Deep Roots: Garden Collections

I have too many hand pruners. I started with one. Lost it. Bought another and then found the first. Soon after, I lost both. Now aware of my tendency to lose these things, I bought two more. And then I found the other two. Then I found someone else’s! I don’t know whose. I don’t know why. But it was in my yard, and finders’ keepers. A lot of sanding, a little oil and it was good enough for a backup. I hung it on the pegboard next to the two out of the other four I could locate at that moment.  

Over the years, more pruners have come into the fold. Various ways. Some are good, but others are basically junk. It took longer than it should have, but eventually I realized I had a genuine surplus, and—for a very brief, shining moment—thought I might have a Collection! But that thought immediately evaporated. A few beat-up, common-as-dirt hand pruners along with a handful of cheap ones is not a Collection! It is but a mere accretion.  

I have accretions of other garden tools as well. Rakes and trowels. Way too many shovels. Replacements for old and rusty ones became old and rusty themselves, but how in the hell does one throw away a shovel? It’s inevitable: If you garden long enough, you’re going to wind up with a few more things than you need.

I also have too many degenerative discs and artificial joints.

And irises! True, I have accumulated too many of these, but there are so many good reasons for irises that a Collection! of them requires no explanation.  

Related Article: Taking Inventory and Getting the Garden Shed in Order

So, yes, gardens are enablers. Insidiously, they lead us to hoard, er, accumulate extra stuff. But the best things they help us gather aren’t the tools, or even the plants. They are the memories. Some good, some ugh. All of them character building.

Remember all those big, dumb mistakes you made, most of which you can laugh at now? And those big, dumb-luck triumphs that just fell in your lap? And, of course, those occasional and super-gratifying times when everything just worked out exactly according to plan!

But the sweetest memories are those times when people came and enjoyed the garden with you. Family cookouts. Big gatherings of semi-drunken friends. Quiet dinner parties with another couple or two. Your son’s wedding. His 18-month-old daughter toddling up the path and sniffing a flower after Grandma showed her how.

There are so many good reasons to garden in the here and now, but over time a wonderful thing happens. All those experiences in your garden—your personal investment of mind and body, the beautiful plants, the interactions with nature, all those fun times with friends and family, all of it—accumulate into a Collection! of rich and wonderful life experiences and memories. Few things can compare. And the comfort and security that comes from having extra tools? Just icing on the cake.   

Read More Deep Roots