The Lilac Thief

04/11/2026

Year 5! Let’s do this 🌷

03/26/2026

We’re on vacation in the southwest and learning a new landscape through its plants. Here, we are sustainably harvesting wild Chaparral from a friend’s land in Arizona.

Also called Creosote bush, Chaparral is one of the oldest living organisms in the world. The “King Clone” in Joshua Tree National Park is estimated to have been alive for almost 12,000 years, which means it has been rooted since the end of the Ice Age.

This plant has a long history in Indigenous herbal and spiritual practices in the American Southwest. It is antimicrobial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory, and can also be used for ritual purposes for smudging and energy clearing. It’s wonderful for skin health, and we plan to use some of this harvest to make a healing salve.

Chaparral leaves are coated with a sticky resin that protects them from intense sunlight and preserves moisture, allowing the plant to thrive in an extremely hot and dry climate. This resin also gives them an extraordinary smell, especially after rain. Another lovely use of this plant is to hang a bundle in the shower, where the steam and heat will release the resinous oils and fill the space with the smell of desert rain.

Due to its long history and ability to withstand extreme climates, the Chaparral plant is associated with resilience, endurance, and ability to flourish despite adversity. Because it blooms following rain, the creosote bush is also a symbol of renewal, regeneration, and hope.

03/13/2026

01/26/2026

The Lilac Thief is pro-immigrant and anti-fascist. The government is murdering and brutalizing American citizens on video. The government is operating concentration camps where undocumented people are being held in unsafe and inhumane conditions. The government has made Minneapolis into a war zone and your city could be next. If you still think this is politics as usual, you are on the wrong side of history. Wake the f**k up. This is fascism.

12/14/2025

While we are horrified and saddened by every mass shooting, this one hits close to home - Rhode Island is our state, Warren is our town, and Providence is our city. Our hearts go out to all the Brown students, faculty, staff, and families affected by the shooting. But we are also angry because this is yet another tragedy that could have been prevented. We need sensible gun laws and access to quality mental healthcare - both of which our legislators could easily provide if they were more concerned with public well-being than campaign finances and political theater. We also need to deconstruct the culture of masculinity that associates strength with force rather than vulnerability, and teaches boys and men that violence is the only acceptable way to express emotion. This might be the norm in America, but this is not normal. We can – and should – do better. And we can – and should – call on our political representatives in Rhode Island and Washington and all across the country to do better as well.

Photo credit: Rafael Rodrigues

08/20/2025

Oh the gardens were showing off tonight 🌅

Flower stand will be open this week with lots of beautiful blooms right from our gardens!

08/08/2025

The flower stand is open today at 307 Main Street in Warren! Whoever grabs this bouquet wins the Lisianthus lottery. Also, the first of our giant cactus zinnias!

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07/09/2025

The flower stand is open! We’ve got bouquets, baubles, and cloches. Come get yourself some color on this grey rainy day.

307 Main Street in Warren

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07/02/2025

This week’s bouquets include cornflowers from The Lilac Thief gardens. Pick one up at 307 Main Street in Warren, and learn more about the cornflower below!

The cornflower, also known as bachelor’s button, is an excellent addition to herb and vegetable gardens. Their nectar attracts pollinators, and the blooms are edible. The petals have a mildly spicy, clove-like or cucumber-like flavor and can be used in salads, on cakes and deserts, and in cocktails and mocktails. They are rich in nutrients including folate, vitamin C, calcium, and biotin, and add a beautiful splash of color to any dish.

The cornflower also holds deep significance in mythology, folklore, and spiritual practices across cultures and centuries. Cornflowers have long been associated with emotional and spiritual healing. Their indigo hue is linked to the third eye chakra, symbolizing inner wisdom, self-knowledge, and transformation. Used in rituals, they promote love, hope, patience, and optimism.

The nickname bachelor’s button is derived from the flower’s folklore. In Victorian England, eligible bachelors would wear a blossom on their label to signify that they were looking for a romantic partner. Cornflowers were also used to predict romantic outcomes. Folklore claimed that placing a cornflower in your pocket overnight could reveal the fate of a budding romance—if the flower remained fresh by morning, the relationship had a promising future. If the bloom wilted, this symbolized that the relationship would as well.

The flower’s botanical name Centaurea ties the cornflower to the centaur Chiron, a powerful healer in Greek mythology. According to legend, Chiron used cornflowers to treat wounds inflicted by poisoned arrows. The ancient Egyptians used cornflowers in burial rites where they symbolized rebirth and the resurrection of the dead, and wreaths of the flower were found in King Tutankhamun’s tomb. 💙

05/10/2025

A few of the participants from our workshop last Thursday at with the beautiful wreaths they made! We had so much fun seeing what everyone created! The delicious wine and gorgeous setting at Shepherd’s Run really elevated the experience.