It’s interesting, as my garden grows and changes, I seem to be aware of all my plants – the new growth, yellow leaves and sometimes a sense that something is not right with this or that one. This morning, I noticed white flies on my lemon trees. So before pouring my coffee, I saturated them with neem oil. I am no gardener by any means. However, I can appreciate the toil, dedication and love true gardeners bring to their tasks.

My father-in-law Marty and his Italian immigrant friend, Amadeo, were fine examples. Their backyard gardens meeting at one end on the slopes of Jessup Pennsylvania just outside of downtown. Their language barrier replaced with sharing the abundance harvested throughout the season. I believe that after years of gardening together, in addition to the usual crops, they silently decided to grow different varieties to enhance the hospitality. My father-in-law’s sister, Aunt Mary, tended a beautiful herb and flower garden right outside her kitchen door, a kitchen that hosted a coal burning stove for cooking. Closer to home, Alan’s dad, Steve, who, in his advanced age and physical decline and contrary to Alan’s advice, tilled his sizable garden in the fall because “it needed done “.

My friend Alan certainly has the gardening gene firmly embedded in his DNA. Over the years he beautifully landscaped his yard, creating islands of native shade loving plants around the oak trees. He has a beautiful tulip display lining his driveway which he covers with chicken wire to keep the deer away. He is constantly doing battle with the deer and ground hogs. The deer especially love his collection of hostas.

Alan and I shared a vegetable garden we placed at the far end of my yard because the sun embraced it all day. The massive oak trees in Alan’s yard limited the sun required for vegetables. But he still coaxed tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, onions and a lot more with the limited sun allotted. Speaking of peppers, Alan would grow habaneros from which he would make a spray to deter the deer. Each spring and fall we would till the plot in my yard with his father’s tiller which was housed in the shed Alan designed and built in the mid-80s. I was the assistant on that project. That shed is still standing, its roof replaced by the new owners.

Today Alan is combating another intruder, but unlike the deer and woodchucks, this one requires high doses of chemotherapy which renders him unable, for now, to tend to what needs done. So, from his chair in the driveway, he directs his son, daughter and grandchildren to plant the summer flowers where the tulips had their day. Perhaps this will awaken their gardening genes.

Alan and Elaine are old friends – before children – friends like this are a true blessing!