Part observation, part education and a whole lot of just getting my hands dirty is how it all started. Growing up, one of my least favorite chores was having to pull weeds from between the cracks of all the numerous brick sidewalks around my childhood home. It was such a tedious job I dreaded doing, always leaving it as the last job to be completed on my chore list, because I would have rather been out playing with friends or doing almost anything else. Luckily, I wasn’t skilled enough to have to weed the flower beds until I was old enough to recognize the different between weeds and plants, even though I might have pulled out the wrong thing a time or two. I do remember really wanting to weed out what I thought were the ugliest plants in the world though, something called variegated Hostas, but my Mom loved them, so they were to remain, much to my chagrin.
Begrudgingly I did the weeding job in order to earn enough money to take weekly horseback riding lessons, which in my eyes was the only positive tradeoff for all the boring, hard work. When I was done my Mom and I would then walk along all those brick paths through the yard and beds, inspecting my work. It was also time spent looking for newly emerging bulbs or perennials, plants in bloom, or lessons on plant identification. Somehow along the way there was a gradual transition where I found myself wandering around the beds looking for all the changes in the landscape on my own, excited to report my findings to my parents. Oh, and the vegetable garden was also a constant source of amazement as I learned where vegetables came from, but once again learning that harvesting was way more fun than all the work it took to get to that point. And so began my love of plants and gardening which I wouldn’t fully recognize for several years to come.
40 years later
Fast forward to 40 plus years later, with a study in Landscape Architecture that ended in a degree in Horticulture and a blended career in landscaping and the equestrian world, I still find myself walking around my yard at the end of a busy day or on a bright sunny weekend morning looking for all the daily changes in the landscape and redesigning areas to make space for my new favorite plants or Hosta. Yes, I said Hosta, as for those once “ugly” Hostas my Mom had, they have elevated from “ugly” to the foundation of my shade gardens, with a collection of over 350 plants and growing- go figure! I even added a compost pile in my vegetable garden because we were sure my Dad solved all the word’s problems as he stirred and watered his compost pile. Who knew the outcome was more than just producing a good soil amendment, so it was worth a try.
I can now see that the love of gardening was multigenerational as I think back to the pride my Grandparents had in their yard and gardens as well, so I should not be surprised that my passion is genetic. So, think about the possibility of adding few pots on a patio or deck, maybe carving out a small space in a bed or repurposing an unused sandbox where your own children or grandchildren could grow a few flowers or vegetables for themselves, because who knows where that can lead to, as many of you already understand. I for one most certainly welcome the next generation of landscapers and gardeners.
And to this day, even with a change in location and retirement, my Dad still gardened and stirred his new compost pile and my Mom still walks around her manicured yard in the morning, with coffee cup in hand, enjoying all the plants in the yard as she did all those years ago.
- Amy Allison
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