Have you ever noticed how the color quality reflected through light changes each season? This is one of the more beautiful and subtle things one can perceive when expanding beyond rote five senses seeing. In Autumn the light here is golden with an undertone of orange. Spring’s luminosity is yellow-green, Summer ‘s hue is magenta, Winter’s cast is blue. This happens somewhere liminal, in between physical & spiritual sight. A world of wonder awaits. You can learn to do this, too! *Photo image is in one of the gardens, with glowing sulfur cosmos, lots of purple and blue flowers and a harvest of sweetgrass. #light#cycleoftheyear#biodynamicfarm#naturespeaks#perception#subtlesenses#luminosity#biodynsmicskincare#wholeplantskincare#sweetgrass#lookdeeply#naturelove#bemagic

Happy autumnal equinox! At Tender Flower it’s an especial time of gratitude for the invisible workers of Nature and, a strengthening of the human spirit, if one so inclines, with special inner work. Do you pause and note the equinox, or celebrate in some way? Between now and Michaelmas, here, various Biodynamic preparations will be applied: into the different compost heaps; for the roots & soil; for the light forces; for the nature spirits; and, a restorative prep for the fruit trees. For everything done now in the Autumn, will show its effects next Spring. “The earth body longing for spirit, lives in withering. The seed spirits, substance-compressed, take up strength. And warmth fruits from the far-spread breadths of space fortify earth life. And earthly senses, the deep-gazers, see future things within creating form. The spirits of space, eternally breathing, look peacefully upon earthly weaving.” R. Steiner #autumnequinox#elementals#biodynamicfarm#greenbeauty#yearlycycle#naturelove#biodynamicskincare

One of my personal favorite hydrosols, the delicately, sweetly scented Evening Primrose. This hydrosol is sheer skin bliss.. some very special moon-imbued magic in it. Have you ever watched the blossoms unfurl slowly at night? Their scent streams into the night air and large Sphinx moths appear to sip the fragrant nectar. Some years it’s not even possible to distill this fragile beauty, as it’s a biennial and the deer also love to munch it up. But I’m working on a dedicated, fenced evening primrose garden for their protection....and my sanity! *Note: This distillation will be available again in the next and last open shop period of 2022. If you want to receive advance notice, it’s recommended to subscribe to the newsletter now, before the October one is sent out. Subscribers get the Tender Flower news first, as well as first chance for products that sell out quickly, such as incense and limited edition products. #hydrosol #biodynamicskincare#rareandtender#wholeplantskincare#radiantskin#plantsonmyface#farmtoface#artisandistiller#greenbeauty#fragrantpath#aromaticlife#skinmedicine#plantmagic

Standing in the threshold of Autumn and looking back to fragrant bits of Spring. While preparing the gardens for the last quarter this year, I’m amazed and thankful for the depth and generosity of this work, of nature, and the dear people making this possible. 🙏🏻💕💕💕 PSA: if you sign up for the newsletter after the current one’s been sent out, you’ll receive them beginning with the next one, which will be in October sometime. Meanwhile, much to do to prepare for the next update, and with the farm. Same as with many of you, IG isn’t much of buzzy place anymore. Though I’m so glad some of you are still showing up in my posts and watching stories! I try to post a little bit to keep it going when I have a nice photo, or something special to share. The fallout here is real, but on the other hand, there’s real life! Love, Donna #fragrantpath#jevaisaupif#radiantskin#biodynamicskincare#olfactoryarts#botanicalperfume#indieperfumer#flowermedicine#plantlove#plantsonmyface#greenbeauty

White fire-powder. Translation: tuberose. #enfleurage#jevaisaupif#flowerpoem#fragrantpath#aromaticlife#scentsy#flowermeditation#flowerlanguage#artisanperfumer#perfumemaking#botanicalperfumer#greenbeauty#olfactoryart#plantartist#tuberose

Early evening photo in the perfumery. Working on several new compositions right now, one recently imagined, the other, worked with off and on for two years. With people “trained” by the consumer machine that creates demand via very shady soul-manipulating marketing, such a desire for constant novelty has become normative. In the perfume industry, this pressure is relentless, even for indie perfumers. As an independent, artisan perfumer using natural materials which cost far more than most synthetics, taking considerable time to develop fragrance, plus incurring far more expense (materials and other supplies) producing very low profit, that expectation of constantly churning out new products is untenable. Very few will openly speak about this in my field, but I’m not one to shy away from difficult truths. I regard the perfumer’s art as something to protect from these currents. My experience of how we smell and how scent arises in plants, for example, is quite different than the mechanistically thought theories, that prevail about the world of aromas. So this fragrant path is slow and seems “behind”, but is actually “ahead”, from another way of seeing. #jevaisaupif#aromaticlife#fragrantpath#artisanperfumer#botanicalperfume#perfumery#scent#perfumeworld#smellthis#greenbeauty#naturalperfume#indieperfumer#slowscent#makingperfume#volatiles

Wild Carrot and Joe Pye in front of the pink doored potting shed. The typical concept of a farm as big blocks of rows never appealed to me, especially with its prevalent use of black plastic “mulch” and petroleum fueled machinery. While rows are indeed helpful for growing/harvesting larger quantities of a plant, and I do have some rows, the Tender Flower farm is a series of distinct and complexly layered gardens, shrubberies& wooded areas, small wild open areas, plus a stream. You actually see only glimpses of a few gardens in the photos I share on IG. This habitat is diverse, biologically dense & rich, spiritually alive. I didn’t ever set out to create a “ permaculture “ farm, most of the concepts attributed to that school were already in practice, from my unschooled beginning in an urban garden, simply from carefully observing nature. This kind of observation is one aspect of the deep connection to nature indigenous people experienced. It’s not a proprietary relationship, “owned” by any group, ethnicity or branding. Yet it isn’t superficial, nor reducible to formulas: every land site possesses different characteristics and requires insight into its forces. As this farm is Biodynamically cultivated, it has a very pronounced character, a genius of place. Although small, this farm is a farm because its products make it out into the world marketplace. And it is a farm where the wild flora and fauna receive as much regard, love and consideration as all the plants cultivated here. It is the essence and meaning of everything, that makes it what it is. #biodynamic #biodynamicfarm#biodynamicskincare#naturelove#botanicalperfume#smallisbeautiful #farmtoface#wholeplantskincare##sacredagriculture#greenbeauty#perfumefromtheland#fromthegroundup