About The Observant Gardener

 The Observant Gardener is Judith Canty Graves, an award-winning photojournalist whose images and articles have appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, The Boston Globe, and The Charleston (WV) Gazette.

Ms. Canty Graves has a B.A. degree in English and Communications from Simmons College in Boston and a M.A. degree in photojournalism from Ohio University.

An avid gardener and photographer, she is a member of the North Carolina Arboretum, the Beatrix Farrand Society, The Garden Conservancy, and the National Federation of Press Women.

She writes a monthly garden column for The Laurel of Asheville magazine based in Asheville, North Carolina.

In June of 2024 the National Federation of Press Women selected Judith’s May 2023 column on peonies, “A Treasured Perennial” to receive the second place award in the Informational Columns category at their annual conference in Saint Louis, Missouri. In September of 2025 the NFPW selected Judith’s May 2024 column, “Cultivate the Skill of Observation” for a second place award for Informational Columns.