Page 178 - Flaunt 175 - Diana

This premonition of Sister Mary’s stimulated more re- search, notably that of Japanese gardener Mirei Shigemori. The gardener created art, though not on tombs, but with his gardens. Shigemori designed nearly 200 gardens during his lifetime, focusing on ikebana—the arrangement of flowers. And his gardens were badass—unlike anything. Although his work was sometimes met with criticism, Shigemori continued to design how he wanted to, and this served as a stark reminder to Sister Mary: she might have hungered to leave the egoistic pursuit of individualism on that fetid Island of the East, but the principles and spirit of individualism remain important to her. Standing out is still ok, so long as you do the necessary tilling6.
SO IT TURNS OUT GOOD DEED
RHYMES WITH GOOD SEED
There’s also that issue that Sister Mary would sooner forget. The pandemic. The misfortune, the confusion, and boredom. Sis- ter Mary is not selfish enough to think she was the only one im- pacted by the pandemic, but it sure as hell feels that way. While everyone banged their pots and pans for the frontline workers, she focused on her Pinterest, which at the time only featured iconic runway moments, editorial wins, and skinnier people of whom she longed to be. Deleting this was a major, major step
in embodying the Westward Ho, and logging into an empty Pin board strangely gives her a sense of infinite possibility, of great expanse7.
Seeds lay the foundation for the future, Sister Mary is quick to learn in her research, and one of the titles she plucked from the WeHo library substantiates the sentiment. In Seed Dorman- cy and Germination, Leónie Bentsink and Maarten Koornneef explain that, “The seed is an important stage in the higher plant life cycle with respect to its survival as a species. It is the disper- sal unit of the plant, which is able to survive the period between seed maturation and the establishment of the next generation.”
Survival. Now that’s something Sister Mary can relate to. Never easy, and not without a fight, that’s for sure. With this sentiment in her heart of hearts, she continues to scour Wikipe- dia, annoyed at the donation request popups, but not enough to let it ruin her flow. Then she comes across something rather sad and poignant.
In 1838, the Cherokee Tribe was forcibly removed from their land and marched from the Carolinas to Oklahoma by the Federal Government. This tragic event is now commonly known as The Trail of Tears. What most people don’t know, though, Sister Mary learns, is that the Cherokees carried seeds in their pockets throughout this excruciating experience. The seeds, originally grown in The Smoky Mountains, were thought to serve as a symbol of hope and a comforting reminder of the homes they left behind. Decades later, they were sold to a seed conservationist and are still, to this day, available for purchase
through small-scale seed companies.
This really moves Sister Mary. What seeds has she brought
in her pockets? What has she hoped to plant along the way? Where is her offering of hope and comfort? Sister Mary makes
a strawberry margarita and ponders this. She left so much stuff in New York, she left so much baggage. Right? Sister Mary makes another strawberry margarita and decides that maybe she kept hold of something, she’s just not sure what. She makes another strawberry margarita and goes to shuffle through her belong- ings, spinning8 Chemtrails Over the Country Club for the fifth time that evening.
POUR SOME SUGAR ON IT,
IN THE NAME OF LOVE
Still preoccupied with what Sister Mary might have brought from New York to LA, she wakes early despite a chalky throat and a headache and continues the research. Ironically, the Wikipedias bring her back to New York. To this project called The High Line. Sister Mary knew about the High Line but was much too busy to spend any time there. Nonetheless, there’s a pretty substantive connection to nursing a garden in its inception.
Between 2004-2006, Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf watered the seeds of the first perennials of the High Line Park, integrating a naturalist approach while cultivating the bloom of a space once considered an “eyesore” in the late 90s. In the dense brush of the dome of the park lies a garden zone between 14th and 15th street—a wetland conceptualized by Oudolf, which flourishes with the spongy cylindrical spikes
of cattails and herbaceous milkweed that thrive amongst wet soil. The 1.45 mile-long greenway is infused with a matrix
of more than five hundred species of plants and trees. That sounds amazing, thinks Sister Mary, wishing she’d actually vis- ited in her many years spent nearby, before she’s distracted by a Net-A-Porter bot that seems to track her every move. Maybe that’s all that followed me from NYC? She thinks with a sigh, glumly.
Sister Mary decides to flip the google search on its head and adds “poem” and “poetry” to her otherwise straightfor- ward searches: “how to grow a new you”, “how to germinate like Kate”, “how to plant a metaphoric garden”... and presto! Indian poet Rupi Kaur! How do you like them apples, smirks Sister Mary, and reads Kaur’s insightful prose: “Think of those flowers you plant in the garden each year. They will teach you that people too must wilt, fall, root, rise, in order to bloom.”
Now that’s the ticket. That’s the guiding light for this whole damned endeavor. You must wilt before you bloom! You must suffer before you’re sated! There’s no reason to falter and lose faith now.
6Little Women. Greta Gerwig. Columbia Pictures, 2019. 35mm. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. It is loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters. Scholars classify it as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel. The scene in question? After reuniting with Laurie in London the two find themselves in the garden one afternoon while Amy’s soon to be fiance is away on business. While Amy is sketching Laurie she asks him what he intends to do with his future. Laurie dances around the question only to annoy Amy. When she is done Laurie discovers a sketch she did of him years ago. Laurie looks up and asks Amy not to marry Fred. Amy refuses saying she will not be the person he settles for.
7The Secret Garden. Frances Hodgson Burnett. Frederick A. Stokes, 1911. Novel. Living in India with her wealthy British family, the selfish 10-year-old girl Mary Lennox is spoiled by her servants and neglected by her parents. Although, when a cholera epidemic hits, killing her parents, she is left orphaned and sent to live with her uncle, Archibald Craven, on his remote country estate deep in the Yorkshire moors. While exploring, she discovers a hidden magical garden. The scene in question? After being shut in her room and forbidden to explore, Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) was told of Mrs. Craven’s walled garden that had been under lock and key for 10 years. After weeks of searching, she stumbles upon the garden and although it’s winter and plants are not blooming, she is amazed with the possibilities the garden holds.
8 The Sound of Music. Robert Wise. Twentieth Century Fox, 1965. 70mm. The Sound of Music is based on the real life story of the Von Trapp Family singers. Set in Austria, this movie tells the story of Maria Von Trapp, aw postulant who leaves an Austrian convent to become a governess to the children of a Naval officer widower. The scene in question? Maria and her captain finally declare their love for each other in a romantic garden scene.
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