THE A WAY TO GARDEN company motto is “horticultural how-to and ‘woo-woo.’”
“But what’s the woo-woo?” everyone asks. That’s simple:
Yes, you need to know how deep to plant a tulip bulb, or when to start tomato seeds to get juicy, ripe fruits in high summer. That’s the how-to stuff. But there’s a deeper, richer harvest to be had if you let the garden get under your skin (and if your nails look like mine, perhaps you already are doing so at least literally).
My garden is not a mere hobby, like bowling or macrame. It is a life practice, a window into larger questions of existence. It is also a lens or filter into spirituality and science, and my constant, ever-inspiring companion.
I often say that we are like an old married couple, the garden and I. We are both showing our age, but are in it till death us do part. (And yes, plants die here, regularly. Oops! Nothing lasts.) To become a gardener asks that we cultivate patience, and come to grips with issues of surrender, of letting go and facing that we are simply not in control.
I have a whole archive of stories that touch on the “woo-woo” side of the equation, if you want to root around there. I hope you will!
