

Seven years ago, artist and horticulturalist Jarema Osofsky started growing and selling houseplants out of her Brooklyn apartment by appointment only. The secret shop, which she likened to a “plant speakeasy,” took off, garnering attention from style bibles like T Magazine and Elle Decor. Today she and partner Adam Bertulli have expanded into garden design and build under Dirt Queen NYC, a studio that “works closely with clients to create verdant gardens offering meaningful and ecologically sustainable connections to the natural world.”
While they offer indoor garden design services, much of their work these days happens outside. Currently in progress: “We are working on a Miyazaki-inspired backyard in Kingston with a fantastical plant palette, as well as a backyard in our neighborhood of Windsor Terrace that we are hoping will act as a rest stop/nature sanctuary for birds and pollinators on their way from Greenwood Cemetery to Prospect Park.”
Below, Jarema and Adam share their hot takes, wish-list plant, (new-to-us) favorite tool, and more.
Featured photograph above by Constanze Han.
Jarema: Running down the paths of my grandpa’s desert garden in Arizona and being mesmerized by the flowers and fruit on the prickly pear cactuses.
Adam: Growing up in Maine, I remember my dad and I would head off into our woods and use sticks and leaves to divert and dam small streams. When we first moved there, beavers lived in the back, but they soon left. I think I was doing my best to bring them back.
The American Woodland Garden by Rick Darke. Trees tend to dominate Brooklyn backyards and this book shares a lot of inspiration and knowledge about how to work within that context using native plants and seasonal interest.
@terremoto_landscape. Although they work in a very different climate, their philosophy surrounding gardens, labor, materials and working within the existing context of a space has really inspired us and influenced us as designers. [See Quick Takes With: The Terremoto Team.]
Engaging. Sensorial. Spontaneous.
Euonymus. Early on in our gardening journey we planted one in a backyard, and it did the exact opposite of what we thought it would do. Now whenever we spot them on the street they’re covered in powdery mildew.
Viburnum nudum. We adore its pink and blue berries in the fall, how it complements perennials in a naturalistic garden, and the sustenance it provides birds, pollinators, and other wildlife! It’s also super hardy.
Jarema: Sneezeweed. It fills me with joy and stops me in my tracks every time. I love it in yellow, I love it in red. Pollinators benefit. And it’s called Sneezeweed—adorable!
Can’t be too precious with your plans—nature has the final say and there might just be a giant tree root where you want to put the patio.
Adam: Window boxes don’t need flowers.
The idea that the default space for kids to play is a patch of grass or fake turf. Let’s instead give them something to let their imaginations roam. Also, green walls.
We got our start working with houseplants and still love cultivating our indoor garden. It’s full of tropical and arid plants that are especially therapeutic to tend to. I also enjoy growing my lemon tree outdoors in the summer and bringing it in for the winter when it flowers. And in late winter, on the cusp of spring, I bring in a few cut branches of magnolia in bud and bloom to invite spring to come a little sooner.
At least one fragrant plant that can transport you to another place. A manageable hose that won’t drive you crazy and a good place to store it.
Bluestone and pea gravel. We love the combination and both are regionally appropriate materials.
Adam: San Angelo bar—you never know when you’re going to come across a chunk of concrete buried in a backyard.
Jarema: My grandpa’s giant watering can.
Jarema: Coveralls and clogs.
Adam: I think we both aspire to dress like Monty Don but haven’t quite been able to pull it off yet.
Pleasant Run Nursery. They have an amazing native plant selection and we get to hang out with the nursery dogs that jump into our golf cart.
Carex woodii, Mt. Cuba Center’s top performing carex, but we still haven’t seen it in person. [See Trend Alert: A Carex for Every Garden.]
Jarema’s sister lives in Santa Cruz so we’ve been fortunate to spend a lot of time there over the years, and the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum & Botanic Garden has an amazing collection of plants. One moment you’re immersed in an Australian landscape, the next moment you’re in South Africa. It’s a great opportunity to see a totally different type of flora without traversing an ocean.
Jarema: As an artist, it was a pivotal moment when I realized that plants were the medium I had been searching for. Gardens are restorative–places for growth, life and healing. Working with plants has been an incredibly healing process for me.
Adam: Connecting with the land—its past, present, and future. Every moment I spend in the garden, I understand how all of this works just a little better.
Thanks so much, Jarema and Adam! (Follow them on Instagram @dirtqueennyc.)
For our full archive of Quick Takes, head here.
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