"The garden is not the place for control freaks and perfectionists, and yet I know that in may callow youth I tried to make mine conform. I used to wish for the time when it would be finished, when it would reach the perfection I envisioned. Now I know it's going to be different every year, and I will have had less to do with how it looks than I'd hoped, beyond setting out the basic plan and guiding and maintaining the plants."
Liz Primeau
With the temperature outside dipping below -20ยบ C, venturing outdoors results in nipped fingers and toes. So I opted for staying indoors and cozying up to the fireplace with a hot cup of tea and a good book. I do like winter for the opportunity it affords to get caught up on my garden reading. And so I settled down to read “My Natural History, The Evolution of a Gardener” by Liz Primeau, a fellow garden writer.
I enjoyed this chronology of Liz’s life and the role gardening has played in helping her to deal with the challenges life serves each one of us. The way in which digging in the soil, nuturing plants can act to nurture the soul and create a sanctuary of peaceful feelings. I can certainly relate to many of the gardening experiences Liz recounted such as the tomatillos that reseeded wantonly (who hasn’t planted something they later wished they hadn’t although it seemed like a good idea at the time). Liz’s tales of her battles with squirrels and raccoons had me chuckling as I too have a yard full of black squirrels who’s presence have me alternating between loving their antics and hating them digging my bulbs and last fall we too waged war to eradicate five raccoons from their happy home in our eaves.
Finally, as Liz and I are of the same vintage her “Six Stages of Gardening” hit home with me, and I’m sure others. When you’ve been gardening for a while, your concept of the garden matures and develops over time but is something that you must learn and experience. As Liz said, “…these stages echo the stages in our lives, from the desire for immediate gratification in our youth to the deeper and mellower pleasures of maturity.”
I found Liz’s memoir to be entertaining recap of her life’s connection to the garden and gardening sprinkled with garden history and floral references. Perfect reading for a wintry afternoon.
Liz Primeau’s book is available through Greystonebooks at www.greystonebooks.com
I enjoyed this chronology of Liz’s life and the role gardening has played in helping her to deal with the challenges life serves each one of us. The way in which digging in the soil, nuturing plants can act to nurture the soul and create a sanctuary of peaceful feelings. I can certainly relate to many of the gardening experiences Liz recounted such as the tomatillos that reseeded wantonly (who hasn’t planted something they later wished they hadn’t although it seemed like a good idea at the time). Liz’s tales of her battles with squirrels and raccoons had me chuckling as I too have a yard full of black squirrels who’s presence have me alternating between loving their antics and hating them digging my bulbs and last fall we too waged war to eradicate five raccoons from their happy home in our eaves.
Finally, as Liz and I are of the same vintage her “Six Stages of Gardening” hit home with me, and I’m sure others. When you’ve been gardening for a while, your concept of the garden matures and develops over time but is something that you must learn and experience. As Liz said, “…these stages echo the stages in our lives, from the desire for immediate gratification in our youth to the deeper and mellower pleasures of maturity.”
I found Liz’s memoir to be entertaining recap of her life’s connection to the garden and gardening sprinkled with garden history and floral references. Perfect reading for a wintry afternoon.
Liz Primeau’s book is available through Greystonebooks at www.greystonebooks.com
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