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Black Flora
Inspiring Black Flower Farmers + Florists
There is a rich, beautiful, complex, and diverse narrative being told by African Americans and other persons of color in the floral marketplace. It is long past time to recognize their excellence and contributions to cut flower farming and floristry. Garden writer, podcaster, and blogger Teresa J. Speight of Cottage in the Court shares her interviews and profiles with leading pioneers and explores their lives rooted in the floral world.
TERESA J. SPEIGHT
COTTAGE IN THE COURT
Teresa J. Speight is a mother, grandmother, steward of our land, garden writer, and a history lover devoted to her community. Teresa is the Urban Gardening Chair and the liaison to the National Butterfly Garden at the U.S. Botanic Garden for National Garden Clubs Inc.. She is the founder and president of the Jabali Amani Garden Collective, a garden club for African American women in gardening and growing a stronger community. It is the first ever online Federated Garden Club.
Teresa is an estate gardener and co-leader of the Fiesta Place Community Garden, District Heights, Maryland; one of the founding farmers of the Eitt CSA in Stafford County’s first Transitional Organic CSA Farm; and former Head Gardener for the City of Fredericksburg,
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Her blog and podcast Cottage in the Court offers curated garden experiences for small groups and one-on-one garden coaching, specializing in earth-friendly practices.
Reconnecting average people with the soil is extremely important to Teresa, as she believes when people reconnect with the soil, nature, and their roots, they can begin to respect all that the earth provides.
"With ancestral sharecropping roots , connecting with the earth is authentic to me. My ancestors' hands have helped build and feed our family for generations. To not honor this earth would disrespect my heritage. I am passionate about sharing the stories of Black voices in the green world."