Before I was a gardener I knew the names of most flowers, because my mother was an avid gardener. I never saw gardening as an art until I was in an upper level course in college about women artists in literature. I read a book called "Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish" by Sue Bender and in the book Sue Bender described the artful placing of vegetables and flowers in the Amish garden. That was the first time I realized that being a maker isn't reserved for paint or fibers, but can also be extended into the plants chosen and intentionally applied to a plot of soil. And I realized that my mom (who doesn't consider herself someone who is very good with her hands) was creating art my whole life, and passing on the wisdom for me to become a master gardener too. And I knew I wanted to pass that same knowledge on to my daughters, and to the children in my life.
I chose to plant lilacs in my garden because they remind me of when my parents would take me to Lukan's Farm for my birthday dinner. Lukan's is an old school Pocono's resort, which I later worked at for a summer in college. I worked six days a week polishing formal place settings, waitressed, made beds, ate in servants quarters, and tended to the flower gardens around the farm. It was the hardest physical work that I've ever done in my life, but it helped me to save up for touring and later meeting my husband, Jason. So the hard summer paid off!
After my birthday dinner we would walk around the farm and look at the animals and smell the lilacs that lined the road. My mom loves flowers, and I always remember her having to touch every new or beloved plant. She still does it today, but you don't have to be very close to lilacs to enjoy them. They are beautiful, fragrant, and edible, so adding them to a garden was an obvious choice for my edible landscape.
I also love that lilacs can signal old homestead sites well beyond barns and homes have fallen over and decomposed. I wanted my lilacs to be a symbol of a well-loved and lived in home, even well after we're gone.
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