Meet the grower

Meet the grower

I’m Dee, the heart and hands behind Iron and Ivy Apothecary. This began with a few loofah seeds in my North Carolina home, while I was caring for my dad. He would ask me, “You seen anything yet?” Such a small question. One I carry with me now.

After losing him, I didn’t have a plan for how to begin again. I had a garden that needed tending. Some days, putting my hands in the soil gave me somewhere to bring what I couldn’t put into words.

These are my first loofahs. I’m still learning, still watching the vines climb their iron trellises, still finding my way. I can’t separate this little apothecary from the love and loss that brought me here.

My hope is to share something tender and real from this place: a little quiet, a moment to care for yourself, and something grown with my own hands. Thank you for being here, while the garden and I are still growing.

From my garden to your glow.

The garden behind Iron & Ivy Apothecary is more than a place where I grow loofahs. It's my sanctuary. It's where a simple challenge from my father took root and eventually grew into something neither of us could have imagined. Every vine, bloom, and harvest reminds me of the mornings we spent waiting for those first seeds to sprout. Though my father is no longer here, I still feel connected to him in the garden. It's where I go to reflect, remember, and continue the journey we began together.

With care, from our garden

Enchanted loofah collection scene with a luminous rose-quartz background
Brighter enchanted garden with loofah vines and an iron trellis

 

I’m Dee, the grower behind Iron & Ivy Apothecary. This all began with one simple challenge from my dad: “You could grow loofahs if you put your mind to it.” So I did.

I planted the seeds, tended them every day, and watched them climb, bloom, and dry into something real. Harvesting that first loofah changed everything — it showed me what patience, care, and determination can turn into. Now I grow them myself, clean them, dry them, and turn them into something useful and beautiful.

I’m not a herbalist or anything fancy — I’m just a daughter who works with her hands, learns as she goes, and creates products that feel honest. What you see in my photos is exactly who I am: a daughter who built this from the ground up, one loofah at a time, carrying her dad’s words with her every step.

Iron & Ivy is my way of sharing that journey — simple, natural, and made with intention. Everything here started with a single loofah and the belief that I could grow something meaningful. From my garden to your glow.

 Portrait holding a loofah with natural curly hair

Our story

It started with a challenge — and bloomed into Iron & Ivy.

Stage 16

He's hanging in the wind drying after his soak.