In Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.
Margaret Atwood, Bluebeard’s Egg
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| Bergenia ‘Lunar Glow’ |
April is an exciting time in the garden. It’s the perfect time to watch leaves unfurl, blossom bloom, and inhale the fragrance of the Earth and all that it offers us. Just like Mother’s, Father’s and Grandparent’s days were created to bring attention to people we should honor each day, Earth Day and Arbor Day/Week/Month were created to bring our attention back to the importance of our surroundings and our role in preserving the beauty and health of living things.
I wish you a month where you take at least one brief moment each day to see and enjoy the minutia of gardens, gardening and all the things that thrive in a healthy space. And for those of you who have contributed to bringing unhealthy spaces back to life, THANK YOU!
Bette Midler, entertainer and founder of New York Restoration Project (NYRP), is one of those people. Since 1995, she has used her celebrity to protect and preserve New York City’s public spaces and parks. NYRP is committed to the belief that clean, green neighborhoods are fundamental to our quality of life and that every community in New York City deserves an oasis of natural beauty. Heck, every city and town deserves oases of natural beauty!
Everywhere there are tireless volunteers and leaders in the horticultural world that conserve and create beauty for the rest of us to enjoy. So for this month of Earth Day, please celebrate the bounty of the gardening community and each other by nurturing the soil in your garden, planting something that will bring you joy and better health, and visiting the botanical treasures that surround us.