I’m a gardener because my mom’s father cared for primroses and potatoes and every spring he made a pilgrimage to buy baby leeks from his cousin, who ran a garden supply company, which was really hard for Grandpa to reach without his own car.
Grandpa was one of the garden lovers in my life, and he always got a laugh out of paper hats, which never fitted him.
I garden because my mom’s mother cooked delicious rhubarb pies, buttered potatoes, and leek and carrot soup with the produce from Grandpa’s garden. And because Gran loved the pair of rowan trees in front of her house which guarded the entrance and every fall produced beautiful red berries feasted on by birds.
Gran was loving and caring and a great cook and a garden lover. She liked nothing better than a trip out to the garden to take a few moment’s well-earned rest with friends and family on the garden bench on a sunny day.
I garden because my dad’s mother grew grapes and passion flowers in a greenhouse, had a wild flower patch which I sneaked into to hide and discover, and smiled on her flowering cherry tree with the masses of pink blossoms every spring.
Granny was an artist. She loved flowers and was one of the garden lovers in my life.
I garden because my mom always had her fingers among plants and dirt both inside the house and out, because she was happy in a garden and wanted to find new things to grow, enjoyed nothing more than exploring along a garden path, and showed me how a greenhouse could produce tomatoes, peppers, corn and squash in the unlikely climate of Central Scotland.
Mom liked fresh air, plants of all sorts, and being busy. Here she is at the summit of Dunadd – seat of the ancient Scottish kings.
I garden because I tried growing cabbage and lettuce and strawberries and beans as a teen and failed and wondered what I was doing wrong, because I’ve lain among the grass in the sunshine and seen the bugs play while I studied for college exams, and because I hiked the hills of Scotland and learned to name the native flowers.
And I’m a gardener because my gardening links me to all these garden lovers. These are the people who showed me the joy of nature and gardening when I was just a sprout. As long as they are in my heart, they will never be gone.
You’ve told me your reasons to garden, but you haven’t told me who brought you to gardening. I’m eager to hear.
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My family has always grown something, on patios and decks, in windowboxes and raised beds. At 9 we moved from an apartment to an old house that miraculously had a greenhouse, great beds and soil, and wonderful sun. My mom grew beautiful roses and spent lots of time lovingly cutting and arranging them. My dad and I took to the greenhouse, to propagate and experiment. Into the beds went cucumbers, tomatoes, marigolds, zinnias, and other cheery and fairly easy flowers. My dad worked hard at his job and gardening was a way to spend relaxing, fascinating time together.
I still always grow something, now with my own daughter. I love sowing the seeds, watching new shoots come in. Our shadier spot is home to peas, lettuce, pansies, cosmos, and tulips that are just coming up now.
Thank you, Alison, for your continuing inspiration and for getting me to think about who brought me to gardening.
As a small child, my great grandfather first introduced me to gardening with his tall rows of big red juicy tomatoes. My grandmother grew flowers and showed me how she kept the plants tidy. Now, I involve my own grandchildren in the planting, tending, and picking of easy plants like green beans and sunflowers to impress them with the magic of a home garden in the sunshine. They love to help me pick oranges, peaches, & avocados from our fruit trees as well.
Ah, California, home to both Suz and Cathy June. Don’t make me jealous with your better weather! You may not think it, but most of the things you can grow, grow well here in Kansas too. Just not at this time of year…
Thank you both for sharing your stories of garden lovers who brought you to where you’re at. Everything you’re growing sounds delicious.
First of all, thank you Alison, for such a beautiful post. I’m a completely novice gardener & I have my dad to thank for bringing me back to it — and to nature as well. He passed away almost a year ago, and in the short time since, I have felt the tug of his greatest passion — the outdoors. As a kid, he introduced me to planting with green onions, boysenberries and orange trees. We’d often snack together right out in the garden! Creating my own garden is one way I can keep him close. And it allows me to pass on his passion to the next generation, my kids.
Debi´s last blog ..Our Grand Adventures in the School Garden
This is a very beautiful and inspiring post, Alison. Thanks for sharing a wee bit of your history with us. When I was young we had a friend of my mom’s living with us, and we visited her mother’s house in NJ almost every weekend.
I thought I was really lucky because I had 3 grandmothers. But this one was special. She had a huge garden and grew almost all of their produce for the year. She also raised chickens so we had fresh eggs fresh from the coop for breakfast.
Not only was she an amazing gardener. She knew and loved all of the wildlife around her, teaching me the names of the birds and showing me where the fox lived with her babies. I garden to honor her.
Carole´s last blog ..Life Cycles of Butterflies in Your Habitat Garden
Debi, you have a wonderful reason to garden. I am sorry for your loss. I hope you will continue to find comfort in the garden, as I have done since losing my mom.
Carole, 3 grandmas sounds just like heaven on Earth! Thank you for sharing about your grandma who showed you where the fox lived and taught you the names of the birds. What special memories.
Alison,
Thank you for this lovely peek into what makes you an avid gardener! Some of my first and favorite memories are of planting, weeding and havesting our garden with my parents and sisters. I also love the closeness to the earth, for me int’s a reminder that we are all connected.
Wendy´s last blog ..Photo Friday – Homemade Soup
I love hearing the personal inspiration behind the gardeners I’m meeting, what a wonderful idea Alison! I didn’t grow up with gardens or gardening parents. My father did love to ride through the country on weekends and I would watch the farms and look at people’s yards as our car drove past. I’ve always wanted to grow a garden. I’ve always wanted to have animals hiding in nooks and burrows and hidden nests. I suppose my inspiration was all of those other people I never met as we drove past… their gardens spoke for them!
What a wonderful post Alison, so lovely to see members of your family back in Scotland. Both my parents loved gardening but kept it very simple – with 4 kids and half the neighborhood running around we soon flattened all their pretty borders. I have always loved my gardens but I didn’t really get into gardening and growing fruits and veg until I had my own children-now I can’t get enough! Growing a garden with your children is such a wonderful way to connect with nature.
Lovely post, Alison. While I grew up planting strawberries and hot peppers for canning with my mom, for me, the power of gardening came to light as a teen working in a summer camp for kids with disabilities. I went on to do horticulture therapy and gardening with groups of patients, clients, and students for many years. I wrote a post about it: http://grassstainguru.com/2009/04/01/finding-my-path-naturally/
Anyway, I don’t get to garden much these days — just a bit on my balcony. But I never forget how truly amazing it can be.
Bethe @balmeras
[...] a wonderful treat yesterday, I awoke to a lovely post on my friend Alison Kerr’s blog, Loving Nature’s Garden. Alison is a very talented observer of the natural world. From her, I’ve learned all about [...]
Butterfly, my 84-year-old fun-loving, ultra-gardening mom, infused me with the love of gardening. She lives in our guest house and gardens from sun-up to sun-down, when she hasn’t flitted off to her piano lesson or her art lesson or church. We also hike all over the Sierra Nevada mountains and foothills (where we live) – she is an incredible inspiration for me and everyone who meets her! Check out my website if you don’t believe me!
[...] Garden lovers, Alison has shared why she gardens; are you ready to chime in? [...]
What a great post! The Larson side of my family came to Illinois from Sweden and farmed for many years. I have very fond memories of Grandma’s rhubarb pies!
Roy Scribner´s last blog ..5 Marshmallow Sticks for Family Camping