Re: philosophical question

The discussion resulting from Steve's philosophical question has been
wonderful.  Let me throw in my two bits' worth.
Earlier this week while descending the outside staircase at work, I spied a
flock of iridescent magpies alighting in a scarlet liquidambar tree close
by.  It was such a visual treat that I stood and watched until they flew
away.
I realized that that's why I garden--to satisfy my senses.  I plant fragrant
plants by the doors and windows and grow paperwhites in winter.  I'm just as
happy when a great color combination happens by accident as I am when I
planned it and it worked out.  My favorite moments in the garden are when a
bird or insect completes a delightful vignette--finding a big green mantis
on the zinnias, hummingbirds fighting over the alstroemeria, butterflies on
the buddleias, robins stripping the berries off the pyracantha.  I can't
find words to express how deeply I enjoy these moments.
My husband likes large swaths of the same plant, thank goodness.  Otherwise
I would have little bits and pieces all over of things I want to try out.  I
don't think of myself as a collector though--these are trials, to test
whether a particular plant is happy with my climate, my soil, my style of
care, and I like the way it looks in the setting.  If I like it I plant
more, if it dies I throw it on the compost pile and try another in a
different place or not at all.  I put a lot of effort into siting a new
plant in a compatible microsite, and after that I don't fuss over it.
Therefore most of the plants I grow are adapted to this Mediterranean-type
climate, but I have natives and non-natives all mixed up together.
I guess what I am getting at is that I garden for pleasure--beautiful
colors, textures, fragrances, tastes (just this morning I finished the first
pomegranate jelly batch of the year--yum), sounds of birds and wind through
the branches...The garden is my spiritual home.
Neighbors and friends enjoy the garden when they visit, and we almost always
take a walk through it when we have guests.  My husband and I enjoy morning
coffee on a little deck that surveys the back garden, framed by a
honeysuckle and a plum tree.
My younger son loves the little pond and the giant sandpile that started as
landscaping material but now is his earth-moving experimental site.  My
older son swears he will live in a condo with no landscaping; he's had his
fill of digging, spreading, mowing, and mulching.
In the end, I just can't help it, any more than my son can help his passion
for computer games.  It just is what it is.

-----Original Message-----
From: steve french <steev@mail.monitor.net>
To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Date: Friday, October 27, 2000 1:41 AM
Subject: philosophical question


Dear Medit-Plants list,


I have been enjoying the Medit-Plants email discussions a great deal,
and I'm wondering something about the interests of the gardeners
involved on the list.

Most inquiries and discussion revolves around individual plant species;
how to make them thrive, what is wrong with them, where to find a
certain species, etc. Are most gardeners on this list interested in
plant collecting as a goal for their gardens, or are you interested in
creating delightful outside places in which  to live? Or both? Or
something else?

I am finding myself feeling like the odd man out on email garden lists
and meetings as well. My own personal need is to create an outside place
that connects me to nature, that works well as a place to visit with my
family and friends and that delights me with aesthetic and sensual
pleasure. It's not important to me that I have unusual plant species or
all the species of one genus, or plants from every part of the world. I
understand that many people love collecting. My brother-in-law collects
orchids. This gives him relaxation and pleasure. I'm not knocking
collecting, just wondering if most gardeners on this list enjoy mainly
collecting or other aspects of gardening.

I just finished reading the latest 'Mediterranean Gardener'. I enjoyed
the articles that described gardens as an overview, such as, 'A Garden
in Jerusalum, Pt.2', 'The Benefits and Challenges of Slim Rainfall', and
a book review of 'Alhambra, A Moorish Paradise, by Gabrielle van Zuylen.
I haven't visited the Alhambra, but I would love to as it seems to be an
example of how to create a garden in a dry environment - that doesn't
rely on many plants to give the feeling of oasis.

I am a Northern California landscape architect, and most of what I do is
to design gardens for people who aren't gardeners. Most avid gardeners
design their own. My clients want an outside place that is useful for
them. Some of my clients are business owners and want a good-looking
façade or entry for their business, not to mention shaded parking lots.
The residential clients usually want an outside place that is a refuge
from the outside world, a place for their children, or a place to
entertain their friends. All of these people want a garden that is easy
to take care of.

So, I look for holistic descriptions of gardens. I enjoy gardeners
talking or writing about why they like/don't like their gardens and
other gardens as well, or why certain gardens work/don't work as places
to be. I find (at least at this point in my life) I'm less interested in
focusing on individual plants. I realize that since I design outside
places for people for a living, my outlook is different from an
individual creating his or her own garden.

I'm wondering one thing about collecting - is it a cultural phenomenon?
I notice that English gardens of the past focused on collections of
plants as the British were ruling the waves.  Older Japanese gardens
didn't have this focus, neither Moorish or renaissance Italian or French
tried to be vast collections. Did Roman gardens try to have plants from
all of the Roman Empire? Maybe they did.

Anyway, fill me in. Is everyone out there a plant collector? Is it
necessary?

Steve French
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