Gardener Folks - Micah Reitze
Hello Gardener Folks.
I hope you’re enjoying your gardening and you’re ready for your next dose of Gardener Folk inspiration.
Let me introduce you to Micah Reitze who I was inspired by during a chat earlier this year. I really enjoyed Micah’s willingness to share about the impact gardening and plants has in his personal life and health and how he continues to share his passion and interest in flowers with those close to him through growing and providing cut flowers to people dear to him and seeing the joy of the flow-on effect of giving that this has on them.
For more of his floral inspirations you can follow him on Instagram @reitzemicah
I hope you enjoy this read as I did. Happy gardening. Cheers, Steven
Can you please provide a brief background of yourself?
My name is Micah. I’m 32 years old and currently residing in Geelong. I have always worked in growing things and their industries. My history of working mainly consists of working in vineyards at every level as well as in nursery settings. I left working in vineyards when I became sober. Plants have always been around me. They have held me and provided support in dark times. They have been a huge part of my life and helped form my identity, through the seasons of my life so far.
How did you get interested in gardening?
My family on my mother’s side have always been interested in gardening. My mother’s grandparents were farmers and grew most of their own food. This I believe was more of an intuitive knowing more than a logical knowing. When I was 16, I had a week of work experience at Acorn Nursery. From here I was enthralled with plants and the people I worked with. I was employed on a Sunday whilst I was at school. The staff empowered me and this made me feel capable in the plant space. After school I went to university in NZ and focussed on horticulture. This was the start of my plant adventure.
Who has inspired or influenced you in your gardening pursuits and how did they inspire you?
My grandparents on my mother’s side both loved gardens. Pa loved gardening and always had a thriving veggie garden. As a child I can recall him growing beans. Nan loved roses and her flowers and it was my Pa who grew them for her. My love of roses has been passed down from nan to mum and then to me. Unfortunately, my grandparents passed away when I was too young to fully appreciate gardens. I wish I could meet them again and ask so many questions on how they see gardens and the role and importance that they play in their life.
My mother is an artist and has a really cool eye for colour. She has been a huge inspiration on my love of gardens and colour. It has only been recently that I realised that most of the colour and colour schemes that I love are the same or similar to those that mum prefers. This recognition has led to discovering my creativity that I didn’t know existed. I would now consider myself a creative and I think that’s pretty sweet.
Describe your gardening experiences now? What does gardening and your garden look like for you?
I am currently casually employed at an awesome nursery in Geelong, called Valley Road Nursery. This is kind of a full circle moment for me. I started in nurseries and worked in the industry until I was 18 and now at 32, I am back to where it all began. The nursery provides a lovely opportunity to keep in touch with trends, new plants and ideas as well as constant learning from my brilliant colleagues and customers. I have just started studying community services and my job plays a great role in supporting me during the course. Maybe down the track the horticulture and community services will come together in my work environment.
The main garden project I have been working with is to transform my mothers’ gardens into a garden which has more colour, interest and less maintenance as her and her partner age. As well as this, we have added plants that remind mum of different chapters of her life. This has been pretty dope to see.
Recently I have helped a family friend plant out their garden in Anglesea to native plants, with the goal of more colour and bird and insect habitat. This has been a huge learning experience.
The photos below are of my mother’s garden and show the different textures, colours, flowers and foliage that make it interesting.
What do you enjoy the most about your gardening and what challenges you the most?
I have experienced much duality in gardening and horticulture so far. There are days where I can catch glimmers in the garden such as the way the sun hits different plants and the shadows they cast. Colours I haven’t seen before in flowers and foliage, plants swaying and dancing in the wind as well as noticing insects and beneficial ones as well. On these days, I find respite and calmness and a sense of purpose and worthwhileness. A feeling of peace and alignment.
There are also days where I am not in a good space mentally and the garden infuriates me and it all seems wrong. I get hyper fixated on jobs and no matter what I do, it seems to be not good enough. I find gardening super difficult on these days. This is when I need to walk away and rest and approach the garden at another time.
What do you either lie awake at night or find yourself day dreaming about with your garden, gardening pursuits or the horticultural world?
Anxiety over whether the garden stacks up against my unfairly high standards. But on most days, it would be what is flowering and how can I try and be creative with those plants. As well as can I possible fit in anymore new and exciting plants.
What are some valuable things you’ve learnt while being a gardener?
Perfectionism has no place and is futile as mother nature has her own intentions. Just give it a go. This is lesson I am continuing to relearn as I keep forgetting it.
What are your “go to” plants / planting palette and why?
Any plants that either produce food, nectar, pollen or habitat for humans and creatures would be my ideal plants. I really like flowering plants that are perennials. Growing fruit and veggies for friends and family is of great interest to me and brings me a lot of joy. I would like to see perennial plants used more in planting schemes and floristry, as by their nature they create less soil disturbance and a healthier microbiologically active and diverse soil.
Plants that inspire me currently are chocolate cosmos, Cosmos atrosanguineus, Alstroemeria ‘Indian Summer’, Alstroemeria 'Tesronto' and Kangaroo paw plants, in particular the tall green kanagaroo paw Anigozanthos flavidus. Another plant that is a recent obsession is Gladioli ‘Kio’ and Gladiolus x hortulanus.
My colour scheme would be the dark moody colours of brown, maroon, black as well as the more interesting and often harder to find green, lime and light yellows. I also enjoy the contrast and joyfulness of oranges and usually offset with purples. These colours speak to me and have changed as I change. They seem to have more of a gravitational pull towards me.
If you could be a plant in your garden what would you be and why?
It would be a stunning cut flower. Growing flowers and arranging them and then gifting them to others brings me happiness. Often, I can’t see the beauty in the garden that is right in front of me until I give it away and then see it through the eyes of the folks that receive the flowers. I have found a real sense of purpose as well as the discovery of my creative side through growing cut flowers. My mother is in her 70’s and the aim of her garden was to have plants that flowered all year long that she could cut and bring them inside to make arrangements.
Do you have a quote or life motto that inspires you to live and/or garden by?
Give and you shall receive. Be of service to others. Ask if you don’t know. Vulnerability is sexy!
What are your most favourite tools to use when gardening?
My hands, as well as my ears and mouth. I’m super grateful for my hands and all that they can do. I like to believe that the skin to soil contact is beneficial to me, I think it is grounding and feels ancient. The most informative way I have learnt about gardening is through asking questions: with my mouth and listening to the answers with my ears. I have learnt most of what I know through people who are far more experienced than me. For this I will always be grateful.
What words of wisdom do you have to impart to other gardeners?
Give it a crack, expect quite a few plants to die, this is not a reflection of you. Ask questions and get curious. Embrace the glimmers. Soak it in. This is all advice I need to constantly remind myself.
How do you think we can encourage, inspire and support more people to be gardeners?
Being available to offer advice and trying to inspire others by gifting them plants that they can look after. This year many of my friends have asked if I could show them how to grow plants for cut flowers. This has been super cool to see them growing plants. To see the lessons they learn along the way. I often tell them to pick their own adventure. It has been neat to see their triumphs and their failings and that this is all part of learning and growing.
All words and photos supplied by Micah Reitze, with sincere thanks.
