by Jack McKinnon

I have known some great gardeners and I love gardening stories. Here are some stories I have heard and some from my own experience. If you have  a good gardening story, please send it along; I would love to read it.

1. Today I went to my egg supplier to pick up two dozen fresh organic eggs. She came out with my eggs and  a big bag of kale. “I went away for the weekend and when I came back my kale had grown so big; do you want some?” she asked. I said sure, but what do you do with kale? Not only did I get my eggs but I also got a big bag of kale and three recipes for how to cook it. This is what gardeners do and it is one of the reasons I love being a gardener

2. I knew a man, Howard Oliver, who grew the best camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons around. He also loved magnolia trees and one time bought an extra seat on a plane so he could bring a magnolia tree back with him from the east. That is devotion.

3. I was tending a friend’s garden while she was away on vacation and had a concern about plants that were getting eaten.While pondering all the different ways I could catch the unknown culprit, I heard a squeaking coming from one of the borders of the garden. I went to look and saw a 3-foot-long garter snake consuming — tail first — a quite unhappy mouse. So much for pest control.

4. When I was first in the landscape business I went to Roger Reynolds nursery to buy supplies. At the checkout I wrote my check for the plants, pots, soil and amendments. When I reached for my wallet to show my identification to the owner he said, “You don’t have to show me that; gardeners don’t write bad checks.”

5. I once knew a 90-year-old woman that insisted on bringing her pruning shears in the car with her wherever she went, so she could remove the spent flowers from any plants she saw. She has since passed away, but those shears are a treasure to her daughter.

And here’s a garden tip: Take your morning coffee or tea for a walk in the garden; smell the soil and the dew and the flowers. It will make all the difference.

Good Gardening!

Jack McKinnon worked in the Sunset Magazine gardens for 12 years and is now a garden coach. He can be reached at jack@jackthegardencoach.com, or call 650-455-0687. Visit his Web page at www.jackthegardencoach.com.