My Voice, the Benefits, and an Homage to the Greats

My Voice: Why My Soul’s Still Here

I’ve deliberately kept as much of my soul as possible in the book and, hence, in this blog and website. In this way (and others), it may differ from some traditional gardening literature. Books, blogs, and websites told in safe, matter-of-fact tones, bereft of warmth and voice, weren’t the model I was attempting to emulate. I wanted something warm, and conversational, something akin to what would happen if I were teaching the reader in person.

Plus, I enjoy it when authors, teachers, and people with whom I’m conversing in general open the backstage door and unveil the processes behind their results. Too often, ideas are presented as if from on high. Even if they’re wonderful ideas, lacking an explanation of how the person got to such a beautiful result often leaves those of us in the audience wanting. Conversely, those few marvelous authors and speakers who open the door to their process—not just the idea, but how they got there—let all of us see how we can get there ourselves. And that, to me, it the true power of teaching: not just giving the result but showing the other person how to get there, so they can get there as well—or use that same knowledge of the process as a springboard into exploring whole new areas.

There’s a danger to this style of writing, however. It can seem unnecessarily self-centered. As such, I’ve tried to follow two simple rules when it comes to using the first person: 1) If it could be said another way without compromising its integrity, do it. 2) If unnecessary, eliminate it. But I certainly didn’t want every bit of my voice cut away until it was just a sparse piece of mechanical prose. I can only hope I kept enough of a balance for your particular tastes. 

Different and Greater

I also realize this is just my perspective. There are plenty of great gardeners out there with different, just-as-valid points of view, just as there are many gardeners who feel knowledgable enough that they may not need this book, website, and blog—and other savvy old-timers who could have written them, or ones much better, themselves. But some of these folks are still reading it. These are the gardeners I admire and strive to emulate. They’re the ones who already have green thumbs and still read gardening literature even though they don’t need it in the same way others do. The read it just in case they find something illuminating, a new idea to ponder, or a new method they want to try that year. Just like my dad, they realize, no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn. This zest for learning about plants is why they are green-thumbed gardeners in the first place. 

Not Originally for Long-time Veterans or Experts

I’ll admit this effort wasn’t originally intended for long-time veteran and expert gardeners; I didn’t think they needed it. It was originally intended for those newer to, or struggling with, gardening, as a way to pass on our most basic secrets to those in need. But it became something more.

Benefits for Experts

As the book became closer to completion, in ways, I was surprised that it may have added or resurrected a few pieces of the fundamentals that have been lost or fallen out of focus over time that can benefit all gardeners. The sun sighting stick and sunlight charts for siting a garden plot are two examples of ideas I think will benefit all gardeners, even old-timey veterans and experts. I know many of you can look at the sky and horizons and get a pretty good idea of how much sun an area will get, but being able to compute exactly when the sun will strike and leave a spot, and hence the exact hours of sunlight it gets, is still a benefit. In this same way, I think there are some veterans who could benefit from the bed layout ideas—and understanding the reasons for them.

The diagrams of roots, however, are what I think has the strongest benefit for veterans and experts, and they surprise almost everyone, no matter their experience level. Plus, they give such a visceral understanding of the why for our work with our soil that they’re of utmost interest and value to every gardener. We simply do not fully appreciate and depth and breadth of our plants’ roots. And doing so often necessitates a complete rethinking of how we best benefit our plants. That’s exciting!

An Homage to You

In other ways, once I brought all of the pieces together into a united whole as I wrote the book, it took on a new life. It became an homage to each piece of wisdom all gardeners have passed down over the years to the next generation of gardeners—and to their legacy we all carry within us—just as it became a way to bring the most fundamental aspects of that heritage back to the fore so we can recreate the cycle of passing it on to the next generation.

For all of these reasons, I hope there’s something even the greenest-thumbed gardeners find in here that, in some small way, will further stoke their existing passion for the wonderfully rewarding world of growing plants. I’d like to pay them at least that small tribute.