Category: Historic gardens

Lots of history, right here

In a recent post I shared a volunteer opportunity that came up through work, and one I still REALLY want to do, but is quite a distance to drive.

Something else came up last week as well.

I have a friend who regularly invites me to historic site events, and I finally went to one this week. The lure was a presentation of historic pictures of local sites.

I knew the event was part of a historical society meeting, and I knew there were probably volunteer opportunities. I say I “finally” went, because it was a “peace with this decision” moment.

We have done historic reenacting, with our kids, albeit a different era than this local site, have travelled around to some very serious reenactments – ones where a camp inventory with pictures is required to apply to stay in camp. We have toured historic homes and of course, sites. We have toured and camped as participants, in our tipi, cut our own tipi poles, my husband peeled them by hand, and I used the bark in my garden for mulch. Later we changed to a wall tent, and, truth be told, we still have it. Haven’t used it in over 10 years, but we’re hoping to do it again, someday. And in my office still sits my camp kitchen – that I bought at a reenactment and took home and sanded and poly-d and will not let my husband bring up north, yet. Memories. I feel so good being outside at historic sites. I am not sure what it is, but IT IS. But I was not sure I was ready to jump back in, yet.

I was looking for “something bigger garden”, but not necessarily connected to historic. And, of course, at the meeting a call went out for garden volunteers.

I am proud of myself. I did not sign up to be a member right at the meeting. I took overnight to soul search, because I knew I would dive deep. At the end of the next day, after work, I filled out my form and brought my dues over to my friend. It was a happy moment. I am approaching it respectfully, thoughtfully, and very excitedly.

I am not really a serious historic food gardener. EATING, oh yah! Fry bread, yes please! But they do have other gardens – even a “rain garden”. Yes, I too immediately thought, “Were rain gardens a thing in the mid-1800s?” I looked it up. They officially became a thing in the early 1990s. Not 1890s, but that is still super cool they have one. When a tree fails after an ice and snow storm, as the Amur maple out in the front of our townhome did, and as two historic trees at that site did, (same storm), you don’t get out your hand saw and then haul the fallen trees away in a horse cart. So a rain garden benefits the site, is an awesome solution to purify water runoff, and no one is “tending” the rain garden right now (I am told). So there is that. I need to sit with the garden committee and see if there is any documentation on the history, what is in there … so I can do it justice.

Additionally, and not any less anticipated, will be more dedicated garden time at another historic site – the historic cemetery I have mentioned in some of my posts. My husband and I have both been there a number of times to visit events. That was the site that had the goats in the woods a couple years ago. And when we came into a bunch of daffodils and other bulbs a couple years ago that a new neighbor of our son and daughter-in-law was digging out, those bulbs went to the cemetery. We have been there clearing branches, resetting pavers … It is a GOOD place.

Today I went over to the cemetery with new eyes. What could be done there with my surplus plants, seedlings, fall divisions? For sure, my friend already said the tulips from the blog a couple days ago. And we have been talking about what to do with the area between the retaining wall and the fence. I thought it was a planter. It is not. So it will be safe for daylily planting. Maybe a daylily seedling trial? My mind is full of ideas for that site, and I know I can do those things with much less research, right away.

So a good development. A long available set of options, but now in its time. The scope is right, and the commitment is right-sized and a match with the full “me”.

And it is sooooo keeping my mind off having the front Amur maple tree gone 😔

Talk is not DO

As a student, I was definitely not drawn to history. Seemed like an awful lot of talk that may or may not be factual. Math, now there you have something! My love of math turned into a love of data. I am an analyst at heart, and by trade, with a whole lot of love for data driven project planning and implementation (“DO”) in the mix. Analysis is for a purpose – to inform on a course for future “DO”. And, yes, at the root, we analyze data based on history.

I fell in love with a history and political science guy, oh so many years ago. What a pair we have made all these years. Me wanting to dig deeper, find patterns, analyze trends, and him exposing me to things in history and politics which, to me, often make absolutely no logical sense.

Along the way I got interested in gardening and was particularly interested in the gardens at historic forts we visited. Those made sense – food, beauty, for the family, for the community. I used my love of data to study what would work in different areas of our yard. I started building out gardens. I found I liked plants with history, plants with a story to tell.

Alas! The kids grew up, we made the bumpy transition to townhome living, and my sprawling, sometimes out of control gardens came to an end. Townhome bylaws. But my analytical mind said why not petition the board to put in our own landscaping? What’s the worst they can say? No? They said yes – three times – initial plantings to augment the shrubs, and two expansions.

I have pretty decent gardens now at the townhouse – ones that kept my gardening mind busy for 18 years, gave me 9 months per year of exercise, and one that neighbors and friends say they enjoy. Remember we garden as much for others as ourselves. Wherever we may be.

We have also spent a couple decades now of time in northern Minnesota, and it is me who digs into the history there. It gives me perspective, appreciation of a much more rugged, challenging time, and really makes me appreciate all the incredibly hard work, personal sacrifice, and an attitude of resourcefulness that was exemplified in that time. It is a thing of beauty that explorers can come to areas that are maintained for them, purely enjoy, spend little to no money, experience time away from the stress of the city, and then drive away with no committment to better, or even maintain it. The “right” to enjoy all that now is because of all the “DO” respecting nature, yet making that beauty accessible, that was forged by those before us, and is done on a continual basis on our behalf . I am grateful.

And now we come to my latest thoughts. On my micro scale, I always wonder what positive, lasting, move forward “DO” I can contribute to continue what others before us have accomplished. I like to do that through gardening. I love to leave tiny trails of garden love and share abundance. I am reasonable with what can be used, and cognizant of what I can physically accomplish, but I still love to share and “DO”.

So I have a friend who quietly goes about this. She researches history, she shares her findings, and she and her husband have maintained the grounds of a historic cemetary when others walked away, when there is little money for “DO”. There is money for supplies, but “DO”, like cut the grass, trim the trees – that is volunteer. They fight for preservation of that history in a beautiful way that honors those interred there. Those that gave their lives to country, those that gave generously and served community selflessly, those whose place of interment would be left unmaintained because there is no money attached. And those whose contributions and life lessons would be lost as part of history informing further “DO”.

My friend and her husband challenge me. I have things to give. I have more plants to divide. Plants I won’t use at the little house gardens up north. They might look nice at the cemetary. A little trail of positive contributions. We garden just as much for others as ourselves.

The hosta pictured below can go to the cemetary in the spring, if they want it. It is an “Elegans” hosta. It could be divided into 3 pieces and form a lovely start to a woodland edge garden, away from the beaten path and not adding to any mowing complexity. Some cardboard, three hostas, some mulch. A little “DO”. We’ll see what spring brings as far as additional ideas and “DO”.