Plants, past and present

Recently, I met one of the prior owners of my house, a couple who lived there approximately 35 years ago. They moved out in 1977, but had been in the house a few years. They purchased it from a widower, who, they surmise from the condition of the inside of the house, did not do much to the property, inside or out, for the 20 years he was in the house. That said, the backyard was teeming with gardenic splendor, and had raspberries, a plum tree, currants, and lots of other things to eat. It kept the owners I met fed and satisfied. That is, except for the back part of the property, near the fence, because of a black walnut tree, which alleleopathically prevented most anything else from growing. Since those times, the new-ish garage is back up against the fence; the black walnut tree is no longer, and hopefully the soil is starting to recover its ability to support new life and growth. With this as a preface, the conversation I had with the prior owners of my property made me think about the history of the land. Just imagine of all of that energy that went into the property to coax it along to produce vegetables and fruits, and how, since then, it is mostly grass and gravel, and shade from “weedy, European” Norway maples. What does the land “want” to be? I have a vision of the possible now, but what would be nature’s progression if simply let be? It will take a fair amount of work and soil enhancement to produce again, and what will my template be for a satisfying use of the property. As I contemplate (template!) My Year of Plants, the issue of goals and objectives for interacting with the plant world, necessarily involves the history of the land. People have done this before! And, what they did with the land affects what I can do with the property, with any property actually. Years of black walnut toxicity would make my gardening efforts difficult, and, had they snipped off those small maple seedlings 40 years ago, I wouldn’t now be faced with the task of trimming branches or clearing the trees all together. What’s right for the land, I ask again? What should I do with the property? Only what I want to? What produces the most? What looks the best? What used to be there? Perhaps the history of the property provides a glimpse into the answers to these questions. Though, as I have been hinting at all along, the REAL answers and details to this fascinating topic (like all of the other monthly queries and explorations) will be found in the corresponding chapter of My Year of Plants. Check it out when it is printed and enjoy.! And, thank you for a great year of your attention and interest in plants, our interaction with the green world, and some ideas for the future of humans, food, medicines, and the Earth. I hope that it has been a fun, insightful journey, and I welcome any thoughts you have had along the way!