“Mary, Mary, quite contrary / How does your garden grow? / With silver bells and cockleshells / And pretty maids all in a row.”
Verses like these conjure up the gardens of days gone by, gardens filled with childhood memories of a distant, slower-paced past.
Just like anything else, plants go in and out of fashion and things often come full circle, much to our delight or disdain — though, fads and taste aside, the cultivation of flowers has enjoyed a resurgence in recent times.
Homegrown flowers, whether bulbs, perennials or annuals, are now looked at with an eye to sustainability, from cut flowers without the flower miles to balanced ecosystems in both urban and rural environments that ensure biodiversity and seasonality.
I love this newfound fondness for flowers because it means people are…
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Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, 15.3