Collection Notes

The Gardening Romance Collection

Lavender, Lilacs, Lilies, and … Love? These gardeners found romance blooming among the rosemary and ranunculus.

By Bill Dugan, Executive Editor

Dear Gardener,

It’s not unusual to find love in the garden. I love my sage and my scarlet begonias. I love the ruby-throated hummingbirds that visit the cardinal flowers and I love the bumble bees nestled in the catmint. Romance, though?

Why not? Who needs a candlelight dinner when you can pull weeds, plant seedlings, and lay down mulch? That’s certainly the case in the stories you’ll find in the “Gardening Romance” collection.

Take, for instance, the story from writer Judy Pellettieri. We’ve all lost and found things in our gardens. Coins, old toys, spoons and forks, and earrings get unearthed often. What if you lose your wedding ring, though? That’s what happened to Judy. What grew from that loss, however, is something she treasured even more. Be sure to read “Lost and Found” to discover what happened.

It’s not just rings that get lost. Precious flowers get lost, too. “OK, You Can Marry Him” is the hilarious account of a mother-daughter relationship blossoming in the flower garden. When Katrin Babb asked for her mother’s blessing in marriage, it wasn’t without tension. She had to prove that her beloved, Jim, could work hard and provide for the family. And what better way to do that than weed the garden? Unfortunately, Jim wasn’t a gardener, and his “on-the-job” training nearly ruined any chance of a wedding ever taking place.

That doesn’t mean things are smooth sailing once the wedding is over. “A marriage has never been really put to the test until the couple plants a garden together.” So says Alma Barkman in, “Home Groan.” Even after 55 years of marriage, “we still can’t come to an agreement as to how to plant cucumbers,” she continues. That might not be so bad, until her mother-in-law enters the picture. “You see, I must never, ever, say anything bad about my mother-in-law, even if she’s been dead for 40 years – especially if she’s been dead for 40 years.” But just like successful gardens take work and compromise, so do successful relationships. And the love growing in this garden is evident.

Read the full story, along with many others, in the “Gardening Romance” Collection. And when you head out to the garden, take a moment to appreciate the many things that grow there.