“Connection with gardens, even small ones, even potted plants, can become windows to the inner life. The simple act of stopping and looking at the beauty around us can be prayer.” — Patricia R Barrett, The Sacred Garden

Physiotherapist Danielle Powell’s gardening journey began when she moved back to her childhood home in 2019. She says, “I moved back to my childhood home and in the process of making it mine, I wanted to cut down on unnecessary furniture and have more space. Then the space felt too sterile. So, I decided to get a plant. I asked for something low-maintenance and got a Dracaena cane and a peace lily. I managed to keep the plants alive and, in the process, started acquiring succulents and then it seemed that overnight I got heavily into foliage plants. I researched every plant I got or was interested in, because before living alone I was never a plant person. It seemed frivolous but now everything about them is calming and like meditation. I’ve recently started to grow herbs and vegetables but admittedly that’s not going as well as I’d hoped.”

The grace in gardening

As defined by the Cambridge Dictionary grace can be defined either as “a quality of moving in a smooth, relaxed and attractive way” and also as “approval or kindness that is freely given by God to all humans”. In this instance, both definitions can be simultaneously applied.

Danielle in describing the positive impact of her gardening activities expresses the grace in and of the exercise. She explains, “My plants bring out a gentler, more nurturing side of me. I love learning the names and seeing what species do well in my environment…I always loved being outside and in nature, but I never thought I’d have the time to take care of a plant. In my mind, it was always more complicated, but plants, I’ve come to learn, are surprisingly simple. With the exception of a few kinds here and there, they all benefit from a fair amount of neglect. I’m enjoying the different shapes and colours and textures of the foliage.”

Plant love lessons

Danielle explains that each species and sub-groups have their own nuances, characteristics and personalities. “My favourite plants are philodendrons. I think because they are such fast growers and they grow in a wide range of light conditions. They have very diverse shapes and structures. If you like vibes, there’s a vibe. If you like something bushy, there’s a philodendron for you. I currently have about 15 philodendrons but aroids are the genus that I own the most of for indoor plants…. They’re also extremely easy to propagate. I also have a large collection of succulents,” she says.

Learning as she grows, Danielle imparts her gardening tips for learning and unlikely gardeners: “Do not rush to repot your plants once you bring them home. Collect rain water for watering them if you can and give them a good deep soak-through and allow them to dry out a bit before watering again. Grow lights won’t hurt, especially if you have a low light situation indoors.”

Finding peace

A parallel can be drawn between one of Danielle’s plant experiences and the experience of the human gardener. It is simply that we all seek peace regardless of which species it is that we belong to. Sometimes, we find that peace outside of the proverbial box in comfortably curated environments which suit our distinct desideratum. Danielle shares, “My favourite story about plants was about my peace lily that started declining a few months after being indoors. I googled everything. I did not understand why this plant that was flourishing for a few months under my care started to decline. I even bought bottled water to water it! Then I just put it outside under a trellis…in a week the plant was pushing out new growth. The brown tips stopped occurring. It got some rainwater and the leaves exploded in size… ‘house plant’ is a huge misnomer, and from that day I’ve been trying to acclimate and find more places for plants to be housed outside.”

With the bliss embodied by Danielle’s peace Lily, may you thrive in your own peace on this gift of a Sunday.