Garden
The Kindness of Gardeners
The Kindness of Gardeners
Robin Hoselton
I’m one of those hermits whose tee shirt says, “The more I know of people, the more I love my dog!”
Gardeners Wisdom…
However, I make an exception for gardeners. These stewards of the earth readily impart the wisdom derived from their experiences, and are generous with their vegetative wealth–Translation: they give me stuff!
However, I make an exception for gardeners. These stewards of the earth readily impart the wisdom derived from their experiences, and are generous with their vegetative wealth–Translation: they give me stuff!
…And Generosity
Many of my plants come from the courtesy of strangers turned acquaintances who happily share cuttings, bulbs or seeds. They don’t seem to think me the least bit odd when I approach them while on my morning walks to ask for tours of their gardens. Perhaps my wrinkled countenance plus my propensity for drooling over datura blossoms rules out suspicions of terrorist activity.
Inspiration for replacing lawn grass with native perennials came from Mrs. Roberson up the block. She managed to fill her corner yard with shrubs, flowers and groundcovers and still retain curb appeal. I’d worried that such a project might result in a jungle appearance, requiring a machete to hack a path to the front door.
Curb Appeal
At the opposite end of my subdivision lives Victor whose yard defies all landscaping rules yet looks charming. Every bit of his ground is crammed with no regard to plant sizes, colors or textures. I met him during another walk and he bestowed sweet potato and patchouli cuttings along with tacit permission to disobey what one is supposed to do.
Bob, who lives two streets over, offered me a “mess” of groundcover cuttings when I strolled by while he was edging the errant strays from the roadway. He didn’t know their name but they survive drought and produce cheery yellow flowers so that was good enough for me. Later I learned that creeping daisy now adorns (overruns) my yard.
My neighbor gives me her leftovers when she thins her flower beds. Thanks to her, I’ve adopted plants that I might not have considered otherwise, plus they are trouble-free. If they grow next door, they’ll grow a few feet further in my yard–if the dog doesn’t trample them first.
My biggest coup in my foliar acquisitions came while ambling around the local zoo. I asked one of the horticulturists about a certain sage that I admired and hadn’t been able to locate. Because the display was due to be changed for the season, he offered them to me, so today six zoo shrubs reside in my front yard. The hummingbirds love them and they are thriving, even though they no longer get fertilized with elephant manure.
Ebay
In the next town, I’ve also found a kindred spirit. When I ordered a particular crinum on eBay, I discovered that Nestor, the seller, lives only seven miles from me. I called to ask if I could come to his house, saving us both the mailing hassle. After an hour in his garden, I came away not only with my purchase, but also bonus aloes and rain lilies.
Now that I’m gradually accumulating extras of my own, it’s time to pass on the largess. I often see a woman strolling by my house who seems to be scrutinizing the yard. Could she be a fellow gardener? Maybe I could foist off my surplus canna lilies!
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