 A Garden Grown from Generations: My Story of Love, Legacy, and Blooms

My love for gardening began as a young girl in Baltimore, Maryland, where the vibrant colors and fragrant blooms in my family’s yard ignited a passion that only deepened with time. This passion was carefully planted and nurtured by two extraordinary women—my grandmother, Isabella Daugherty, and my mother, Annie Nicholson—both of whom played powerful roles in shaping who I am today.

🌼 A Baltimore Garden Matriarch: Isabella Naomi Daugherty

Born in St. Michaels, Maryland, on February 23, 1903, Isabella Naomi Daugherty was more than a gardener—she was a civic leader, a visionary, and a woman deeply rooted in the soil of her community. She spent most of her life in Baltimore, leading the For-Win-Ash Garden Club of Maryland and volunteering with the Women’s Civic League and Provident Hospital Fund Raisers. Her work earned her the title "Woman of the Year" by the Afro-American Newspaper.

Her flower gardens were often featured in major Baltimore publications, showcasing manicured rows of marigolds, dahlias, petunias, and more. Her dedication to gardening was not just a hobby—it was a form of community art and family tradition.

🏡 A Childhood Surrounded by Blooms and Legacy

I grew up visiting my grandparents' three-story Baltimore home, where the front yard was a lush half-acre garden oasis. The blend of my grandfather’s hard labor and my grandmother’s creative touch turned their land into a haven. While she designed intricate garden layouts, I sat by her side absorbing every word and watching every flower come to life.

Despite resisting the formal dresses required at her garden club parties, I always felt a deep awe in the beauty that surrounded me. It wasn’t just about flowers—it was about the culture, discipline, and joy of gardening.

🌱 Sowing My Own Garden: A Legacy Passed Down

At around ten years old, I began my own gardening journey under my mother’s loving eye. She had honed her gardening skills in North Carolina before passing them to me in our own modest Baltimore yard. Together, we dug, planted, and nurtured our soil. My very first blooms? Marigolds and petunias—just like my grandmother’s.

I still remember the red blisters from digging the hard ground. But I also remember the incredible feeling of seeing something I had planted begin to bloom. From that point forward, I was hooked.

🌸 From Flower Beds to Photographs: A Lifelong Passion

As I grew older, so did my garden—and my love for it. I added daisies, coreopsis, phlox, allium giganteum, dahlias, and even vegetables to my growing collection. Gardening became more than a passion. It evolved into:

• A source of therapy and healing

• A gateway into floral photography and floral design

• A bridge to the stories of the women who came before me

Today, every time I press my camera shutter or trim a flower stem, I feel my grandmother and mother with me—guiding my hands and heart.

🌷 Why I Garden: Honoring the Women Who Bloomed Before Me

Gardening is not just about plants. It's about patience, legacy, connection, and healing. It's about watching something grow with love and care—just as my grandmother did for her flowers, and for me.

This journey reminds me daily that every seed planted holds potential, just as the love passed down through generations continues to grow in my heart, in my backyard, and in my life.