Garden Variety

If you thought community gardening was nothing but pulling weeds and planting seeds, think again. In this fresh and delightful debut, Christy Wilhelmi shows that there’s more to gardening than merely keeping pests at bay...

Each time Lizzie steps through the gates of the Vista Mar Community Gardens, she knows she’s left the chaos of the outside world behind. Here, the rows are even, tools are properly stored, and each season brings new life. But even the shiniest apple can hide a worm, and behind the leafy green façade, there is hidden heartbreak, tomato hornworms, and inter-garden political power plays.

And to make things worse—a long-forgotten loophole enacted by a nasty neighbour brings the outside world crashing in. The members are feuding, Lizzie’s budding romance is wilting on the vine, and the very existence of Vista Mar is threatened. Can Lizzie and her fellow gardeners fight to save their urban oasis while they struggle to stay grounded in this chaotic city?

Garden Variety is as much about growing food and flowers as it is about life’s growing pains, and how a community rallies and comes together to save their own.