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Why I Garden
My mother is the one that infected me with this addiction to gardening. As a kid, I remember she would often be in the garden from the time she got up until it was too dark to see anything. Her rose garden, filled with Floribundas and Hybrid Teas, held magic for me as I strolled along its snaking pathways, examining each flower for its scent and its beauty. The pathway was just wide enough for me and my doll buggy. As we walked through, I would ask my mother to name each rose. Mister Lincoln, Judy Garland, and Queen Elizabeth were there, and you couldn’t help but admire their elegant flowers and intoxicating fragrance. At the time, I didn’t understand why she had so many roses, 48 to be exact. But, the reason is apparent to me now, as I have learned that once you fall in love with a particular genus, there comes a deep desire to collect every species within it. My garden today holds a few of the English roses, mainly as a tribute to my mother’s garden, and the fond memories it holds. But when June arrives, and the roses come into bloom, I always find myself aching for more. I do not remember my very first plant, but three years ago, when I began a garden of my own, one of the first things I planted was an oriental poppy called ‘Patty’s Plum.’ I watched with complete wonder as the crinkled, purple-soaked petals emerged. I was hooked. A second oriental poppy followed, named ‘Beauty of Livermore’, with blood red petals surrounding the most amazing ornamental center. This love of poppies now includes a late winter or early spring scattering of seeds for the black, peony-flowered, and purple-violet blooms of the opium varieties, Papaver somniferum. With over seventy species, I doubt that I could ever grow tired of their beauty. The reasons why I garden are numerous, though I suppose they could be summed up in one phrase: I garden because I simply cannot imagine my life without it. I love the excitement I feel when I wake to a warm, sunny day with no agenda other than to get my hands in the soil. The dirt under my fingernails gives me a feeling of being connected with nature, a sense of accomplishment, and absolute satisfaction. In the garden, the noise in my head is quiet, and the rhythm of weeding and pruning is meditative. In the garden, no one cares what I’m wearing, whether I’ve bothered to put makeup on my face, or if my hair is combed. In the garden, I can completely be myself. 20 comments to Why I Garden |
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It is a beautiful spring day in 1980. I am perched on the old oak window-seat that borders our dining room, studying the mass of white that carpets our backyard. It is not snow, but the fallen petals of my mother’s magnolia tree. Behind the magnolia, arranged in drifts, are daffodils, tulips, and crocus – a sea of color for my starving eyes. Sunlight streams in the windows, casting shadows on the walls of the various potted plants scattered about the house. There are jade and ficus trees and numerous ferns with orchids tucked in between. All are contained in beautiful antique pots, never plastic.
I agree with you, I cannot imagine my life without it as well. The only time I have never had a garden was the two years that I lived in London. I found myself in Holland Park weeding, just to get my fingers in the dirt.
It is hard to imagine life without gardening…I see women at the perennial plant meeting that must be in their late nineties so I know gardening is keeping them healthy! Liisa, this is a lovely essay/post. gail
Gail,
So nice to see you here. I agree, I truly believe gardening keeps us young. I so enjoy talking with gardeners that have been at it into their golden years. They always have so much wisdom and inspiration to share…
Deborah,
HA! The things we do, just to get our hands dirty.
Beautiful post Liisa~but where did I get it from? My mom was only a casual gardener, with an occasional tomato plant or pot of geraniums! Hubby and I often say we must have been farmers in another life.
Robin,
My grandmother was not a gardener, so I can’t say where my mother got it from. Maybe we inherit a random “gardener’s gene” that occasionally skips a generation? If that is the case, I am certainly thankful to have it!!
That was lovely to read. It is hard to imagine life without gardening!
Carol,
Thank you for the compliment. It truly is hard to picture what my life would be without it.
You remind me of my daughter in my garden. Always poking her nose in smelling , she knows the names of the flowers , especially the rose named after her. Thank you for a beautiful post
Praveshree,
Thank you! It’s great seeing kids get into gardening, I have so much fun watching their eyes light up as they “discover” new things.
Hi Liisa
great to meet a fellow addict, and not only being a gardening-holic, but being a writer-about-gardening-holic!!!!!!! cheers, catmint
Catmint,
Thank goodness for my fellow garden bloggers… it is wonderful to *visit* gardens from around the world, and know that there are many more gardeners that are just as obsessed as I am. Blogging is kind of an outlet for me, where I can blather on about plants ’til my heart’s content, knowing that most of the people reading it share the same interest. I am always a little reserved talking plants with friends. Most of my friends know I am crazy about gardening, but don’t enjoy it as much as I do. I try to watch for the glazed-over look in their eye, so I know when to shut up.
Liisa~~ Looks to me like gardening is not your only gift. What a well written post! All the more because I can relate so well to it. A day with nothing but gardening on the agenda is, for me pure bliss–something the non-gardener is incapable of understanding. I used to think I was nuts for spending an entire day in the garden. It’s comforting to know that this is a trait we diehards share.
Grace,
Thank you so much for your kind words. I used to think I was a little nutty, too, spending all day out there, until I was completely exhausted. But, you are absolutely right, it is pure bliss.
Such a beautifully written piece and a lovely tribute to your Mothers’ garden. A garden is a magical place for a child to grow up in and for an adult to play in too. It gives us a deeper connection to Nature and all her gifts. So true we can be more ourselves in a garden and it never judges our appearance. Thank Goodness! Carol
Carol,
My mother’s garden was a magical place for me, and I am so grateful for the fond memories it holds.
Thank goodness, indeed! I am blessed with many trees around our property, so I can’t scare the neighbors, either.
I agree with Carol – a beautifully written piece!
Galloping Gardener,
Thank you so much, it was a fun piece to write. And, thank you so much for visiting!!
I found you through the “why I garden” contest and glad I did! Thanks for sharing this–I think you have a lot of compatriots in feeling like yourself in the garden. I know I do!
Thank you, Lynn. I have really been enjoying the essays that have been submitted for the contest. It is so true… the garden is the place where you can just simply “be.” Thank you for visiting, and Happy Holidays!!