From "Minnesota" 1980 by Joan Mitchell An ornamental garden is not always what it appears to be The call to action appeared in my inbox: “are we gardening while the world burns?” Yes, I got the easy reference to Nero, Rome and all that, which is, historically, a fairly complicated story in itself. And yes, ornamental—as distinguished from food—gardening, could be considered an oblivious, even oppressive activity, especially if conducted with plenty of staff in the pursuit of displaying wealth using plants and techniques that harm ecosystems. But rebelliousness rose in me. As a serious modern gardener, I wondered, does this person not understand where gardening is situated in the history of our species and how it can be used to make a fierce statement about possible futures? And I’m not talking about utopian ideas of getting back to the Garden of Eden, either. Nettled, I did look around the internet and found that the phrase seems to have come from an essay in which the write ...
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And looking forward to reading your posts, as well. Wasn't sure if this blogging thing would last for me, but it seems to have taken on its own life.
Now I'm always thinking about the next post. What did I think about before? Who knows? I don't. Must have had some extra space in the attic I call my brain. ;)
Hi Jean, I'm honored. I've learned a great deal from you, about gardening in different zones, and about blogging.