To Garden Honestly

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 ...

Housekeeping

About the images
Though the photos on my blog increasingly are my own, I do often rely on others' images. You will notice that they serve as links back to the places I got them, except in the case of pictures in common use throughout the web, are free clip art, or the like.

It is not my intent to appropriate images as my own or use others' images for monetary gain. If images require permissions before use, I am careful to ask first before posting. It is my intent to give credit wherever possible. I remain grateful that the web is such a visually stimulating place.

All images from Illinois Wildflowers and by the artist Albert Krehbiel are used with permission.

About the written material
Except for quotes, all material on this blog is my own work. Others are free to quote it as long as it is attributed to me, with a link to my site if possible.


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