The Weekly Compost

Garden Smart TV in the Missouri Botanical Garden

As the host of Garden Smart, I have the privilege of traveling to some of the most beautiful gardens in the country. This past week, my crew and I spent the week in St. Louis, MO. Two of those days were spent in the spectacular Missouri Botanical Gardens. It was a trip I had really been looking forward to as I had written about the many great things the garden was doing, without ever having the chance to see it first hand, until now.

As we arrived for a day of taping on a brisk, bright morning, the unassuming entrance to the gardens surprised me. It wasn’t the grand, elaborate entrance I was expecting to see for one of the finest botanical gardens in the world. But once we passed through the main lobby and emerged into the actual gardens, it was breathtaking! The dramatic contrast from the front into the gardens was dramatically enhanced because of the stark contrast between the entrance and the amazing gardens within.

Because of our intense shooting schedule, sunrise is usually when we arrive at every garden we feature. And that’s just fine with me; no crowds, no distractions and nothing but amazing light to showcase the freshness of the new day in a beautiful environment. It’s my favorite time in any garden. Imagine being in a horticultural showplace that plays host to nearly a million people each year, and we have it all to ourselves, if even for a few hours. The only sounds in the garden at this time of morning are the chips and songs of many birds and the snips of pruners as the talented horticultural staff puts the finishing touches on the many plants and flowers that will greet so many people this day.

When the gates open at 9:00, the garden is buzzing with activity. Children arrive by the busloads, artist set up easels and canvas as they stake their claim to picture perfect vistas for a day of painting and photographers race through grounds with expensive cameras and sturdy tripods. Ironically, one of them was my friend and internationally acclaimed garden and nature photographer, Ian Adams. He was there on behalf of the Missouri Botanical Garden to photograph it for a soon to be released coffee table book. Ian sees some of the most beautiful vistas in the world and yet he was simply giddy over the spectacular condition of this garden.

We spent two perfectly amazing spring days here. With so much to see and talk about, trying to decide what not to feature was the biggest challenge. Although the hours are long when taping a complete show in a single day, the rewards are worth it. Just as the day began for us, starting long before the rest of the world comes to visit, our day ends the same way. Hours after the last visitors leave for the day, we’re still there, in the quite hours of the setting sun. It’s my other favorite time to be in a garden. The garden comes alive again and I am there with camera in hand, ready to capture those special moments and memories that I will carry for a lifetime.

30 Master Gardeners Drop by for a Surprise Visit

Last week I was busily working away at my computer, fighting writer’s block while racing the clock on yet another deadline. My office phone line rings. I briefly debate if I should even answer under such duress but I do so anyway. It’s one of my favorite Atlanta Master Gardening friends calling.

“Hey Joe, it’s Jerry” he says. “I just arrived in Mount Airy with 30 other Master Gardeners. We’re on our way to Virginia for a garden tour but we’re ahead of schedule and have some time to kill. Can we come by and see your garden?” Silently my mind races, searching for just the right response. One thing is certain; there will no one coming to my garden today for a surprise visit! “No habla English” I reply. It doesn’t work. He’s on to me and knows it’s a cover. I’ve said too much already.

Unable to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why my garden is still a mess after living in our home for nearly two years, I get direct. “NO Jerry, you can’t come see my garden and I really don’t have time to break away”. Feeling badly about sounding so abrupt, I start firing off all the supplemental excuses. I explain about being past deadline on my next article and how I’ve been out of town so much and need to catch up, etc. That’s when I realized I was too busy for my own good and my priorities were way out of line.

It was true, I was behind schedule and had plenty of projects to tackle as soon at the current article was finished and no, they could not come see my garden…or lack of one. But here was an opportunity to take a break, drive three minutes into town (literally) and spend a few minutes with some old friends and make some new ones. I mentally took myself out of work mode long enough to suggest that I could break away briefly to drive into town to see them.

The tour bus was parked behind the Emporium. By now, the 30 passengers were milling about outside, including my friends Jerry and his wife Becky. It was great to see them. After the hugs and hearty handshakes, the conversations and questions ensued. They were clearly excited about the gardens they were about to see, yet just as happy to experience the ones around them in my little town. One of them even jokingly shared how she had done some weeding on her walk back to the bus.

Like family, no matter where I live, I’ll always feel a connection to my gardening friends back home. There will always be work, but few are the spontaneous opportunities to see good friends and create memories that will last a lifetime. Thank goodness, at least for this day, I stopped long enough to smell the roses.
JL