Both my grandmother’s large gardens were named - Bonnie Brae
and Heaven Scent. Both my grandmothers were avid gardeners. The names were a
testament to the importance of their gardens to them and to who they were in
life. The suburban tract home I grew up in, while every bit a plant lover’s
garden compared to prevailing suburban standards was not named.
To have a name, a garden should be large, the family land, a
historic estate or a public garden. One is lucky to have a house and land that
calls for a name. No matter, the numbers 1225 will always hold a deep resonance
of place for my family.
It is rare to encounter an American garden with a name. To
hear one signals this place is important and has meaning for the person living
here. That gets respect first. Depending on the name, pretentious could come
into play.
I got lucky in life to be raised by gardeners who bought
more land and now own two and a half acres of the next iteration of family
land. I am here for the duration. My tiny house is named Hale Mana. The garden
is named Ku’ulei ‘Aina, Hawaiian for My Beloved Land. It is a delusional name
big enough to encompass generations of gardening, my own life and so much more.
I hope it shows some intended respect to the people who grew apples and raised
cattle on this land before the world wars. A hearth and chimney remain standing
from that time.
It is not delusional in an expectation that the garden will last after the gardener is gone. I live next door to Bonnie Brae. That name was relocated to a new garden. I have taken to calling the still family owned Heaven Scent, Grey Gardens. Bits of it have fallen away to development and the true gardener has long since stopped weeding.
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2 comments:
Below is what I wrote in a comment to the Garden Rant essay about naming gardens. To you I would say all this yet I don't think a garden has to be an estate to be named. While my garden is a postage stamp compared to other larger gardens I love it dearly and it means enough to me to garner a name.
"I loved your essay about naming our gardens. Pretentious? I think not. I believe people that think it pretentious are the ones that are being pretentious. Do they name their dogs and cats? Their children? I for one love my garden at least as much as my dog. I put a lot of effort and love into the garden. Why wouldn't I name it? Did you ever name a doll or teddy bear when you were younger? A garden gives more emotional support than an inanimate object so it deserves a name. Even God's garden had a name. Geez... Of course you are asking someone that moved from The Green Isle to Greenbow. Green seems to be a theme in me naming my gardens. My husband suggested Weedy Wallow for our current garden which might have been more appropriate."
A suburban sized garden with a name is definitely going to make my ears perk up because it tells me a real gardener probably lives here.
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