Commonly one thinks this only applies to our daily routine of work, family and laundry list of commitments. But gardeners too can find themselves in such a frenzy of planning and maintaining their properties that they often fail to appreciate the wonderful and unique elements of gardening. Last week, my friend and mutual garden lover Mary lost her courageous battle with breast cancer. Her passing reminded me that the old phrase “Stop and smell the roses” did indeed originate in the garden and needs to be a gardener’s sacred mantra. Sharing and enjoying all that gardening has to offer can be one of life’s most enriching experiences.

As many gardeners will appreciate, there is something quite special about finding someone to share your passion for gardening. Only they can truly appreciate eyes that light up and a voice that increases several decibels when discussing the new plant catalog or gardening magazine in the mail. And who but a fellow gardener could possibly appreciate the ideas and plans for your new bedding area over a cup of tea during the dreary winter months. Kindred spirits come to mind in describing the relationship one has with a gardener friend. 

There is a common language gardener friends share. And trust me, it is not always trying to pronounce the Latin plant names. We finish sentences and call up names of plants the other cannot recall at the moment. Then, of course, words such as compost, Milorganite, pre-emergent and insecticidal soap, Greek words to the non-gardener, are like familiar text messaging jargon for you and your gardener friend.

Gardener’s often enjoy sharing their pain when it comes to the physical requirements of routine gardening. There is truly a comfort in sharing one’s war stories and battle scars.  And for ladies, that dirt under the fingernails does not make for lovely manicured hands when attending social events. But we often overlook the incredible physical benefits a day of gardening offers. The overall body demands often meet or exceed a robust workout on any modern day piece of exercise equipment. So why would anyone choose to suck filtered air indoors when you can enjoy the Adirondack air and sun during a day of gardening?

Who does not enjoy the gift of flowers? And those grown in your own garden share a special place in the hearts of both the giver and the receiver. I recall how very special it was for my grandmother to cut peonies from her garden and send them home with me.  My friend Mary took great pleasure in cutting her flowers and bringing them along to individuals she visited in hospice. 

There are those of us with the hidden artist lurking within, however, we never quite mastered the familiar mediums of the artist, such as brush, pen, charcoal, paint or ink.  Yet in the garden, we can express ourselves with color, shape, texture and a splash of our own unique personality through various plant selections and their configurations. And unlike brush to canvas or ink to paper, there is no permanence in garden art. Your palette is endless. You can always shift the location of an accent, transplant a shrub and vary color and texture throughout the season with perennials and annuals! What a spectacular evolving work of art the garden offers.

Then of course, gardens allow us solace and respite from the pace of the everyday. My friend Mary always reminded me of this as she sat out on her back porch drinking in the beauty of her backyard garden. As I tended to hurry through my day, Mary pointed out the new blossom on the rose, the hummingbird visiting the red flowers, the profusion of sweet fragrance in the air and the single wind chime as the background accompaniment to this beautiful arrangement. You could not help but catch the spirit of the day. Gardens can bring you back to earth after a trying day at work, disturbing events and just plain weariness. Sitting in the midst of a garden allows you repose unlike any other place on earth. Mary reminded me of that simple fact each time I visited her.

And lastly, gardens invite us to visually experience the growth and development we so often take for granted in our lives. The seasons of the garden remind us of our own life cycles: timing, choices, nourishment, winter, spring, hard work, restoration, blossom, growth, disease, pruning and dying. And all this in a single season, should we choose to “stop and smell the roses” if only for a short while.

Fondly dedicated to the life and spirit of Ms. Mary Mangino, friend and garden lover.

Sue Ann DuBois is a Master Gardener and partner to the husband-wife team of Chips Landscaping. She designs, constructs and maintains outdoor landscape and water garden features in Saratoga County. For more information visit: www.chipslandscaping.net.