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From Sarah, Plain and Tall:
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“I nearly forgot,” said Maggie on the porch. “I have something for you.”
I carried the bowl outside and watched Maggie lift a low wooden box out of the wagon.
“Plants,” she said to Sarah. “For your garden.”
“My garden?” Sarah bent down to touch the plants.
“Zinnias and marigolds and wild feverfew,” said Maggie. “You must have a garden. Wherever you are.”
Sarah smiled. “I had a garden in Maine with dahlias and columbine. And nasturtiums the color of the sun when it sets. I don’t know if nasturtiums would grow here.”
“Try,” said Maggie. “You must have a garden.”
~ Patricia MacLachlan
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We’ve been doing a lot of work in our gardens recently. And as I work I find myself reminiscing about the many varied forms my gardens have taken in the last several years.
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Moss gardens that brought green into our home in winter.
Bulbs we planted in the fall and celebrated in the spring.
The summer I attempted to grow my own vegetable garden and failed miserably.
And the Morning Glories that grew that year and nurtured my tired-Mama soul.
The cutting garden at our CSA farm where I worked pulling weeds in exchange for our vegetable share.
The carrot-top garden that (briefly) graced our kitchen table.
And the teeny, tiny carrots we grew ourselves.
The annuals that brought me such joy all summer long last year.
And Family work days at our CSA farm.
And as I thought about all these beautiful gardens – big and small, successful and not so successful — I realized that Maggie’s advice to Sarah is absolutely true for me…I must have a garden. Wherever I am.
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How about you? What is your relationship with gardening? Must you have a garden wherever you are? What forms do your gardens take?
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