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Last fall, a man who calls himself Chemical Analyst allowed the two of us – New York Times reporters writing about the illegal drug trade – to watch on a secure video call as he packaged ultrapotent synthetic drugs for distribution.
These chemicals now flood the modern drug market. Many have psychoactive effects that are much more intense than those of traditional drugs. One newly emerging drug, cychlorphine, can be 250 to 500 times as strong as heroin and 10 times as strong as fentanyl.
Chemical Analyst is a small-time, independent dealer who supplies powerful drugs without a cartel or gang for support. From an apartment in the northeastern United States, he places online orders for drugs made in a lab in China, repackages them and sells them domestically.
Operations like this represent the frontier of a drug market that is increasingly democratized. Compounds can be made in labs all over the world, ordered online and shipped anywhere. And because these drugs are often entirely new chemical compounds, they are difficult for law enforcement officials to detect.
We interviewed Chemical Analyst over the course of a year, after meeting him through others who use and sell these new, potent drugs.
He allowed The Times to observe his operation on the condition that his identity would remain confidential. He is a felon on probation who fears further prosecution. He is also a functional addict who regularly buys, sells and ingests some of the most potent drugs in the world.
The Times decided to describe parts of his process because they are vital to understanding both the origins of ultrapotent drugs and the difficulties faced by law enforcement in tracking and interdicting these new compounds.
In 2022 and 2023, Chemical Analyst was a street dealer of fentanyl and crack. His setup at an apartment “is so much safer,” he said. “I don’t have to worry about running if a cop rolls up through the alley,” he added. As his own use gravitated to more potent drugs, he developed the connections and expertise to sell them, too.
His latest drugs arrived in mid-October from China in a silver Mylar bag. He paid $4,370 in cryptocurrency for the shipment, which contained several powerful and potentially deadly synthetic compounds.
One bag held a 100-gram slab of MD-PiHP. The drug is a cathinone, a class of stimulants often sold as “bath salts” that can induce psychosis. In markets where these stimulants are particularly popular, like Miami, they are increasingly showing up in toxicology reports from people who suffer fatal overdoses.
A 16-gram chunk of MD-PiHP. The drug arrived as a 100-gram slab.Photo by Chemical Analyst
On the secure video call, Chemical Analyst measured 100-milligram crystals of the drug into small bags. He sprayed the bags with bleach to remove his DNA, applied labels from an untraceable thermal printer and wore textured latex gloves to keep the bags clean of fingerprints. Because Chemical Analyst is a convicted felon, his prints are already in state databases.
Chemical Analyst weighs crystals of MD-PiHP, a potent synthetic drug.Screen recording of a video call with Chemical Analyst.
He moved the drugs into smaller baggies and weighed them. He then sealed them into packages for shipment. He wrote a false return address so he could not be traced and drove far from his residence to drop them in the mail.
Chemical Analyst said that people might assume he sold on the “darknet,” a restricted network that requires special software to access. But he has a website on the regular internet, and he takes steps to conceal his whereabouts and identity. He accepts cryptocurrency payments, but he avoids Bitcoin because he worries that it might be trackable.
Drugs like this are hard to police in part because their composition changes all the time. The molecular structure of MD-PiHP is nearly identical to that of MDPV, a potent cathinone that appeared in 2010 and can cause extreme psychosis and death.
Chemical Analyst spoke in detail about the chemistry of these novel drugs. He offered to draw MD-PiHP to show important facets of its structure; shortly after the video call, he texted his illustration.
Chemical Analyst first spotted an online listing for the drug in early 2025. He is familiar enough with drug molecules that the structure alone made him want to try it. He was surprised by its potency and effects. “This is not something humans should be getting high on,” he said, adding an expletive.
He worried that the drug’s potency could produce a high so intense that it “could easily cause anhedonia,” an inability to experience joy when sober. He said that, unlike other suppliers, he did not adulterate his products, so they were predictable and therefore safer. “It’s how I pay the bills,” he said.
A weighed and labeled bag of MD-PiHP.Photo by Chemical Analyst
His operation also shows just how inexpensive illicit drugs have become in the age of synthetics. In his recent shipment from China, he ordered half a dozen different substances, paying between $6 and $28 for a pure gram, depending on the drug. A standard dose is 50 to 100 milligrams, meaning that the cost of getting high is often less than $1.
He keeps a collection of novel drug samples, as well as a separate stash for his own consumption.
Chemical Analyst plays another important role in the emergence of ultrapotent synthetic drugs. He is part of a small but influential circle of armchair chemists and theorists who discuss ideas for new drugs and scour medical literature for forgotten molecules.
He said that some members of these groups interacted with Chinese manufacturers to discuss new drug ideas. “They get ideas from us,” he said. “We have direct contact with them.”
A source at a Chinese drug manufacturer confirmed to The Times that new drug ideas were introduced first to small dealers and users like Chemical Analyst to test their popularity. If a drug catches on, it might be introduced to the mass market, which continues to rapidly transform.
Every garden needs some greens to complement the root vegetables and juicy summer crops.
If you’re hoping to expand the leafy garden greens in your vegetable patch, there are so many different types you can grow whether your goal is health or simply variety.
You can easily fill your veggie patch with these nutritious plants, some of which may be brand new to you.
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With the help of this article, you can expand your options by choosing from our list of 17 favorite types of leafy garden greens.
You’ll find both warm- and cool-season options, and plants that may be familiar to you or completely new.
For each vegetable, I’ll cover when to grow it, the flavor profile and culinary uses, and a cultivar of interest worth trying.
In addition, I’ll provide information about where to source seeds.
Ready to get started? Here’s what I’ll cover:
17 of the Best Leafy Greens for the Garden
1. Arugula
Also known as roquette, arugula (Eruca vesicaria) is a peppery green that tastes perfect in salads or sprinkled fresh over steaming hot pizza.
This member of the mustard family grows well in cool weather, but many types continue to produce harvests even in hot summers.
One of the best arugula varieties is ‘Rocky,’ a type of wild roquette that overwinters as a perennial in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 to 10. It’s ready to harvest in just one month.
It may seem like a waste of garden real estate to grow cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) when it’s relatively cheap to buy, but you can grow many varieties at home that you’d never find even at a farmer’s market.
These versatile brassicas can be cooked into hearty stews or shredded into refreshing summer coleslaw.
And when you choose a cabbage variety like ‘Deadon’ you’ll also discover a gorgeous sight in the garden.
No self-respecting southern garden should go without a patch of collards (Brassica oleracea var. acephala), a cool-season staple of country gardens long before kale stormed the gardening scene.
There are many different collard varieties to grow at home, and ‘Georgia’ is my of our favorites, thanks to its mild flavor and tender greens. ‘Georgia’ matures in 70 days.
When you select plants to grow for your edible garden, keep in mind that there are also some humble options you can choose from, such as dandelions (Taraxacum officinale).
This well-known yellow flower with globe shaped seed heads isn’t just a weed that interrupts your otherwise pristine green lawn, it’s also edible.
The leaves have a distinctively pungent, slightly bitter flavor and can be used in sautes, salads, teas, and more.
You may already have some growing in your garden, but if you want to start a dedicated patch, you can purchase dandelion seeds in several packet sizes at True Leaf Market.
Kale (Brassica oleracea var.acephala)is one of the staples of the healthy icebox, and it’ll add fiber and color to your meals whether you eat it raw in salads or cooked with other homegrown veggies.
It’s a cool season leafy garden green that pairs well with a selection of companion plants for a beautiful raised bed.
If you don’t yet have a favorite type of kale, consider ‘Dazzling Blue,’ a lacinato variety that has long blueish green leaves and is as gorgeous as it is tasty.
If you’re the type of gardener who hasn’t yet ventured much beyond growing tomato and squash transplants from your local nursery, it might be time to add some lettuce to your beds.
Leaf lettuce (Lactuca sativa)is a wonderful option for cut-and-come-again harvests, and will form the foundation of the freshest salads you’ll ever eat.
If you end up growing more than you can eat raw, keep in mind that leaf lettuce can be sautéed, steamed, or added to soups.
Napa cabbage (Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis), also known as Chinese cabbage, is a staple of Asian stir fries, but also tastes lovely chopped into fresh summer salads.
Its flavor is a bit milder than that of green cabbage.
This heading vegetable grows best in mild weather so you may want to choose a bolt-resistant variety, such as ‘One Kilo Slow Bolt.’
Love it or hate it, spinach (Spinacia oleracea) is a cool season garden staple.
Whether you pick the leaves young for spring salads or let them size up for cooked dishes, spinach delivers a distinctly earthy, slightly mineral flavor that intensifies when sautéed and mellows when eaten raw.
It’s equally at home in salads, soups, frittatas, and pasta.
‘Bloomsdale’ is one of the best spinach cultivars, so I highly recommend you start with this one. It produces savoyed, dark green leaves, and matures in about 48 days.
Chard, silverbeet, or Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris subsp.vulgaris), whatever name you call it, this cool-season crop is recognizable by its colorful crisp center stems surrounded by large, glossy green leaves.
If you’ve never eaten this leafy garden green, you can use it much as you would spinach. It mixes perfectly into soups, stews, fritters, and omelets.
Improved Rainbow Blend has green foliage with contrasting pink, orange, yellow, red, and magenta veins and stems, and is ready to pick in under 60 days.
Some plants offer up leafy garden greens when we grow them for another purpose, as is the case with turnips (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa).
So why not take advantage of some free food instead of sending it to the compost?
You can grow turnips for both roots and greens with your other cool-season crops.
The leaves have a mustardy flavor, and can be used similarly to mustard greens in sautes, omelets, or soups.
Feel free to eat the greens of any turnip plants you grow – but if you want to try a variety specifically for the foliage, ‘Seven Top’ is the cultivar you’ll want to reach for.
Gardeners hoping to expand their leafy garden green options beyond what’s available at the supermarket should consider growing watercress (Nasturtium officinale).
This semi-aquatic plant produces peppery tasting leaves, ideal for use in flavorful salads or delicious sandwiches.
Watercress grows best in cool weather and is perennial in Zones 6 to 9.
Whether you’re choosing brassicas, lettuces, or greens from other plant families, there’s no shortage of different options to choose from, and you’ll no doubt find more than one type to include in your garden.
Did we leave out any of your favorite leafy garden greens? If so, let us know in the comments below. Have a favorite recipe for any of these? Feel free to drop your food prep tips there as well!
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Oh, seasonal allergies. They truly can make life miserable. The good news is, there are things we can do! Many unnecessarily suffer from seasonal allergies when a few simple natural remedies can offer allergy relief, even without medicine.
According to the CDC, over 30% of the population deals with some kind of allergy. And over 25% have seasonal allergies specifically. Common triggers include pollen from grass and trees, dust mite fecal particles, animal dander, certain foods, air pollution, personal care products, or even insect bites.
These triggers can lead to allergic reactions with a variety of symptoms, including a runny nose, itchy eyes, and watery eyes.
As prime allergy season is here (at least in our area), I’m sharing the natural remedies I’ve used and that work for my family when needed. These aren’t as fast or immediately effective as medication, but over the long term, these methods have lessened my seasonal allergies greatly. Some people even see permanent reversal.
What Causes Seasonal Allergies?
Diet, strong gut health, and overall health can make a big difference when it comes to seasonal allergies. That’s because an allergic response has everything to do with the immune system.
I like to describe the body as a bathtub. Every time anything enters our bodies — be it from food, water, air, etc. — our body reacts. This is a good thing and nature’s way of keeping the body in a state of balance (homeostasis).
At a certain point, if too much goes into the bathtub, it’s going to overflow. Overloaded and overstimulated, the immune system responds to normally harmless substances as if they’re a foreign invader.
How Allergy Symptoms Start
Clemens von Pirquet first coined the word “allergen” and helped pioneer the field of immunology in 1906. Since then, scientists have learned a lot about allergies.
“It may sound ridiculous at first that antibodies (which should protect against disease) are also responsible for disease. ” Pirquet
Allergic disorders are basically an overreaction by the body’s immune system. They happen when the body treats a harmless substance like a threat and responds by making more IgE antibodies. These IgE molecules then stick to mast cells. At the same time, T helper cells (specifically Type 1, called Th1) become involved, triggering the allergic response.
The immune system mistakenly goes into attack mode against things that aren’t really dangerous. The reactions can include a tight feeling in the bronchial tubes, more mucus, and more vascular permeability. Sometimes within minutes.
If the exposure is strong enough to get past the body’s first line of defense, the reaction then triggers more leukocytes and Type 2 T helper cells (Th2). This creates a stronger immune response that the body normally uses to fight off things like parasites and other physical invaders.
The reaction manifests in different ways depending on the person’s genetics and where the body perceives the invasion. Symptoms may include:
fatigue (sometimes extreme)
hay fever (runny nose, itchy eyes, congestion)
nasal drip
digestive upset and nausea
eczema
asthma
even anaphylaxis
When Allergies Become Chronic
And the more the person is exposed to the trigger, the more the body will chronically have the inflammatory response. A 2008 journal article explains how the system’s inflammatory response and the misery allergy sufferers feel is very real and more than a case of the sniffles!
Allergy testing can help show what’s triggering the issue, but conventional treatments are almost always the same, no matter the cause. This includes taking an antihistamine or corticosteroid, which can have unwanted side effects.
If you want to tackle allergies naturally, there are two main approaches:
Limit exposure to possible allergens (like putting less in the bathtub)
Support a strong, healthy immune system (like increasing the size of our bathtub)
This isn’t an either/or problem, but a both/and solution.
Natural Remedies For Seasonal Allergies
My kids and I don’t really have seasonal allergies anymore after doing the GAPS diet to strengthen our gut and immune system health. However, I still occasionally get hit with an allergy attack from dust after cleaning (a reason not to clean? I think yes!).
We’ve found these simple natural remedies to be very effective for allergy relief. Different people seem to benefit from different remedies depending on certain genetic factors and which allergens they react to. It might be worth trying more than one of these natural remedies for allergies to see which works best for you.
Simple tips like using an air purifier with a HEPA filter reduce indoor allergens, like dust mites and pollen. Essential oils can also offer support during peak allergy season. A popular diffuser blend is lavender (antihistamine), peppermint (opens nasal passages), and lemon (thins mucus). Even these anti-inflammatory golden milk mango popsicles are a yummy way to lessen allergies!
Here are some other ways to tackle your allergies for good!
1. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is an age-old remedy that’s often used for a variety of health issues. I’ve used it for allergy relief (and heartburn relief) with great success. The theory is that it can help reduce mucus and cleanse the lymphatic system, both of which are helpful for allergies.
There’s also some research to suggest ACV can help reduce inflammatory responses and support the immune system. While there isn’t a ton of research behind this remedy, many feel it’s worth a try.
What I did: When allergies hit, I mixed a teaspoon of organic, raw, and unfiltered apple cider vinegar into a glass of water. I drank this three times a day. This kind of vinegar has “the mother” in it, a colony of beneficial bacteria. Check the label, it should list if it has it.
I use this brand, but it’s easy enough to make your own. Apple cider vinegar helped me relieve acute allergy symptoms and seemed to help avoid allergy attacks as well when I do it daily. If you suffer from allergies at a certain time of year, you may want to start taking ACV well before.
2. Wash Your Nostrils
This remedy works by hindering the offending allergen from entering your airways and reducing nasal congestion.
Neti Pot
It took me a while to try the Neti Pot simply because I’m a big scaredy cat about pouring things in my nose. I’m glad I took the leap though because it’s not half as bad as it sounds! The basic theory is that you use a Neti Pot filled with a sterile saline solution to flush allergens out of the sinuses. It also helps prevent pathogens from invading during cold and flu season.
I was surprised to find that both conventional and holistic practitioners recommend nasal rinses. Be sure to use boiled and cooled or distilled water, not water from the tap (because parasites….ewww).
To use: Either use a pre-made saline rinse or make your own. Once at body temp, fill the Neti Pot, pour through one nostril, and let it drain out the other. Get full instructions here.
Saline Spray
An option for Neti Pot sissies like me. I like this natural saline spray with xylitol for extra help with soothing inflammation and opening airways. One of my kids with large tonsils uses it to help keep post-nasal drip and sore throats away. Regularly using a nasal spray can help reduce irritation from allergens.
To use: Spray saline into the nostrils a few times a week or even daily for routine maintenance.
3. Quercetin
Quercetin is a natural bioflavonoid that helps stabilize mast cells to keep them from releasing histamine. It’s also a potent anti-inflammatory that can help reduce overall allergy symptoms. It’s best used as a long-term remedy and many people start taking it about 4-6 weeks before allergy season.
To use: Although quercetin is naturally found in foods like citrus and broccoli, it’s very difficult to get enough to relieve allergies from food alone. Quercetin supplements can help prevent allergies and help with acute symptoms.
4. Nettle Leaf
Stinging nettle leaf is another natural antihistamine that can be very effective. It works by naturally blocking the body’s ability to make histamine. You can use nettle tea, tincture, or capsules for allergy relief. It’s available online, but grows wild in many places.
You can also combine nettle with other herbs to make a soothing herbal tea. Peppermint, raspberry leaf, and nettle make a refreshing allergy relief tea. Lavender is another powerful antihistamine that pairs well with nettle in tea.
Allergies are the result of an imbalance in the immune system that causes the body to react too strongly. Research shows that when the gut has a good balance of healthy bacteria, people notice fewer allergies. There’s even emerging evidence linking a pregnant mother’s gut bacteria to their child’s likelihood of getting allergies throughout life. Not getting enough exposure to dirt and some germs can also negatively impact the immune system.
While we can’t do much about our mothers’ diets while they were pregnant, there’s still hope. Balancing gut bacteria now and getting enough beneficial bacteria can have a positive effect on allergies.
What I do: We eat a varied diet that includes plenty of fermented foods and drinks, which can help boost gut bacteria. We also take a quality probiotic.
6. Local Honey
Eating raw honey that’s produced near your home may help your body adapt to local allergens, like pollen. Some compare it to a natural version of allergy shots, but without the side effects. There isn’t much scientific evidence to back this one, but there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence from people who have tried it.
Research shows raw honey has anti-inflammatory effects and can suppress inflammatory IgE levels and modulate mast cell response. A 2013 study also found honey had anti-histamine effects in those with allergic rhinitis.
What I do: Eat a teaspoon (or more) of raw, locally produced honey once or more a day. Some suggest starting this a month or so before allergy season.
7. Anti-Inflammatory Foods
Anti-inflammatory foods, teas, and spices may help reduce unpleasant allergy symptoms. A 2016 animal study found that ginger reduced sneezing and congestion as well as lowered mast cell response. Researchers have also looked at green tea for calming allergies and inflammation with good results.
What I do: Serve plenty of herbs and spices with meals, as well as green and herbal teas. This ginger switchel drink combines raw honey, ACV, and anti-inflammatory ginger for a delicious probiotic drink. It’s a powerhouse of support for allergies.
8. Homeopathics and Herbal Remedies
I’ve already mentioned some different herbs to take, but there are several really good pre-made allergy blends now. Homeopathics and herbal supplements are different modalities, but both can work well for allergies. These can often work faster for acute symptom relief than long-term solutions, like diet changes.
Want something quick and easy in pill form? Genexa offers natural homeopathic remedies that work well for allergies without the OTC or prescription meds.
9. Addressing the Root Cause of Seasonal Allergies
Going back to the bathtub analogy: some of us are born with a smaller bathtub due to genetics and early environmental exposures. Things like mold exposure, Lyme disease, and past trauma can also cause our bathtubs to fill up fast. Identifying and addressing underlying health issues that are stressing the body and immune system helps bail out our tub.
This is where working with a qualified practitioner for personalised dietary advice and testing can be really helpful.
Diet Changes
Often, our gut health is the key to truly reversing allergy symptoms. This deeper healing can reduce chronic inflammation and support long-term immune balance. Elimination diets and bone broth are a good place to start. Those with histamine issues often find that meat stock is a better option than bone broth at first (which is high in histamines).
I’ve found that addressing gut health is key for severe allergies and gut healing/rebalancing.
What we did: We followed the GAPS diet for several months and had success improving our seasonal allergies. One of my kids even reversed some rather severe food allergies with this approach.
Gut Testing
If you truly suffer from allergies and suspect you have a compromised gut, consider testing. This helps give a clear picture of what’s going on in your body and how to fix it.
Yes, this literally means mailing poop to a lab (kids may find this one fun!), but I learned so much from this test. I still continue to benefit from knowing specific ways to improve my individual gut. Advances in at-home testing mean you don’t need to go to a doctor or a lab.
Final Thoughts on Natural Remedies For Seasonal Allergies
Getting faster symptom relief while working on the root causes of seasonal allergies was key for our family. After implementing these changes, I hardly deal with allergies anymore!
Don’t feel like you need to try all of these natural remedies at once, but see what works best for you. Speaking from personal experience, they can work really well!
Do you have allergies? What’s helped you the most? Share below!
Spring is starting to feel like it is actually in the air throughout North America, but I haven’t seen much of it arrive to Garden Photo of the Day quite yet. To celebrate the season slowly coning to life, I wanted to encourage more spring submissions by looking back at last year’s gardens. You might recall when I shared photos last year from some great spring gardens in the GPOD archive (Check it out, if you missed it: Happy Spring GPOD!), but this year I’m focusing on the sensational scenes we saw in 2025.
This first photo comes from Cindy Bolz in Dallas, Texas, and was one of the earliest spring submissions we received last year. Cindy cultivates many gorgeous blooms, but her colorful foliage plants are always a highlight.
This shows purple oxalis (Oxalistriangularis, Zones 6–10) with white-veined pipeline (Aristolochiafimbriata, Zones 7–9). Each summer I get at least two full cycles of the beautiful black pipevine butterfly (Battus philenor) laying her eggs in these leaves. This is shortly followed by a tribe of little black caterpillars munching their way through every single leaf right down to the roots. Then the leaves grow back and the full cycle repeats.
Beth Tucker frequently shares her vibrant garden in in Waxhaw, North Carolina, and spring starts the growing season off to a colorful start. Even when Beth was still in the midst of spring-cleanup, her garden was erupting with bountiful blooms.
Carolina jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens, Zone 6–10) on the side fence of our backyard.
Gail Bromer in Black Mountain, North Carolina shared several gorgeous photos of her home garden last spring (The Light of Spring After a Dark Fall and Winter in North Carolina, Part 1 and Part 2), but I wanted to highlight the work she does with a group of volunteers that plant and maintain flower boxes and garden sites throughout her town. These efforts are important community work, but were extra vital after the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene in the region during the fall of 2024.
Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera, Zones 4–8) creates lovely carpets of color, a classic sign that spring is well underway.
I greatly appreciate all of the gardeners from southern states that share the spring blooms and interest that emerge from their gardens far earlier than gardens in the north. Steve Schmidt in Atlanta, Georgia has a fascinating palette of plants in his garden, and it was a treat to see what stole the show in spring.
Bicolor epimedium (Epimedium × versicolor ‘Sulphureum’, Zones 5–9) and star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum, Zones 4–9).
As we get later into the season, other regions start erupting into color and more contributors share the captivating combinations that emerge. Lizzi Gualtieri in Walla Walla, Washington always has a stunning vignette to share, and this vibrant spring foliage combination was no exception.
‘Quicksilver’ hebe (Hebe pimeleoides ‘Quicksilver’, Zones 7–9)is marginal here, but I have it planted in a relatively protected area with the ‘Golden Mop’ cypress(Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Golden Mop’, Zones 4–8). Black mondo grass(Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’, Zones 5–10) and giant ‘Ambassador’ alliums (Allium ‘Ambassador’, Zones 4–8)are also in the photo.
Julie Prince in Albany, Georgia is another contributor who has shared many amazing plants and great combinations, and gave an awesome update on the spring plants in her garden that performed well despite a rare, late snow storm in southwest Georgia.
I have tried several times without success to grow the tall verbena(Verbena bonariensis, Zones 7–10). Much to my surprise, it not only survived the snow, but thrived!
While I always love returning to a garden we’ve seen before, it is exciting to see a new garden make an appearance on Garden Photo of the Day. Susan Buckley in Idaho shared photos from her garden for the first time last spring, and shared the gorgeous plantings she maintains in challenging conditions.
‘Gold Heart’(Dicentra spectabilis ‘Gold Heart’, Zones 3–9)and hellebores in my shade garden, my serene, low-maintenance garden ❤️
Moving west from Susan’s garden in the mountains of Idaho, Karen Safford shared very different scenes from her high desert garden in Bend, Oregon. The tiered rock garden in Karen’s backyard are filled with a variety of cute blooms and many creeping, crawling plants.
As I mentioned last time, I live in the high desert and have a lot of lava rock in my yard. All of the rock in the pictures is from my yard—nothing was outsourced other than flagstone. This is one of my wetter beds. I have Jack Frost brunnera(Brunnera macrophylla ‘Jack Frost’, Zones 3–7), hosta, Johnson Blue geranium (Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue’, Zones 4–8), lambs’ ear, and creeping Veronica cascading down the rocks.
A garden that brings a pop of color with each new batch of photos shared is that of Lila Johnson in Mill Creek, Washington. Lila’s garden turns to a wonderful sea of green when spring arrives, but this submission focused on the bright pink azaleas that compliment and breakup that glowing greenery.
A photo from another perspective shows how the bright pink is a fantastic accent to all Lila’s green spring foliage, as well as the purple clematis climbing up her arbor and the shiny blue pot on her patio.
Lastly, we return to Washington to see the eclectic landscape of Cleo Raulerson in Bellevue. Cleo has incredible four-season interest in her garden and a selection of plants that keeps her designs exciting year-round, but the burst of color that arrives in spring is still an exciting delight.
Part of our garden is damp clay. Sixteen years ago, I bought seven plants of this candelabra primrose(Primula × bulleesiana, Zones 4–7). The seed heads are left on most of the summer. I now have a wandering stream of these primroses, which is a garden favorite.
Thank you to all these incredible contributors for sharing their stunning spring gardens with us last year (and I do hope we get an update on these landscapes this year), but now it’s time for your spring garden to get featured on the blog! Follow the directions below to submit your photos to Garden Photo of the Day!
We want to see YOUR garden!
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
You can also send 5–10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
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Fine Gardening Recommended Products
Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, Revised and Updated Second Edition: A Natural Approach to Pest Control
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Sunnydaze 14-Inch Round Lava-Finish Ceramic Plant Pot
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Made from ceramic in a vibrant green color, this outdoor plant pot features a one-of-a-kind lava finish. This decorative planter for outdoor plants measures 14″ in diameter (outer top, 8.5″ at bottom) x 11″ H and weighs 23.6 lbs. Its inner measurements are 11.75″ in diameter x 10″ H. The planter has a soil capacity of 3.05 gallons (0.41 cu ft).
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Illicit labs are creating new synthetic drugs at breakneck speed. Dangerous, untested compounds are reaching users long before health agencies know they exist. Older drugs are regularly modified to create novel threats. Ecstasy is a prime example.
The party drug MDMA has been illegal since 1985. Its molecular structure can be drawn like this:
But what if you could add one atom to this molecule to change both the experience of taking the drug and its legal status?
You can. A single oxygen atom changes the molecule to methylone, which provides an Ecstasy-like euphoria.
The discovery of what this simple change could do has had a profound consequence. When methylone reached the U.S. market in 2010 the drug could be sold legally in corner stores and smoke shops as “bath salts.”
But methylone wasn’t the end of the story. Illicit chemists now use methylone’s structure as a template for modern-day alchemy. New drug laws push them to invent new variants, which emerge in the illicit drug market with untested potencies and effects — a vicious cycle that has been impossible to contain.
These chemists are located in unregulated labs around the globe, from big enterprises in China and India that produce drugs and their precursor compounds in huge volumes, to single-person and small domestic operations that cut and package drugs for retail sale. Some of the most-used drugs, such as fentanyl, are mixed in Mexico and exported north.
Waves of Bath Salts
Methylone was an early example of a class of drugs known as synthetic cathinones, which continue to proliferate.
Beginning in 2010, emergency rooms began seeing agitated patients who were violent, paranoid and psychotic after ingesting synthetic cathinones sold as bath salts. Poison control centers received a few hundred calls about the drugs in 2010. The following year, the number reached 6,000.
Bath salts labeled “not for human consumption” at a smoke shop in Houston in 2011.
Michael Stravato for The New York Times
When methylone was finally banned in 2011, unregulated chemists simply tweaked the molecule to evade the ban, creating new drug formulas. The Drug Enforcement Administration noted in 2019 that “as one synthetic cathinone is controlled, another unscheduled synthetic cathinone appears in the recreational drug market.”
Examining the drug on a molecular level shows how illicit chemists try to increase potency and heighten the effect in a user’s brain.
As cathinone molecules become more potent, they also become more addictive. “Because they hijack the dopamine system in the brain — the salience and reward system in the brain — they’re going to be extremely addictive,” said Dr. Michael Baumann, director of the Designer Drug Research Unit of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “There’s a reason why chemists would design these.”
Experts confirmed that the molecules described in this article are well known among illicit chemists, who have moved on to newer structures. “These are not rudimentary chemists,” Dr. Baumann said. “They’re actually ahead of us.”
Nitazenes, the ‘Frankenstein Opioids’
Another class of drugs has been following a similar pattern. When China banned all variants of fentanyl in 2019, illicit chemists began to research non-fentanyl opioids and rediscovered nitazenes, drugs developed in the 1950s as alternatives to morphine but never approved for medical use. Chemists modify the molecules — which are more complex than cathinones — in similar ways to increase potency.
“This is trial and error,” Dr. Alex Krotulski, director of the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, said of the efforts. “They’re pushing the envelope to make more and more potent drugs.”
By the end of 2024, at least 22 nitazene molecules had been identified. New variants are prized because of their inexpensive production costs, high potency and vague legal status, according to a 2023 paper.
Ohio’s attorney general, Dave Yost, was referring to nitazenes when he warned that “Frankenstein opioids are even more lethal than the drugs already responsible for so many overdose deaths.”
China banned nitazenes in July 2025, a move that may cause production to shift to other countries. In the meantime, illicit chemists searching through patents and research papers may stumble on another class of legal molecules to tweak and modify.
“It’s so much more dangerous today, the drugs are so much more potent,” said George W. Hime, assistant director of toxicology at the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner. “Someone out there is playing chemistry.”
