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Mary Rickert | My Perfect Garden
May 6, 2014
As a long-time renter, I often fantasized having my own garden; three seasons of
bloom, a symphony of blossoms and butterflies. In winter, the snow would rest
like lace on the dried stems and flowers. I did not allow the small
discouragement, known as reality, to dissuade me from believing in my perfect
garden. When my husband and I finally bought our little bungalow, I approached the
garden with trowel in one hand, seed packets in the other, only to discover
beneath the neat landscape, sheets of heavy plastic which, meant to foil weeds,
would certainly deter my cottage garden, the one I had dreamt of for so long;
foxgloves, hollyhocks, and herbs dropping their seeds to the ground in a
perpetual rhythm of death and rebirth. My vision of sinking my (gloved) hands into the fertile earth was replaced by
the sharp reality of scissors and shears, the sweat-inducing labor of removing
heavy layers of mulch-covered plastic sheeting anchored to the ground by metal
prongs. It took years to unearth all that plastic. I found an entire fern garden one
spring; the fiddleheads in fetal curls unfurled their lovely fronds beneath the
sun. The anemic bouquet of Black Eyed Susan next to the mailbox flourished and
multiplied once relieved of its encasement. But that first spring, I focused on the garden that bordered our house from
front door to the back. The exposed dirt there was not the verdant soil I had
imagined, but dry and dusty. I needed something hearty and resilient, and, given
its location, aromatic would also be nice. I chose a small sprig of mint. Just as I hoped, the mint flourished, though its enthusiasm, quickly became
worrisome, as it sent forth tendrilled roots with an almost freakish fertility
in some kind of strange mint-quest to TAKE OVER THE WORLD; or at least my entire
garden. I learned that the only way to prevent the mintpocolypse was through daily
pruning. Every time I "picked" the mint (pulling it out by its roots, which did
nothing to stop the sneaky suckers) I shook my head at the ruin of my perfect
garden. Then, one spring day, my husband went to the doctor with a complaint about a
persistent pain. Two hours later I was blinking beneath the fluorescent lights
of a waiting room, while my husband was having emergency surgery. During Bill's time in the hospital my garden was attacked by some kind of bug. I
came home at the end of each day to spotted leaves and wilted flowers. I pruned,
sprayed, cried and uprooted the most damaged plant (recently bought from a
roadside stand,) so heavily infested, it was reasonable to think it was the
carrier of what I called "the plague." That year my garden lost quite a bit of bloom, and is still recovering. The
mint, as you may have guessed, continues to flourish. It doesn't bother me as
much as it used to. I have come to appreciate stubborn persistence as I pick
mint on my way into the house where my husband sits--eating a sandwich, reading
a book, watching Antiques Roadshow-- being wonderfully ordinary. It turns out my
aspirations have changed; I no longer want a perfect garden. Either that or my
definition of perfection has changed. Now, ordinary seems perfect enough. Mary Rickert is
the author of the debut novel THE MEMORY GARDEN (May
6, Sourcebooks Landmark). A Nebula-award nominee for short fiction and a World
Fantasy Award winner for her collection Map of Dreams, she received her
MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She has worked as a Disneyland balloon
vendor, and at Sequoia National Park. She lives in Wisconsin, in a small city of
candy shops and gardens. What is your perfect garden like? One commenter will get a copy of THE MEMORY
GARDEN (US / Canada only)
Comments
14 comments posted.
Re: Mary Rickert | My Perfect Garden
I love to garden and have found that each plot and planter holds a
different meaning and aspiration. Ive also learned that each garden can
teach us something about ourselves and about life.
(Rachel Collings 10:24am May 6, 2014)
Gardening allows me to create something unique which I can
appreciate and enjoy. Best wishes and much happiness and
success.
(Sharon Berger 10:28am May 6, 2014)
Loved your blog today. Thank you for sharing. And my your garden and life continue to be blissfully "ordinary." Your book sounds quite intriguing. Thanks for this chance to win.
(Nancy Reynolds 10:54am May 6, 2014)
My perfect garden actually would consist of 2 gardens. One
would be my floral garden, which would have perennial plants
in it, which bloom from Spring through Fall, giving me a
burst of color, as well as texture. I would make sure I had
plants in it to attract butterflies as well as Hummingbirds,
which are my favorites!! My other garden would consist of
vegetables, which I love to eat throughout the Summer, and
you can't beat eating something that has been grown from
your own garden - regardless of what it is, from eggplant to
the ever-popular tomatoes, they are fun to watch come up
from the first seed or tiny plant, to a full-grown vine,
bearing their beautiful bounty!! The upkeep takes a lot of
hard work, but it's well worth the trouble!! For me, both
of these are pure Heaven, and since the vegetables take up
so much time, this is why I put in perennials. I would love
to read your book very much. It sounded like a story which
is right up my alley, and I have to admire you for taking on
such an ambitious project, to get your garden going. I hope
that your Husband is feeling better. He must have put you
through quite a scare!!
(Peggy Roberson 11:16am May 6, 2014)
I had an awesome garden. Tons of veggies, strawberries, etc. Front of the
house had the flowers. Hoping to buy a place soon! We do have a plot at
the community garden this year. Tomatoes, peppers, beans, cukes and
more planted.
(Michelle Schafer 4:30pm May 6, 2014)
I have seen perfect gardens, just have never had one of my own. I believe that perfect means plants that we find beautiful, and I happen to find most plants lovely. Mint can be aggressive, but the winner is bamboo. I understand that within 48 hours after the bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bamboo was growing. Having met bamboo up close and personally, I can believe it.
(Annette Naish 4:31pm May 6, 2014)
My perfect garden would be a combination of flowers and vegetables....mainly vegetables for healthy eating for my family.
(Susan Coster 5:13pm May 6, 2014)
My perfect garden is the one my mom had when I was growing up. We had a vegetable garden that we all helped in and then there were smaller flower gardens around the yard that was entirely my mom's but I did help some. It was amazing.
(Pam Howell 10:16am May 7, 2014)
Hi Mary, My perfect garden is filled with vegetables and flowers. I love
daisies and iris and zinnias so amongst them would be tomatoes, squash
and black eyed peas. A rather off the wall garden but I love it!
(Melanie Backus 10:24am May 7, 2014)
The beauty of a perfect garden seems to say "Welcome" to visitors. I just wish I could create one.
(Anna Speed 11:45am May 7, 2014)
My perfect garden would be a spectacular array of roses with lavender and pansies and all the old fashioned flowers our grandmothers grew in their gardens. Sounds a little confused, but, I'd love it!
(Ann Martinisi 2:17pm May 7, 2014)
I would love a courtyard on the beach with lush tropical flowers.
(Lisa Garrett 3:39pm May 7, 2014)
My perfect garden has roses in it. I have a small one now and
I just love the smell of it when it is in full bloom. I can t
wait.
(Denise Austin 5:50pm May 7, 2014)
My perfect garden has a lot of flowers and blooming bushes, including roses, hyacinths, verbena, peonies, and azaleas.
(Bonnie H 10:19pm May 7, 2014)
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