(828) 526-0173 | [email protected] | Copyright 2024 – All Rights Reserved.
How Grandmother’s Garden Grew
Written By: Debby Hall | Issue: June 2024
The prospect of gardening is as much a function of memory as it is of vision.
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth
One is nearer God’s heart in a garden
Than anyplace else on earth
This summed up my grandmother to a tee. It was one of her favorite poems. I don’t think there could be a better description for a gardener.
When I think of a garden, childhood memories immediately come flooding in.
One of my favorites is of my grandmother, on her knees and bent over, pulling weeds from between the rows of peas all strung up on neat lines of white string. She was of the era when women didn’t wear pants, so there she was in her garden dress with bare feet working away.
I can close my eyes and be transported to the side of her house where lilies of the valley took up the entire space between the sidewalk and the house. Even now, the sight of a lily and its sweet scent transports me back in time.
Fast forward a few years and I am in the backyard with my mother and brother helping my father plant tomatoes, carrots, you name it, along with marigolds and other flowers that were supposed to keep the bugs away.
We lived in the suburbs with a lovely, landscaped yard but we still had to have a garden with flowers, vegetables and herbs. Today my focus is on flowers and greenery, I’ve decided not to battle with the wildlife over vegetables.
I suppose some are born gardeners, but I think many have been created by their experiences shared with the generations before them. Once you have held the dirt in your hands and smelled the mustiness of the earth, the connection becomes a part of you. You may never pick up another shovel or press the soil around the flower you just planted, but it will still be there.
Others who are completely new to gardening enter with a curiosity and eagerness to learn. They will find that gardeners are some of the most generous people around. That and the shared knowledge and experiences between gardeners is one of the things I love best.
Sit at a table with two or more gardeners and be prepared to raise your hand to get a turn to speak. They are lifelong students and are usually at the ready, many times sharing cuttings or seeds from their latest favorite plant. In a sense they are like a family, always supportive and eager to help, never afraid of a challenge, and welcoming to all.
As the season starts I hope you have time to pause and take in the beauty of our surroundings. Maybe take a trip back in time, revisiting fond memories while making new ones with the next generation.
by Debby Hall
