The Gardener

Last Saturday I went with friends on a garden tour in Creemore, Ontario.  As we walked through the gardens - all of them very different; all of them beautiful - it got me to thinking about the difference between gardening and being a gardener.  

Gardening is a hobby; a trend - and perhaps even a passing one. It has become very popular to have perfectly landscaped yards and gardens, whether we do it ourselves or hire others to do it.  

A Gardener has no choice.  The affinity and connection to the earth and the need to grow a garden, big or small,  is ingrained.  The Gardener grows to please himself and his soul; for without it he will wither.  He does not mind the sacrifices of time and effort that the garden needs from him to flourish for he knows that the garden tends to him as much as he to it. For a Gardner his landscape is his art.  The Gardener knows every inch of his canvas; the nuances of light, the texture of the soil, the shape the size and smell of each plant and flower.  

Which am I?

A nursery man once told me " a real gardener does not wear gloves".  A real gardener wears dirt, unafraid to get muddy, scratched or stung, because hands are how we see, hear and feel. Native intelligence flows through your fingertips.  Wisdom is received in direct connection with the world, telling you how deep to dig and how hard to pull, when to gather and when to release.  Self defence makes you timid and clumsy.  You can do without the layers of protection. 

~ Karen Maezen Miller

A selection of photos from the day.

Know that leaves bud and break. Flowers bloom and burst. Fruit softens and drops. Earth is our mother.  She heals even the last fall.  The gardener is not afraid. 

~ Karen Maezen Miller