The simple joys of gardening have defined my life since I was a child, although I wasn’t always on board with the gardening tasks that were delegated to me and expected of me as a contributing member of my family. When I was in college and navigating a very different career path, gardening found me again during a tumultuous time in my personal life in the form of a summer job that I took in Nantucket. It was only a short time later that I decided to devote my life and career to this passion, and it has continued to be a thread that weaves its way through my life. Wherever we go, on vacation or even just driving through different towns, it’s usually the flora that draws most of my attention as I see which plants are blooming, thriving and growing in different climates, zones and cultures.
It is gardening that has been my saving grace for these past particularly hard years and it is the primary focus of the business that we built that has evolved to encompass so many of the fascinating aspects of the retail and service business that we are fortunate enough to serve in. As we find ourselves in this time of uncertainty and confusion, I will continue to rely on gardening as my North Star. As we begin our fifteenth season at the garden center, at a time during which we see people we know and leaders we have trusted changing their values at such a rapid clip, whether motivated by personal gain or trying to fit in with new norms, our values have not shifted. We are more committed than ever to providing our community and our customers with the healthiest plants, the best advice, sourcing the finest wines and beverages, creating outdoor living spaces and providing materials for enhancing those spaces in the most environmentally friendly ways to ensure that future generations will continue to enjoy this beautiful place that we are fortunate enough to call home.
I know that gardening has its limits. I know that it can’t fix world wars and international unease. I know that it cannot soothe our economic fears and worries. I know that it can’t reinstate jobs that have been unexpectedly terminated. I know that it can’t fix climate change. I know that it can’t bring our loved ones back to life. But I do know that it can soothe our worried minds. I do know that it can provide us with local food security. I do know that it can connect us with our local environment and local community as we collectively share advice and tips with each other to help us avoid known pitfalls and have the most success.
Today, I’m writing this on the day of the vernal equinox, a day in which gardeners can rejoice as the equal daylight and nighttime will begin to give way to the longer days that our plants will need to nudge them out of dormancy and produce the flowers, fruits and vegetables that will sustain us for the next winter that lies ahead. We look forward to seeing you at the garden center for another season.