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Other People's Gardens
My father's favorite story was about the preacher who was
visiting a
farmer. As they strolled around the fields and garden the
preacher said,
"You and God have certainly made this spot into a Garden of
Eden."
The farmer bristled "You should have seen it when God was
doing it by Himself”.
Traveling to and from work at this time of year gives one the
thrill
of
seeing the blooming crabapple trees, the magnolias, and the
pink and white
dogwoods. I don't know whether to sing praises, or go green
with envy.
"I want that one!" or even, "I wonder how much that beauty
would
cost? It would look perfect on my front lawn."
In fact, most of those gorgeous trees were planted by folks
many years
ago and are just now reaching their prime. Other people's
ideas about
gardening are spilling out their beauty in 2005.
I saw one of the most beautiful patchworks of creeping phlox
on a neighbor's south-facing slope I have ever seen, and I
didn't have to pull out the pesky grass from between the
plants. The pinks, lavenders, whites, and bright fuchsia just
melted together, as if the hand of a cosmic painter was
near by.
Jamaica Kincaid writes about a visit to Monet's garden, long
after the
water lilies had faded and the little bridge needed repair.
Where was the
misty dream he painted? She also visited Sisinghurst in
England where Gertrude Jeckyl knelt amidst the drifts of
perennials she so loved. "I am
strongly of the opinion that the possession of a quantity of
plants, however
good the plants may be by themselves and however ample their
number,
does not make
a garden; it only makes a collection,” said Gertrude.
A garden is such a personal thing that it often dies when its
creator
does. How sad. Yet have you had the experience of driving past
a garden,
once beautiful, but not now? The caretaker has either moved
away, is ill, or
simply lost the desire to tend it. Candide traveled the whole
world, had his earth-shaking adventures, and then returned
home to tend his garden. Other
people's gardens—yes even Eden—inspire us, cause envy, or
simply satisfy
as we drive past.
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