In 2020, the Lacewing HQ relocated South Seattle. Britt needed this space to function as a productive garden for gathering and growing. She had several goals in mind: leverage the permaculture design principles to create a sustainable ecosystem and habitat for wildlife, designate spaces for gathering friends and family, and produce fruits, vegetables, and flowers for sustenance and botanical design.

By nature, the Lacewing HQ is an experimental test garden and ongoing work in progress that informs our craft. From construction to planting, we all played a role in bringing this garden to life. We built a stone patio and fire pit with reclaimed wood stools as a designated place to convene over cups of coffee in the mornings. We built raised garden beds with 4x6 Alaskan yellow cedar designed to last for decades. And to Britt’s delight, we even built a miniature version of Yoda’s hut from stone and woolly thyme.

We continue to build soil with fresh compost and arbor chips and harvest rainwater in two 900-gallon cisterns. On any given day, the garden attracts a wide variety of pollinators and wildlife. On the best days, we get to see lacewing insects working hard alongside us.

In this garden every plant has a story. The trillium — a rare and enchanting wildflower that blooms in early spring — reminds us that warmer, drier days are on the horizon. The catmint invites neighborhood cats to the garden and honors the life of our furry friend, Tiger, Lacewing’s original mascot who left us all too soon. The pumpkin trellis creates shade during summer months and kicks off the Halloween countdown — a holiday that Britt’s husband and our hardscaping lead, Ben, takes very seriously.

The result is an ever-evolving, yet storied space very special to all of us.