In a neighborhood with a lot of front yards with a few bushes and flowers, one lawn stands out. Covered completely from end to end with plants that are not your typical landscaping shrubs, such as vegetables and herbs, including a wide variety of peppers, Crystal Jackson’s lawn stands out.

Every time you walk into the exchange you pass by Mrs. Jackson but what many don’t know is that she has a deep rooted passion for gardening. 

Jackson credits her love for gardening to her mom. “My mom has always had a green thumb, and growing up we’ve always had plants,” Jackson said. Jackson was used to using home grown food as a main part of her diet.  Jackson added, “it makes me happy to have plants around the house.” 

Jackson shared that while she has plants on the outside of the house she is more focused on the ones inside. “I have amaryllis. I have jade, a spider plant,  and Christmas cactus… And I have a variety of succulents up in my room.”

Jackson focuses the greenery inside while her partner tends to the outdoor plants. “He’s outside once a day going through his plants and everything and making sure everything’s okay… because vegetation takes a lot more time and care” according to her partner. Beyond your typical vegetables he has a passion for growing peppers. “My yard is filled with peppers, … green ghost peppers, which all are spicy.” Jackson remarks. 

Despite working with Jackson for over 15 years McNichols only recently learned about her passion for gardening, “ Ms. Jackson is the guardian angel of our office plants, rescuing them from my well-intentioned but often disastrous care. The Peace Lily plants in Dr. Dinkins’s office suffered under my watch for three years, but this summer, Ms. Jackson worked her magic, coaxing them back to life with her incredible green thumb,” noted McNichols. 

When asked what they do with all these peppers, Jackson explained that  she uses the peppers to make custom hot sauces, and herbs to make teas. “ I have a hibiscus plant so I can make my own hibiscus tea instead of having to order … I like to make my own stuff. It’s better than the store bought,” Jackson shared. Jackson even exchanges and gives out many of her teas and hot sauces as gifts to family and friends. McNichols said, “Knowing my fondness for rosemary and how often I use it in my cooking, Ms. Jackson surprised me one day with a generous gift – a magnificent rosemary shrub, a clipping from her own garden. Now, this fragrant herb thrives in my own yard.”

The idea of living without plants is foreign to Mrs. Jackson and her husband. “When we were driving up to get my son from college, my husband was like … there is a lot of farm town up towards Gettysburg, and he was getting upset because people didn’t have anything on their lawns … He was like, “they got all this land, they could be growing things.” She added, “for me, it’s strange for people not to have plants in your house because it improves air quality. Is good for the environment, but some people just aren’t plant people.”