Page 14 - ALG Issue 2 2022

the young plotters club What is your allotment story?
Having been a professional gardener now for over twenty years, I’m still considered quite young by most at thirty-nine years, soon to be forty years old. I look back from time to time and see the amazing journey I’ve travelled so far and having written a book for the younger reader like yourself, I
was recently asked a few questions: “What does gardening and growing plants mean to me?” “Why a children’s book?” “What plants do I really love?” And finally, “what lessons have I learnt through gardening?”
Being able to garden literally means “the world” to me; I can basically travel many parts of the globe through the plants and flowers I get to work with every day. From a potted succulent
on my windowsill from a Mexican desert, woodland winter hellebores from Europe, the calla lilies I use in floral design that have their origins
in Africa and the moth orchids from
my homeland of the Philippines, I’m blessed to continually be learning from nature and always being inspired by it.
It also teaches me how we need to be better at protecting it. And one way of achieving that is learning how to admire, identify, grow, and nurture plants.
“I believe the children are our future. Teach them well and let them lead
the way” was powerfully sung by the singing legend Whitney Houston when I was growing up. I think of that song and I realised why I wanted to write this book for you, the young gardener: it’s because you deserve it! You deserve
to be curious about the complexity of the natural world and understand how we’re all a part of it. You deserve the experience and excitement of seeing something new: seeing the first flower open or picking the first fruit to ripen ready to pick and devour. It’s about being continually surprised again and again. You also deserve to learn that you can be stronger by having access to healthy fruits and vegetables to eat to nourish your growing body and mind. We all deserve a planet that’s diverse and resilient; a home that provides the ability to cultivate and nurture dynamic, peaceful communities.
So, what are my favourite plants?
Rare ones that I can share would be
my answer! But I also like the simple common garden favourites that everyone recognises and loves. It’s definitely a way to connect and relate to others. Can you tell that this is a very difficult question
to answer by just naming a few specific plants? Maybe if I was asked what my favourite is today? No. It is still hard to decide. At this very moment? I’m very pleased at how my Butterfly Amaryllis is blooming inside and I’m seeing a new crosier developing on a rare felt fern. Oh yes, and the bizarre kale plant outside that looks like a small tree. Maybe that can be part of my lunch. Yes, this is my favourite right now.
The number of lessons we can draw from gardening by growing plants and flowers will forever be limitless. Three extremely valuable lessons I’m reminded of come to mind and the plants that teach them:
1. Acknowledge the different stages
in our lives as we grow. The giant culms of timber bamboo represent this beautifully with its internodes.
It grows quickly; it’s definitely a reminder of how you emerged, and each segment represents a record or timeline of your life.
2. Something seemingly awkward and unattractive develops into something so beautiful with resilience, care, and patience. Spring flowering bulbs easily reminds me of this lesson as
I place their brown, dry, and lumpy structures in the cold, wet ground of autumn, endure the blistering cold of winter to emerge in spring to be admired by all.
3. Overcome the fear of making mistakes; as failure is an opportunity to improve and excel further. For me, learning to prune properly was
The number of lessons we can draw from gardening by growing plants and flowers will forever be limitless.
a traumatic experience, but actually going ahead and then thinking I had destroyed a plant (in this case, it was an overgrown blueberry shrub), I actually improved its health and eventually produced more fruit!
Lastly, as I mention in the book, plants have played a role in the evolution of cultures around the world. Learning how each region utilises and relies on plants for survival is always fascinating along with the rich history certain species possess. Each plant has a grand story to tell and so do we. So, what’s your story? I’d love to spend time in the garden or allotment with you and maybe you’d like to share what it means to you; what you’d like to learn more about; maybe try to pick a favourite plant at the moment and how you might share it with someone.
Riz Reyes
WIN A COPY!
To enter a draw to win a copy of this lovely book, email jodie@crestpublications.com by Friday 27th May with your name and address
Grow: A Family Guide to Plants and How to Grow Them
Riz Reyes (Author), Sara Boccaccini Meadows (Illustrator) Hardcover – Picture Book, 1 Mar. 2022
ISBN-13 : 978-1419756658
Grow: a gorgeous guide for children on how to grow and care for plants including mint, lettuce, mushrooms, tomatoes, kale, carrots and pumpkins. This book also helps you discover 15 plants and fungi with incredible powers, then, following a step-by-step guide, helps you grow and care for each plant. Meet each one’s surprising relatives (the tasty tomato is a cousin of deadly nightshade) and discover their interesting history (lettuce was the first plant to be grown in space).
included.
14 Allotment and Leisure Gardener