My Grandma’s Garden: An Inspiration

Do you ever feel like life needs a pause button (let’s leave the philosophical argument aside)?  Lately, I have been semi-wishing I had one. My research is kicking in full gear and there’s no sign that it is slowing down from here—half freaking out and half dancing with joy. For the last three weeks, I have cultivated an immense number of new ideas, new outlooks, and new inspirations. There are so many avenues that Matt and I can follow when creating this garden and writing up the proposal. All these aspects make me feel a little overwhelmed at times, since each discovery pulls me from one idea to another.

At my grandma’s garden, I am at peace at last.

A good chunk of the background is on a steep hill, raise beds are the best viable options!

Being reminded that I grew up watching and helping my grandma garden rejuvenates my state of mind. A good handful of the literature I read talks extensively about gardens being a movement to promote sustainability, address social and political issues, and symbolize self-sufficiency.  All important, however, my grandma’s garden means something different.

In “The Meaning of Gardens,” Mark Francis and Randolph T. Hester quoted a Hmong gardener, stating;

“Well, when we are working in the garden we just enjoy working and doing things like that, kind of fun to do, but when the vegetables or things that we grow sprout and come out, the vegetables just remind us of our country so we feel sad and miss our country.”

The quote relates to my grandma a lot…and also to many immigrants who move to the United States. Part of them is awestruck by their new life in America, but another part of them cannot let go of their homeland. This touched me.

Cultures are created by humans, and it is often time viewed as a negative thing. Culture is what some view to be the separation between one people to another. Yet, in my eyes and what some scholars argue, is that culture is what makes us human and what truly brings people together. Establishing a community garden would remind us that the cultural barriers are created out of resistance, instead unity is what promotes justice. Today, we alienate people that we deem to be ‘different,’ but in a garden all social and political walls are almost non-existence.

My grandma’s garden showcases a mixture of culture. As years pass, she begins to grow more common American vegetables and fruits; such as romaine lettuce, blueberries, and raspberries. That is beautiful in itself. Human beings are capable of adopting new perspectives. Our differences can appear to be so vastly diverse, but in reality, it is us who chooses to be separated. My grandma’s garden shows that she is not afraid to be proud of where she is from, and at the same time she is not afraid to call America her second home. Hence, by cultivating a community garden, it allows everyone to be part of a unique blend of ideas.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2014 at 8:04 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “My Grandma’s Garden: An Inspiration”

1. Fellow Gardener says:

   July 30, 2014 at 8:47 pm

   Lovely post! Gardens could truly be inspirational, even more so they belong to someone close to our hearts. Believe it or not I remember with sentiment spending time in my grandparents’ garden when I was younger. And I am pretty sure this is, to a certain extend, the reason I decided to make a living out of it and now I co-own a gardening company 🙂

   Regards from “down under”,
   Ryan