Hello and welcome to my blog. If you gave this blog a genre I would call it…garden writing. Most of us think of garden writing as guidebooks about gardening, landscape design, how to kill that weed, pest, disease or books filled with large pictures exhibiting beautiful gardens that we all wish we could have. To me those books belong in the reference section of the library. The type of writing I speak of would be found in the creative non-fiction aisle. This is the place where authors have taken true stories about their lives that are not written fact by fact documenting what happened, but telling a story in their perspective. In these books what happens takes a back drop to what feelings were evoked and what lessons were learned. For garden writers, we speak of our journey within the garden. This seems to be an art form of writing that has been lost. I am always searching for this form of writing and only a few were written in the present day. Authors like Sharon Lovejoy and Michael Pollan are two that still embrace this form of writing. The others I know of wrote their books in the early 1900’s when photography was expensive and words were their only form of expressing the gardens they so loved to describe. Among them my favorite is the legendary Gertrude Jekyll.
I am carrying on that tradition here in this blog. I absolutely love to share stories about my garden and I know so many other gardeners that do as well. When I was a little girl my mother and my aunt would do “the walk” around my aunt’s garden stopping at each plant telling its story. It would take over an hour to complete a walk that would normally take a matter of minutes. As I got older I realized that I was doing the same thing they were with my friends in my garden. I had carried on the tradition and I want to continue through this blog as you walk with me in my garden.
I notice in many blogs these days, especially gardening blogs, there are many pictures featured. While I will have pictures sometimes since every gardener has that desire to show off their hard work, what will be mostly found here are words. For me, gardening is not just a hobby, it has shaped me to be who I am and how I view the world. A quote by Michael Pollan explains what I really want to achieve in this blog. “I’m thinking of the power of plants to change us in mind and body, the gratuitous beauty of the flower, the moral lessons of the pest, the ancient language of landscape design, and the endlessly engrossing ways that cultivating a garden attaches a body to the earth.” As opposed to simply learning how to grow a plant, I am much more interested in discussing one’s journey in the garden because in my opinion it brings out the best in everyone.
Carole said:
Darlene, you have a beautiful writing style. I’m looking forward to reading your future posts and seeing your garden through your lyrical prose.
Harry Lohr said:
I am excited to follow your garden journey, for as they say, “The true voyage of discovery lies not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”
Jude said:
I’ve always thought this was the road you would travel – or should i say garden path? Good luck!!!
Danielle Dixon said:
I love that you are doing this! Have fun!
Pris said:
This is really cool…I am so happy for you…I will be checking in again and again…love ya
Angie Lohr said:
This is a beautifully crafted blog, dear. I’m glad you’ve finally begun this journey; it is a fitting endeavor. I look forward to future installments.
Janet said:
HI – I know what you mean about ‘taking the walk’ around the garden. I had an older neighbor in Connecticut, and every evening in the spring she and I would walk our gardens to see what was new, what needed to be moved, what was or wasn’t working. It was the best part of an otherwise stressful day!
Michelle Colon-Johnson said:
I love the way you write about your passion for gardening. I am very proud of you for staying true to your Authentic Self! I look forward to following your journey! Love always!
~Michelle
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