WE'RE ALL HISTORY IN THE MAKING, LIFE LESSONS FROM GARDEN HISTORY
- Jennifer Jewell
- 4 hours ago
- 6 min read
All history reminds us that we are all history in the making. Garden history specifically reminds us that we as gardeners, our gardens, our gardening, and how our culture tends to and stewards land, are all that, too.
What is the historical context of gardens in this moment-especially given some of the changes and impacts on national or public shared landscapes? What does garden history specifically teach us about this moment?
This week Cultivating Place Host Ben Futa is in conversation with garden historian and co-host, Abra Lee, consider these questions through the lens of garden history and their own garden lives: from plants to quilts, from pot belly stoves to richly rewarding stories from the past. They dive into garden history, and all it can share with us, no matter where we call home, or how we tend to it.
This conversation was recorded just a few days ago – think of it as a “rapid response” episode to current events. In this time of upheaval and chaos, distraction and disillusionment, discord and discontent, historians have become guiding lights in this moment. Enjoy!
Follow Abra online:
and on Instagram:
All photos courtesy of Cultivating Place Foundation, Abra Lee, and Ben Futa, all rights reserved.
If you enjoyed this program, you might also enjoy these
JOIN US again next week when Jennifer is joined by members of The New Garden Society, an organization run by horticulturists, landscapers, and farmers who seek to expand green industry opportunities for their incarcerated and formerly incarcerated neighbors in greater Boston. They believe in the transformational potential of working with plants, and in connecting incarcerated people with green industry professions to transform landscapes within and beyond prison walls. ... That's right here, next week. Listen in!
Cultivating Place is made possible in part by listeners like you and by generous support
from
in honor of Bailey Shaw
supporting initiatives that empower women and help preserve the planet through the intersection of environmental advocacy, social justice, and creativity.
We are also made possible through support from HEIRLOOM, a fabulous source for roses and so much more to cultivate the garden of your dreams.
Thinking out loud this week...
Hey, it's Ben—
By now, I hope, it comes as no surprise to you, dear listener, that we here at Cultivating Place are dedicated advocates when it comes to empowering Gardeners with a capital G to embrace our full potential – collectively and individually – to grow a better world.
Or, as I like to say when I’m working in our shop, “I’m an enabler – I’ll
always help you grow more plants.” Our motto at Botany & Co. – more
people, more plants, more places.
I’m so grateful to Abra for saying yes to this spur of the moment conversation. I hope after listening to our candid chat today, you feel empowered, inspired, and hopeful again, ready to get back out there and do the wildly important, generational work of this moment. I know I do.
No matter how, where, or why you identify as a gardener, each of us are called and invited to participate right now – to dig in, envision different ways of growing, rekindle systems of community, and cultivate the place we call home, along with our neighbors. Our history may be one of the most powerful and important guides along this journey.
I hope our conversation today inspired you to stay curious, dig a little deeper, ask tough questions, and more than anything – to keep believing and dreaming and working towards whatever you wish to see made real.
On that note, tickets are now available for sustaining members of Cultivating Place for the first Power of Gardeners Symposium, happening right here in South Bend on September 25-26. Tickets open to the public on August 15. Head to visitbotany.co and click on the “events” tab.
I can’t wait to welcome you, so very soon, to our place, our home, and the many people, plants, and places that make it my favorite place in the entire world. Sharing the places we love and call home with people we love, is one of life’s great joys. It won’t be long now…
Identity is a powerful thing, and I think it’s worth expanding on in the sense that while it may be related to a professional title or accolade, it also may not be what appears on our business card or LinkedIn profile.
Identity is something we know and hold within ourselves: only we can decide who we are and why. Identity is the ultimate flex when it comes to our reclaiming our agency.
As we journey through life, we discover our calling and purpose: and, we uncover deeper layers of our own identity along the way. It’s almost a type of internal archaeology – a constant unearthing of history, knowledge, clarity, and confidence.
Identity is also a bedrock, something we can return to in turbulent times to remind us who we are, why we’re here, and ultimately get us out of bed to keep doing it all again for another day.
If you’re listening to this right now, chances are, you identify as a gardener. And if you ask me, that’s a pretty good reason to get out of bed and continue showing up.
Choosing to do the “next best thing” is an intentional practice of resistance, renewal, resilience, and community-building. It’s also something we practice regularly in the garden – which means, we gardeners are uniquely positioned to share this practice with others.
We bear witness to the reality of many small actions adding up to bigger things: how sowing seeds in spring leads to abundance in summer. How pulling weeds is therapeutic while also allowing the plants in our care to thrive. How planting just a few indigenous plants can be an oasis for wildlife and insects. How growing our own food is an act of liberation within a broken system.
For these reasons – and countless more – I remain passionate for
empowering more people to grow more plants in more places, because I
believe that’s what our world needs right now.
Never, ever, for one moment, take for granted or diminish the power you wield and the wisdom you carry as a Gardener with a capital G. I challenge you to continue inviting new people in to this world we love so deeply; to continue building and opening doors; to continue making it easy for the next person to fall in love with cultivating place as you have.
As we come back to our conversation, I’ll leave you with another phrase that I really should tattoo on the inside of my eyelids – a phrase from another historian I admire, Dr. Joanne Freeman:
"Be strong, and of good courage."
See you soon, plant lovers!
WAYS TO SUPPORT CULTIVATING PLACE
Cultivating Place is a co-production of North State Public Radio, licensed to Chico State Enterprises. Cultivating Place is made possible in part listeners just like you through the support button at the top right-hand corner of every page at Cultivating Place.org
The CP team includes producer and engineer Matt Fidler, with weekly tech and web support from Angel Huracha, weekly communications support by Sheila Stern and Carley Bruckner, and regular hosting by Founder, Jennifer Jewell, as well as Abra Lee in Atlanta, Georgia, and Ben Futa in South Bend, Indiana. We’re based on the traditional and present homelands of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of the Chico Rancheria. Original theme music is by Ma Muse..
SHARE the podcast with friends: If you enjoy these conversations about these things we love and which connect us, please share them forward with others. Thank you in advance!
RATE the podcast on iTunes: Or wherever you get your podcast feed: Please submit a ranking and a review of the program on Itunes! To do so follow this link: iTunes Review and Rate (once there, click View In Itunes and go to Ratings and Reviews)
DONATE: Cultivating Place is a listener-supported co-production of North State Public Radio. To make your listener contribution – please click the donate button below. Thank you in advance for your help making these valuable conversations grow.
Or, make checks payable to: Cultivating Place Foundation EIN #33-1665277
PO Box 37
Durham, CA 95938
Comments