Anne Tangeman: Gardener

Gardens are a meditative space, and the people who tend to them know that better than anyone. For almost twenty years, Anne Tangeman has been growing the garden surrounding her home in Washington state. She documents her gardening journey through her Instagram, @roughwood_softgrass. 

“You know, it's kind of a meditation for me. I just enjoy coming home from work and walking through the garden and seeing what's happening.”

Anne enjoys bringing diverse species into her garden, which is one of the reasons she enjoys being located in Washington. 

“Living in the Pacific Northwest, we can grow so many things from around the world, it's kind of a plant wonderland, really. I mean, there are things blooming in the garden here all year.”

Anne likes to focus on the artistic beauty of gardening, using it as an alternative creative outlet to things like painting. 

“It's a very visual thing for me. I used to paint and I haven't really painted for a long time, but I think gardening has kind of taken the place of that, but it involves so much more than just a flat surface. It's form and texture and smell and sound, everything.”

At first, Anne found it difficult to decide on what plants to grow and how to give her garden a sense of place. But eventually, she figured out that centering her garden around her home was the key. 

“[The house] is really humble and cedar-sided… and if I grow something that's like a really flamboyant poppy, it just doesn't look like it fits here… So I try to grow simple flowers.”

Anne finds inspiration for her garden in many different places, from her own memories to seeing the gardens of others. 

“I just have memories of gardens or places when I was young that have stayed with me and I have tried to sort of recreate those. I follow a lot of accounts in Europe, I'm half Finnish…their accounts are beautiful because I remember my childhood trips to Finland when I was young, and so I can look at their gardens and…remember that.”

Check out Anne’s garden on Instagram.

A film by Charlie Pierson.