“This book provides a safe home for all your gardening notes. No more need to jot things down on scraps of paper…..”
I love the English dry sense of humor.
Yesterday, I got reinspired to stop with the scraps of paper, and start journaling about my gardens again. I found the journal for $6.00 at a local Antique Store. What a find!!!! Frances Lincoln, of The Royal Horticultural Society, put together a beautiful garden journal book called “A Gardener’s Five Year Record Book”. It is beautifully illustrated with, believe it or not, bulbs. Only bulbs. Botanical illustrations by Pieter van Kouwenhoorn (fl.1620). A garden journal with bulbs on every page. How cool is that?
“A safe home for garden notes.”
I Love it.
Gardening journals have been around as long as gardeners themselves. People would save dried, pressed flowers of their garden, draw botanical pictures, or write detailed accounts of the garden do’s and don’ts…..It seems that gardeners back then had an extra 10 hours added to their day, or that they learned the fine art of simply savoring the moment. Perhaps with all of the modern luxuries of Pintrist and Instagram, gardeners no longer need to record the daily bloom. No need for a “safe home for gardening notes” because modern gardeners aren’t writing anymore. Our society pushes us to strive for greatness and business success, so where does that leave the simplicity of watching a flower grow?
I used to keep a garden journal. Actually, my friend found it in my flood-ruined pile of cherished gardening books. She dried it out, page by page, so I could enjoy reading about all of my gardening mishaps I did while in my 20’s. Good times…..
I’ve enjoyed using this blog as sort of a record of the flooded house gardens, but I definately don’t share every boring detail of each little bulb moved. How completely dull for others to read details like that!!! But next year will arrive, and I will begin to wobder what the heck I planted where. So, lovely little journal…..here I come.
All the little mundane details will be written down. All the gardening mishaps and accomplishments will be recorded. I might even start pressing flowers again, and adding them to the pages of this beautiful book.
Do you journal about your flowers? Do you have a book just for your gardens? Are you a botanical illustrator? Do you save and press your garden treasues? I sincerely hope that through all of our “progress”, we don’t lose the ability to simply watch a flower grow.
Happy Gardening, My Friends.
Remember to enjoy the moment. Feel the dirt between your fingertips and the breeze on your face. Watch a sunrise and write about a flower blooming. Life is too short to be so hurried that we miss the best things in life……nature’s beautiful gifts.