Just recently one of my best friends invited me to join the Primrose Garden Club in Atlanta.
I went to the meeting on Tuesday, where a woman from the historic Oakland Cemetery was giving a talk about native plants there.
“When I joined the garden club years ago, I thought, ‘All the other women are so old,'” one of the members said to me at the meeting on Tuesday. “Now I am one of the old members.”
I am 53, soon to be 54 this year. I sat at lunch with two lovely ladies, each age 76.
My passion for gardening comes from my paternal grandmother and grandfather. I remember my grandmother taking me to historic garden tours as a very young child. My grandfather raised camellias and bred one for my grandmother and another for me.
Somehow the gardening gene passed by my mother, who has other talents.
I am not exactly sure how this horticultural gene inheritance thing actually works, but somehow it passed over until it landed on me.
As a new member to the Primrose Garden Club, I have been minding my Ps and Qs, paying attention and trying to fit in.
When they were asking for volunteers to hold upcoming programs, I volunteered to host at my home and talk about xeriscaping, juicing and flower essences.
After a few meetings I realized that I probably have the most humble abode of any of the garden club members.
The other houses we went to were all more or less mansions, with very fine furniture, huge gardens and wonderful views.
I wonder if the full membership can actually fit into my little house.
I got an email this week from the garden club president, Kathryn, who asked me if I still wanted to host in February.
Wanting to be polite, I turned to my friend Virginia who had invited me to join and asked her advice.
“If you can get out of it, I would, because it’s a lot of work,” Virginia advised me.
I emailed Kathryn back that I would be happy to bow out and allow someone else the privilege of hosting the February meeting.
But Kathryn emailed me to let me know the other members are excited to hear about my passions of xeriscaping, juicing and flower essences.
In my healing practice, I have flower essences from all over the world. My favorites are Living Tree Orchid Essences from Scotland, but I also have flower essences from the U.S., Holland, Scotland, Australia, the Himalayas, England, Ireland and Canada. In fact, I am always collecting new flower essences and studying about the healing benefits of each one.
One garden club member had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, so I thought it would be a public service to teach everyone how I raise Swiss chard and parsley for my juicing.
I just drank spinach, Swish chard, parsley and apples in my juice this morning. It was completely delicious and I had excellent energy all day long as a result.
I do believe we can heal ourselves at very deep levels by forming a close relationship with our garden.
It is so comforting to me to walk outside and see my flowers at every season of the year. Being able to raise my own vegetables and herbs is another way I heal myself through my garden.
After tearing up my old front lawn, discarding the grass and putting down the equivalent of 24 wheelbarrows of organic compost, I have converted my front garden into a health sanctuary not only for myself but also for the entire area, as I won’t have to use chemicals or over water it.
It feels great to know I am doing right not only by myself but by the whole planet, the way I take care of my garden.
