Tell us about yourself, including your favorite flower (and why!)?
My name is Lydia Thein. I started Moon Gate Garden because I wanted to share my love and knowledge of flowers and gardening. I spent the pandemic working from home, in a very stressful job, and started using gardening as a way to clear my mind and get outside. I wanted to share my passion for gardening with others, which is why we decided to go mobile and pack up a tiny truck with as many plants and cut flowers as possible to spread through our community.
It’s hard to choose just one favorite flower but my favorite is the peony. I love that there is so much variety in colors and textures of peonies and I have been growing rare peonies from seed. It takes five years to grow a peony from seed, so it is a labor of love!
What made you build Moon Gate Garden? And what does the name signify?
My partner, Tee and I decided on a Japanese Kei truck after a recent trip to Japan where we saw these tiny but mighty trucks barrelling down tiny Japanese roads. We had a vision of using this truck for our mobile flower stand and garden center. We have worked together on creating a design that allows us to be flexible with our offerings. We are able to haul potted plants, cut flowers and even serve cold brew coffee and tea out of the truck!
In Asian gardening design, a moon gate is used to transition the visitor to a tranquil garden. We hope that our truck can act as a gateway to a tranquil place in a busy world where one can relax and enjoy beautiful flowers and plants.
What do you appreciate most about our local community here in Pembroke?
Originally we are both city people, hailing from New York and Hong Kong but since moving to Halifax, we have loved the small communities of the South Shore and seeing familiar friendly faces at our truck each week. We are thrilled to be vendors at the new Pembroke Farmers Market, and can not wait to make new friends and connections!
What can the Pembroke community expect from Moon Gate Garden at the Market?
You can expect a packed truck full of beautiful flowers and plants. I like to stock plants that are not commonly seen in garden centers in the area, so please come to the truck and chat with me about all things flowers and gardening.
Where can readers learn more about Moon Gate Flowers?
You can find us on instagram @moongate_garden and online at moongategarden.com
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