California has so many unique sights and smells that inspire a sense of chill. Each time I visit Nevada County, I’m reminded of how powerful those sensory moments can be.

At my mother-in-law Janice and her partner Yesh’s home in Penn Valley, we often sit in their backyard and observe the neighboring bird farm, a horse that wanders nearby, the stray cat who seems to think he lives there, and their sweet dog. Instead of smelling like a farm, the air is filled with rosemary, roses, bay leaves, and other botanicals that create a sense of peace and calm while watching nature’s creatures wander at will.

Janice’s Garden is a seasonal collaboration between Effin Relax and lifelong organic grower Janice Powers of Penn Valley, California. Every botanical in this collection is grown without pesticides, harvested with care, and slowly dried to preserve its integrity, fragrance, and energetic quality.

Lavender, rosemary, sun-dried orange peels, bay leaves, rose buds, and rose petals (cultivated in Nevada County soil) come together in a line of candles, incense, and botanical sprays designed to feel like stepping into a garden at golden hour.  

Janice Powers has been practicing organic farming for over 50 years. She has spent most of her life in Nevada County tending gardens, cultivating herbs, and preserving traditional growing practices rooted in care and observation. Her expertise comes from decades of lived experience planting, harvesting, drying, and stewarding the soil. Long before “organic” became a trend, this was simply the way she worked.