Mothers Day

My Mom is a pretty special person. She is one of those true gardeners. She taught herself, and over years created a garden that has always been a place to come home. It has gone through phases, aches and pains, good years and bad, but it has always remained constant. My mom's work was rooted at home- primarily in the garden. My most fond memories with her was spent in the back yard plotting away in the large vegetable patch. When I was young my dad traveled a lot in summer months, so my mom and I would take refuge in the garden, trying new heirloom varieties, making jams from our raspberries (the same sweet raspberries today that must be at least 20 years old now), and learning the ropes of growing your own greens.

I guess you could say, my mom was the major influence in my pursuit to become a garden design consultant. She raised me on the principals that, if you have land- GROW. In this day in age with the cost of fuel and the scarcity of local food production, this a value I hold very dear. My mom instilled in me the importance of organic growing, and the infinite satisfaction in knowing that you can do this from your own back yard.

My parents still live in the same house I grew up in, and the garden is still very much an important part of my mom's daily life. Busy helping out as a FOG at UBC Botanical Gardens and a very nagging arthritis, we now help tend my mom's garden. I know some days this is hard for her to watch us plot away, with different techniques and theories on how things should be done, or designed or planted, but overall I think it brings her pleasure to know it is in good hands. My mom and her garden have always put things into perspective for me. Her ground is fertile because of the love that she gives it, much like the love she gives to everyone she meets.

So, mom, thank you for all your positive feedback as we plot through life figuring out all that stuff you have to figure out when you become an adult (eek!). Thank you for the values you instilled in me about being kind to the earth and to the people around you. And thanks most of all for making me understand the importance of growing. I love you.

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[k8]

*sniff*