What would you do if garden royalty (she’s going to kill me) said she’d like to meet you and see your garden?
Would you worry?
Would you scurry?
I know you’d put out the welcome mat. I was so excited I forgot everything including my weekly Dear Friends and Gardeners letter while I got the house as ready as possible yesterday. I wanted the garden in perfect shape, but then I decided she wouldn’t mind the beds not completely mulched, and that there were some weeds.
She would understand. She’s a gardener too.
Once upon a time, when I was a mother to two toddlers and a bonus mom to a teen, I began making a garden at our log home. I often felt all alone as I puttered outdoors because my children were small, and I didn’t know any other gardeners.
Because I didn’t have anyone with whom to share, I read everything I could get my hands on, and I especially loved Sharon Lovejoy’s column published monthly in Country Living magazine. In “Heart’s Ease,” her wise voice guided me as I tried to grow plants interesting to both my toddlers and the other wildlife who visited my small garden About the same time, as Diva bounced balls all over my local bookstore, Best of Books, I found Sharon’s book, Sunflower Houses : Inspiration from the Garden – A Book for Children and Their Grown-Ups
She asked Bear about drawing, Diva about college, and ASW about high school. She listened patiently. She’s very good with children, and her genuine interest also shines through her books.
Jeff, her lovely husband (whom I forgot to take a picture of), is so kind and I thank him for spending the evening with us and talking into the night about flowers, Harleys and Vespas.
It’s a gift to have another gardener in your garden, who stops to smell nearly every rose and remarks on the different scents of each. Who then comments about the lakeview while pausing before a penstemon, and you know she just gets it. She understands why you don’t use chemicals and then talks about Sphinx moths, the adult form of the tomato hornworm. Yes, those beasties grow into the mighty and beautiful Sphinx moth, but did you know this moth is one of the top pollinators in the garden? Now, what will I do when a tomato hornworm decides to make mincemeat of my tomatoes?
To have this opportunity to finally meet Sharon and her husband face-to-face, well, I just can’t tell you how much it meant to me. If you live in the Edmond, Oklahoma, area, you too can meet her. She’s speaking in a question and answer format tonight at Best of Books, 1313 East Danforth Road, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
If you can come, you should, and buy her books. She knows more about gardening with children than I ever will.
I’m so glad to call her friend.
Dee, I really enjoyed this post. Thanks for sharing!
Kelly
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..My $10 China Hutch =-.
What a delightful story, Dee, but we all know you are the master of storytelling! I remember reading those columns in Country Living as a young mother myself, (thanks for the time travel!) and admired Sharon’s writing. It is so exciting that she visited your garden. I can imagine the smelling of the roses and talking way into the night. Thanks for sharing the experience with us! 🙂
.-= Frances´s last blog ..First Lily Blooms =-.
Oh Dee, what a thrill. To have one of your mentors visit might be nerve-wracking but sounds like it was very enjoyable. So glad this happened for you.
.-= Kathleen´s last blog ..iris season =-.
Sounds like a lovely visit. And yes, I know what you mean about having a fellow gardener visit. There’s so much to share.
Hi Jean, it was lovely. I hope we get to do it again sometime.~~Dee
The sweetest thing about Sharon – and there are many – is that she doesn’t quite realize how special she really is. I know you must have had a wonderful time in the garden.
.-= Jim Long´s last blog ..Bees Arrive at Long Creek Herb Farm =-.
Hi Jim, thanks for stopping by. I think you have put things in such a concise way. Yes, she and Jeff don’t realize. Sharon’s talent is bringing us all back to the garden and making us feel like children again.~~Dee
Dee, What a great evening you had with your family and guests~and what a sweet memory the Diva shared. gail
.-= Gail´s last blog ..Wildflower Wednesday~ Are The Natives Friendly? =-.
Hey Gail, I bet it was almost as nice as visiting Malvern. 🙂 ~~Dee
How cool you got to meet Sharon in person. I just love, love her books! As the subtitle says, the ideas are definitely for both kids and the grownups in their lives!
.-= Willi´s last blog ..My New Veggie Garden =-.
Willi, I’m not surprised you love her books. You are a kindred spirit my friend.~~Dee
What a lovely and inspiring post Dee! I’m so happy you’ve had this experience & will have wonderful memories to last a life time!
.-= Jo´s last blog ..Five Years Ago Today… =-.”
Thank you Jo. Meeting people I’ve known only through their books has been wonderful.~~Dee
How great to meet Sharon! Your visit with her sounds really nice.
.-= Pam/Digging´s last blog ..Whooo’s talking about containers? =-.
Pam, it was, but it was also nice when you and your mother visited. I think of our visits often.~~Dee
How wonderful! What a thrill to meet someone you’ve admired so long and to have her come see your garden.
.-= Mr. McGregor’s Daughter´s last blog ..Rainy Day Plants =-.
MMD, it was *such* a thrill.~~Dee
OMG! How very cool. Your post is beautifully written and I am so happy for you. I am sure you are not willing to admit that many gardeners feel the same way about you. You have that same grace and sophistication.
.-= Patsy Bell Hobson´s last blog ..Tiny, Tasty Alpine Strawberries =-.
Patsy Bell, my dear friend, you are too kind to me. I feel the same way about you.~~Dee
It sounds like a wonderful visit.
.-= Kathy from Cold Climate Gardening´s last blog ..Hitch Lyman’s Temple Nursery Garden =-.
Kathy, I wish you could have been here. You would have loved it.~~Dee
I just love Sharon & Jeff! They’ve been to CTG a couple of times, and they’ve inspired me, just like you. Love them both. Indeed, they are royalty. But they never act like it. Just wonderful people, as you so well describe.
.-= Linda Lehmusvirta´s last blog ..6? wonder, freeze comebacks, Bonnie’s Greenhouse =-.
Linda, that’s the best kind of royalty don’t you think?~~Dee
You lucky Lady Dee. What fun to meet Sharon. I think I have read most of her books. I love the articles I have read in magazines that she has written. What a fun evening.
Thanks Lisa. It was great fun.~~Dee
UH OH, you embarrassed me, but I still adore you.
Sharon
Whew! I’m glad you’re not too upset with me.~~Dee
And I’m sure she fell in love with you and your garden too, Dee. What a lovely post!
.-= joey´s last blog ..MONDAY MUSING ~ MAY MINI- GARDEN TOUR =-.
Awww . . . Joey, I’m blushing.~~Dee
Dee, I’m so glad y’all had a special evening together. I have a feeling Sharon & I would get along great … we have similar taste in socks!
.-= Cindy, MCOK´s last blog ..Go Ahead, Make My Day! =-.
Cindy, I know you would. Weren’t her socks cute? It was hot that evening, and I was surprised she could wear them.~~Dee
What a wonderful post about your meeting with someone who not only influenced you but helped you make some wonderful memories with your kids in the garden. I have her books, too, and they are very special. I wish I were near that bookstore this evening, I’d be front and center listening.
.-= Carol´s last blog ..Planting Round Squash =-.
Carol, I wish you were too.~~Dee
What a great visit. How awesome that you’ve met her.
A lot of my garden caters to the things I remember thinking were cool as a kid like the tomato hornworm and the caterpillers on dill that make swallowtail butterflies. My garden is where I can be a kid still.
GSS, I love that. I think we’re all trying to recreate what we loved most in our childhoods. I can be a kid again too. Thank you for the reminder.~~Dee