by Kelly D. Norris

A Garden for the Future

Ever wonder about what gardening will be like in the future? You’ve probably read your share of columns and articles where the author whips out the crystal ball in an attempt to convince you that the world ahead is full of change, and it’s not good. 

I’m not one of those, though there is nothing wrong with acknowledging the inevitability of change. Gardening is full of promise and hope. It’s inspiring, just as inspiring as it was to you and I when we began our gardening lives whether at five or 60. It’s with that vitality, that spirit to play in the dirt that we must march on in an earnest effort to share our outdoor experiences with others around us. Gardening still ranks at the top of our nation’s favorite hobbies. Yet for many of us, it’s no longer just a hobby but a life’s pursuit.

It’s in that pursuit that I write my last regular column for Garden & Greenhouse. The past three years have been a tremendous experience for me and I’m indebted to Robin Nichols for extending me the opportunity to write for you. Next month is a month of celebration in my life. I graduate from Iowa State University and I release my first book, The Iowa Gardener’s Travel Guide. To learn more and to purchase your copy, visit my website listed below.

But this is no swan song. My second book project, in the wings for release sometime in the next few years, has explored the meaning of gardening and the connections that human beings have with the natural world. It’s time for a gardening kick start in this country and to imagine what a garden for the future might look like. Now this isn’t meant to be some futuristic exercise like you might have done in grade school, adding wings to cars and magic buttons to everything. Physically, gardens of the future stand to look just the same as they do today with exception for stylistic tastes of the day. But my allusion to a garden of the future doesn’t assume a physical semblance. I’m asking you to dream of who will be the gardeners. Grandchildren, children, neighbor boys and girls, or stressed co-workers without relieving hobbies. Gardening is the great equalizer and is not outcome-based, as many of my colleagues might suggest. I’ll admit that at times our horticulture industry has made gardening seem like rocket science rather than artful expressions of growing goodness. I don’t want to get all sappy here but take a moment and ponder why it is that you garden. The answer is often remarkably simple, personal, and deeply satisfying.

Thus a garden for the future isn’t a tangible bed full of plants. It’s an environment of hope, intrigue, and encouragement that might grow up and bear a fruitful crop of new gardeners. It’s an environment where the seeds of natural experiences can be sown in hopes of bolstering the ranks of green thumbs. If I have to leave with a parting thought, I guess the real question is what will you grow next season?

Kelly D. Norris is Farm Manager at Rainbow Iris Farm and, when not in the garden, can be found roaming the greenhouses of Horticulture Hall at Iowa State University.  Check out his website http://www.kellydnorris.com/ for more information about his first book The Iowa Gardener’s Travel Guide.