The Dirt

The unabashed gardener

Photo/Illustration: J. Paul Moore
Photo/Illustration: J. Paul Moore

Gardeners are a wacky bunch, and there are many proofs positive for that
statement. What reasonable person would drive 50 miles–one-way on dirt
roads–to a specialty nursery in search of a plant they haven’t even heard of
yet? Who else would wake up at the crack of dawn and prowl around their front
yard looking for slugs to drown in cup of water? Who, after all, would even want
to touch a slug? Our passions often get the best of us. These unrelenting
outside influences make us do silly, unexpected things, things that only those
who suffer from the same source of violent enthusiasm can understand.

Graciously accepting the uncontrollable urge to buy plants when you don’t
have any more room for more plants in the garden, or the need to read every book
about gardening that you can find, is the mark of an unabashed gardener, and
unabashed gardeners are adventurous gardeners, and those are the gardeners I
love to meet. They’ll try anything because that’s what makes gardening fun.
Sometimes they succeed, some times they miss the mark, but through it all they
have a good time and learn something along the way.

I’ve seen some pretty far out stuff in some gardens, but no matter how wild
or ridiculous a garden may be, I have never met a truly passionate gardener I
didn’t like.

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