Elizabeth wrote a letter to Ann Preston Bridgers in April 1945 about her visit to Lob’s Wood, the gardens of Carl Krippendorf, where apparently a late freeze had blackened the magnolias and lilacs and all the daffodils were wilting. She wrote,
“He was exactly like you about the frost, and I felt I could not bear to begin all over again. After we had walked over the thirty acres of daffodils, all wilted or wilting, and several miles of blackened lilacs and daffodils, he said, “You are very sweet. But you know and I know that it was not worth your coming.” I said I had come to see him, and did not care about the lilacs or daffodils, which was perfectly true but he was not listening.”
What did I figure out? That I much prefer to visit a garden with the gardener there, telling me the story of their garden, than to visit a garden just to see a collection of plants and how they are arranged and never find out how it all came to be.
Now, I do love to see a good collection of plants in a garden that is well-thought out, but seeing it with no background or story makes it one dimensional, like looking at a picture in a magazine with no other information.
I want to see a garden in all its dimensions, to hear the gardener describe it. I don’t care if the garden was recently blackened by frost, baked by the sun, half-planted, or full of weeds. Of course, many gardeners would prefer not to let others see their gardens in those conditions, but it isn't just the garden we want to see. We also want to hear the story of the garden, and the story of the gardener.
And if the gardener is there to tell the story of their garden, or if I’ve read the story of it, I can see past weeds and frost damage, beyond overgrowth and unplanted areas and imagine it as the gardener planned for it to be, how they want it to be, and enjoy it so much more.
Comments
By the way, glad to know the columbine story had a happy ending!
Suzanne
Love your blog design.
Jan
Always Growing
Great post.
~~Linda...
Unfortunately, some bloggers these days are what we call "competitive garden bloggers". They're more concerned with trying to sell you something (whether it is via ads or acting the garden guru) than sharing who they are. I guess before the Internet they were the ones who were more concerned with winning the prize ribbon at the garden show than just enjoying the process.
Luckily it's a big world--big enough for all kinds of gardeners. No one has to please me nor I anyone else.
i love that quote above, gardens grow the best people, usually when i visit a garden i try to spend time with the owner or if it is a public garden a docent or even some care taker..you always getting interesting observations and stories that add to the experience and talking to another garden geek is always a treat!
It is really learning the garden stories, good or bad that makes a garden trip even more meaningful and memorable.
Just last week I was at a function and a gardener friend lived not too far away. She told a couple of us to run by her house without her to take a look around the garden even though she couldn't come with us. As beautiful as all her roses were and as many interesting facets were in her garden, it left me wanting without her there to tell the stories.
On the same note, if family or friends go into my garden ahead of me it frustrates me not to be walking along side as they tour my garden. I want to be there to talk about it. But I'm chatty... as evidenced in this comment. :-)
Meems