April showers…

I am reading my garden magazines and a beautiful, well edited book that was gifted to me, "Garden, Exploring the Horticultural World." Phaidon Press with the intro by Matthew Biggs, UK author, gardener, broadcaster. His introduction walks through the history of plants and people and our changing relationship. About 80% of our planet's biosphere is plant matter.

Summarizing the intro, historically humans hunted in and ate from meadows and forests. Then over time, for a reliable food source we started to grow food. And built fences around that land. Communities developed as well as an aesthetic and spiritual appreciation of plants. Coincidentally, the area of the brain used to appraise important objects such as food is in the same location that developed our appreciation of beauty. So humans/we moved from gardens for food to gardens of ornamental beauty connecting to the idea of paradise.

Think Babylonia, Pompeii, Persian gardens, cloistered gardens, Versaille, Central Park and circle back to food with Victory Gardens during WWII. Garden style today mixes both food and flowers together. And that is good for everyone including pollinators and the planet.