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Send us a text  What if a flower bloomed between worlds—between poison and medicine, madness and healing, death and rebirth? In this episode of Gathered: Storied Botanicals, I offer a retelling of the Greek myth of Melampus and the daughters of King Proetus, whose divine curse drives them into a feral madness that only a mysterious “black flower” can cure. Woven through this story is the hellebore: a winter-blooming plant steeped in ancient medicine, witchcraft, folklore, and superstition. Revered and feared in equal measure, hellebores have been used to ward off spirits, extract fairy curses, treat melancholy, and—at great risk—purge the body of madness. From ancient Greece and Rome to Celtic lore, medieval medicine, and modern gardens, this episode explores the hellebore’s paradoxical nature and why it continues to captivate us today. You’ll learn how this resilient, shadow-loving flower became associated with protection, possession, and transformation—and why its beauty feels especially potent in the depths of winter. A story of terror, resilience, and uneasy cures, this episode asks what it means to heal, who bears the cost of that healing, and how a poisonous flower became a symbol of survival. To bring more flowers into your life, consider joining The Botanical Post. Each month, members receive a floral art print, a poem, a flower postcard, and a personalized letter from me. You can join and learn more here. And for all things words, flowers, and art, head over to here. Thanks for listening! 

Send us a text In this short, poetry-centered episode of Gathered: Storied Botanicals, host Allison B. Young shares a poem, Waking This First Night Sharing My Bed. First drafted years ago and revisited after surviving a house fire, the poem reflects on intimacy, home, breath, and the unseen ways we are connected. A Botanical Reading marks a new mini-episode in between the usual podcast format and offers a quiet moment to slow down, listen, and sit with words. The poem featured in this episode is part of The Botanical Post, a monthly floral art mail club and Substack offering that delivers floral art, poetry, postcards, and letters directly to your mailbox — another way of bringing more flowers into your life. Learn more about The Botanical Post and subscribe here. To explore more about Gathered: Storied Botanicals, visit: gathered-storiedbotanicals.com

Send us a text After lots of tech issues, the final podcast episode of the year is here! In this episode, I offer a strange harbinger of hope: the mushroom. Across the globe, folklore casts these fruiting bodies as symbols of mystery, death, and decay. But what if they can stand in for something more uplifting in our collective understanding of them? I reference "Mycoremeditation: The Under-Utilized Art of Fungi Clean Ups" by Jacob Dykes in this episode, an article worth checking out!

Send us a text On this special Halloween episode of Gathered: Storied Botanicals, we wander into the woods at dusk, where strange things grow underfoot and fairy tales turn dark at the edges. Before the night is through, you’ll encounter a glowing forest floor, something watching from the darkness, and a flower shop humming with beauty, precision, and something far more unsettling. Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage,” this modern variation, “The Flower Shop,” brings together floristry, folklore, and the fragility of balance and harmony when doubt germinates. What begins as a portrait of craftsmanship and care unfurls into a cautionary folktale of envy, doubt, and unraveling—a fairy tale transplanted into the world of a busy, modern floral studio. So settle in as the October wind rises, the last leaves fall, and the night glows faintly. This Halloween, Gathered: Storied Botanicals offers something both haunting and oddly human: the ways we bloom, grow together, and sometimes let doubt devour us.

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Send us a text When was the last time you discovered something? The experience of discovery comes with a wide range of emotions. In this episode, I share a personal essay on discovering mementos from my family's house fire. Gathered: Storied Botanicals is a monthly podcast with room and the will to grow. It's the podcast that brings more flowers into your life through story. Wherever you are, wherever you come from I hope you'll gather 'round. For more flowers in your life: Gathered: Storied Botanicals Gathered by Allison B. Young: the Substack of Gathered: Storied Botanicals The Bountiful Centerpiece: September 2024 Floral Design Workshop Registration

Send us a text I had hoped to release an episode about spring ephemerals for the month of April, but I am at a loss...

Send us a text The Oscars are tonight, and I thought I'd reflect on the powerful ways two of the nominated films used flowers to help tell their stories and how they urge us to remember lessons from history.

Send us a text “Life sprang […] from the lotus.” In this first episode of Season 3, I delve into a flower that’s closely tied to divinity and many Eastern faiths: the lotus flower. It’s an integral part of many creation stories, whether Hinduism, Buddhism, or the imagery of ancient Egypt.  Let’s wade in together to take a closer look at a flower that not only offers spiritual guidance but informs one country’s rich culture and even the creative process. Gathered: Storied Botanicals is a monthly podcast with room and the will to grow. It was written, recorded, and produced by Allison B. Young. Music is composed and performed by Raven Bauer Durham. Sound effects by Pixabay. You can subscribe to the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. Head over to gathered-storiedbotanicals.com to learn more. Thank you for your support! Works Cited: Binh, Khanah, Linh, Kim. “Lotus Blossom: The Soul of the Vietnamese Culture.” Nhan Dan News, July 2019. https://en.nhandan.vn/megastory/lotus2019/.   Binney, Ruth. Plant Lore and Legend. Dover Publications, 2019.  “Lotus as a cut flower.” Pond Megastore, 2023, https://pondmegastore.com/pages/can-i-purchase-cut-lotus-flowers-for-an-event-i-am-planning#:~:text=Lotus%20are%20not%20available%20as%20a%20cut%20flower%20due%20to,the%20stem%20to%20the%20flower. For full transcript and bibliography, head over here.

Send us a text Introducing Gathered: Storied Botanicals Gathered: Storied Botanicals is a monthly podcast—with room and the will to grow. In each episode, I delve into the world of flowers weaving my experiences as a floral designer and writer with a flower’s depth and significance. By putting each bloom under a historic, scientific, literary, folkloric, or artistic lens we can better see this fascinating world as fertile ground for teaching us how we relate to and understand the world around us. If you’re looking for a chance to discover and explore this fertile ground or if you need a brief escape Gathered: Storied Botanicals can be your proverbial campfire to gather’ round.  To learn more about words, flowers, and art head over to gathered-storiedbotanicals.com 

Send us a text On the final day of the year, the season's final episode of Gathered: Storied Botanicals delves into the story of the Poinsettia. It goes by many names and its intricate history illuminates all the many gifts it offers during the Christmas season. 

Send us a text Some unexpected heartbreak has had me change my initial plans for this month's episode and revisit a lyric essay I wrote in Chicago called, "Girlish Notions." It's a departure from past episodes and it's a bit more personal than what I'm comfortable with, but felt compelled to create something as an offer of catharsis. Because of some language geared toward sexual assault, listener discretion is advised for this episode.

Send us a text They lie low to the ground. Sneaky and insidious, they creep along forest floors, climb garden gates, and choke out its neighbors. This Halloween let's follow the coils of creeping vines that have made their way into our culture, from 19th century literature to the horror movies we watch every spooky season.  Happy Halloween!

Send us a text Having missed June's episode, I catch up on an Icelandic adventure that revealed insight into the lupine flower, its role in ancient Rome, Native American medicine, and restoring soil health in Iceland. From there, we gather a fresh look at a life philosophy through a classic children's story.

Send us a text In this month's episode, we'll gather 'round the *podcasting campfire* for the story of Farhad and Shirin, the Persian folktale that is also the legend of the first tulip. Full show notes for this episode can be found at gathered-storiedbotanicals.com/podcast