ODG Summer 2026 (2) - Flipbook - Page 20
The Case for Imperfect Gardens
r sa Chapman, Seasons IV GC (SW)
The e
v
t
I ha e no iced
something over the years: flower gardeners speak in the language of
promise. Buds, blooms, color, fragrance — it ’s a vocabulary of anticipation. My garden, on
the other hand, speaks in the language of proof. Mine is less about hope and more about
dinne
r.
In man
y ways, blooms are a kind of hopium. They are a belief in what might open
tomorrow. I admire that deeply. But my particular joy has always been in the literal fruits
of m
y labor — the tomato that actually ripens, the lettuce that becomes lunch, the harvest
that justifies the mosquito bites and the crooked trellises. My beds in August are not
photogenic. They are sprawling, chewed, uneven, and unapologetically productive.
Tha
t said, I’m learning. I’ve begun planting flowers
t because I can pronounce all their names
— no
yet, but because I’ve come to appreciate what
they do. They bring pollinators. They bring birds
s r to the feeder. They soften the edges of my
clo e
utilitarian rows. I still measure success in pounds
ha
rvested, and yes, I once gave an entire
presentation on software that calculates optimal
seed-starting dates. But I am beginning to
understand the quieter pleasure of growing
something simply because it is beautiful.
r ps an imper fect garden is simply an honest
Pe ha
. Some of us grow for bouquets. Some of us
one
r w for salads. Most of us, if we’re lucky, are
g o
r wing into something new.
g o
20.
Borage enhances my garden
Photo by Theresa Chapman
ummer 2026
ODG S
