"Gardner"

woodcut There are many aspects to our humanity. Some qualities and characteristics we share in common with other mamals, primates, or even birds and fish. Dancing, laughing, communicating, loving, remembering, all find expression in many species. We even share traits of deception and keeping secrets with some other animals.

One of the things that seems to characterize our human nature is an inherent love for other living things. We seem to have an inate desire to nurture, tend, care for the life of the earth.

Our world is draped with lacy living curtains of branches and leaves of trees and bushes, carpeted with small green creeping plants, perfumed and ornamented with flowers. There is something in us that wants to not merely enjoy our world but to assit in making it flourish.

The ancient skills of cultivation formed one of the earliest bridges to the formation of human culture. And these skills weren't used simply for growing food. We very quickly began to build gardens simply for the love of experiencing the beauty of the living environment. We became human by becoming gardners; we express our humanity in gardening.

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