That’s a quote from the book The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. Actually, the full quote is “It is often said that a green thumb is a dirty thumb.” That is from the book’s introduction. I think the point is that just getting out there and doing the work is what will earn you a green thumb.
Image by Mark Valencia from Pixabay
I couldn’t agree more! Like most activities though, maybe some people have more of a knack for growing plants than others do. Some things just come more naturally to some folks, and gardening is one of those things. I tend to do okay as a gardener when it comes to outdoor plants (vegetables, perennials, etc). However, I truly did not inherit my Mom’s natural ability to maintain houseplants. She has dozens of gorgeous ones… tropical, exotic, regular ones, you name it. I myself have found about 3 species that seem impossible to kill and so I repeat those throughout my home. You can read about those plants, here.
Barbara also writes, “Gardening, for all its down-to-earthness, has always had some mystery about it, a mystery that each culture had its own ways of expressing.” This is so true! While there are definitely some fundamental truths in gardening, there also seems to be an infinite number of ways to garden, all depending on the gardener and their particular garden. And everyone seems to have their own little tried and true secrets for getting the best out of a plant. Have you ever met a gardener who had something they absolutely swore by, that might not have been common practice? Maybe the question is, have you ever met a gardener who DIDN’T have one of those?
Happy Thursday! What are you thinking about today?
No Comments