Garden Secrets

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden journeys through not only the redemption of a walled garden hidden away under lock and key for many years, but the parallel experience of how that process brings about a new beginning for all those involved in its rebirth. Abandoned to let nature reclaim what was once a treasured place, the painful memories attached to it have tainted its beauty and purpose.

Visiting several Open Gardens in Ross recently, it was interesting to hear the stories behind the design and creation of gardens which in some instances grew out of barren house blocks, whereas others were given a new lease of life after years of neglect, while others sought to use the landscape in which they were found and work around and with it.

The children in Burnett’s novel see beyond the overgrown tangle to not only what it was, but to what it might become. With minimal resources they set about creating order out of chaos, uncovering hidden delights, allowing the garden to breathe and come back to life.

I think the gardeners in Ross saw themselves in much the same way, as custodians of their little patches of earth, stewards of the land, helping their gardens to become not only beautiful, but productive as well. The process is therapeutic, connecting with the soil, nurturing baby seedlings into adult plants, witnessing the cycle of seasons as colours change, periods of dormancy prevail, and as produce ripens, is harvested, shared among friends and eaten with great relish.

There’s nothing secret about my garden, no stone walls, no ornate gate; it’s just a humble patch, but one that gives back to me when I invest in nurturing it.

Secret garden
breathes life into

more than the plants