From Here To There

Laura – you’ve so right! Aren’t certain garden scents wonderfully powerful and intoxicating? Jasmine is one of those smells that always puts me in a good mood, too. Oh yeah, that and citrus. I LOVE the smell of an orange tree in bloom!

Rebecca, you have touched on an often under-appreciated aspect of gardening that we have lived first hand as well.

Gardening, for us, has been the glue that has bonded us in the worst of times. My husband and I built our gardens together. We began the project the summer that we became engaged (2002) and continuing on through our marriage (2003) to present. It has been a labor of love and a physical manifestation of our love for each other. It has also been the best medicine for both emotional trials and physical tribulations.

Many of the fragrances are uplifting and therapeutic – lavender and roses especially. In our garden, we can always find the perfect antidote when we are angry, tense, or sad, whether it be the perfume of Zephirine Drouhin or Double Delight, the fragrance of lavender or mint, or yes, the wonderful smell of dirt and manure.

One of our dogs has had two neurosurgeries and lavender was one of the essential ingredients in the herbal mixes we used to keep him quiet after surgery. (We were tasked with keeping a 4 month old puppy on bed rest.) Tot his day, he self-medicates with lavender and when we see him nibbling on the shoots or lying on the shrubs, we know that a visit to the vet is probably coming soon.

In 2005 I experienced a non-remitting flare of MS. By the summer of 2006, despite aggressive chemotherapy, I was in a wheelchair, attached to a ventilator, with a permanent feeding tube. My husband shouldered the burden of the gardening chores himself that summer, but every morning, he would wheel me out (with all of my assorted gadgetry) to be “with him” and to “direct him” (he does have a penchant for cultivating weeds and pulling up perennials).

It was hard during the worst of it not be able to garden, but it would have been worse if I had not been able to immerse myself in the beauty of it all. My vision was impaired and many times he would pluck or snip a bloom just so I could see it and smell it, and then put it in a glass or a vase at my bedside.

Things have improved greatly since those dark days, and a new experimental chemotherapy has brought some much needed relief. But my husband, who is a physician, would be the first to agree with you that gardening is the best medicine.

My husband has a home office and I’ve lost count of the number of patients he has walked through the gardens and how many have left with a pot of something. In the spring we pot up “extras” of everything and keep them in a wagon under the deck for visitors, friends, neighbors, and patients.

Thank you, Rebecca, for reminding us that there is more to a garden than just the beauty we see. And thank you, Fran, for inviting her to share her thoughts!

Oh, Rebecca–I’ll never get tired of hearing that story! It’s such a reminder to me of the gift of the world around us–gardens, plants, people– thank you so much for sharing a part of yourself and your story so that we can see ours better.

I too went thru a very difficult divorce and my best therapy was time and my garden. I tilled a rocky weed congested patch of dirt on my sidewalk. All the neighbors probably thought I was a little crazy to garden even late into the night but Iwas determined to turn my life around just like that patch od dirt. 5 years later my garden patch is blooming just like my life.

That is so right. They may just be plants, but it does seem like you sometimes get a glimpse into a person’s life by looking into their garden.

Dolores – thank you for sharing your story. It seems so many of us who have gone through painful situations have found solace with our hands in the dirt. Sometimes gently planting, sometimes furiously digging away….

Another divorce here. I think being able to create a new garden is part of reinventing yourself again. My new garden in my new home is more an extension of me now. It is very different from my previous gardens, and I like that. It shows my growth as a gardener as well as my growth as a strong independent person. My interests over the years have changed, and my current garden is lower maintenance, but still full of plant geek specimens. I also think it is an inspiration to some people, “look what she did with that blank front yard”. I get a lot of comments, since my street is a popular walking route for people.

I hated the smell of tomatoes as a kid. My old man would make me work in the garden. Now as an adult, I love the smell. It brings me back to the days of only worrying about how to get out of the gardening so I can get back to video games. Those were the days. Great blog!

Rebecca,
This was a lovely sentiment. I feel fortunate to be able to have a glimpse into such a personal moment. Thank you. 🙂