“In some Native languages the term for plants translates to “those who take care of us.”
– Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
In 2018, Wimberley native and new mother Natalie Dettmer found herself in a place of unknowing. It is a ground familiar to many of us—a terrain of transition in a culture bereft of guideposts or support. Into this space materialized a nearby greenhouse, overlooked and untended, which Dettmer and her young son took to visiting daily.
Nurturing seedlings, propagating cuttings and arranging epiphytes established a rhythm, echoing a reassurance from the earth: we are supported and encouraged all along, if only we take the time to notice. Witnessing the power of their shared ritual, Dettmer began to realize the idea of a collective space to honor this intimate guidance.
Ceremony Botanical Studio was born.
The John Henry Saunders Homestead on Wimberley Square was selected as the ideal hub for this intention, a reclaimed guidepost itself, that has served in its iterations since the late 1800s as a place of learning, commerce and communication. It is situated at the fork of various thoroughfares—a spot for convergence and divergence, rooted in rock quarried from the nearby Blanco River.
Lovingly set in motion by Dettmer, Ceremony changed hands in 2020 to fellow Wimberley natives Candace and Willis Rothelle and Lauren and Everett Robuck, as well as longtime employee Casey Bass.
The intentions of evoking curiosity and inspiration, facilitating creativity and holding space for positive change remain very much at the heart of Ceremony. Through the living and breathing oerings of plant life, botanically-centered and hand-crafted apothecary, home goods and gift items, as well as workshops and community events, we seek to remain a vessel for expression, education and expansion—a vibrant beacon of possibility.
In this space of shared wonder, Ceremony hopes to establish a sense of protection for the small acts that ground and unite us. At the root of it all is memory, is breath, is taking time and taking good care. We invite you to cross our threshold and nd yourself at home.
Respect the Ritual.
