A long time ago I knew of a garden surrounded by rose bushes. "To keep the neighbours out" said the owner proudly. Beauty used for all the wrong reasons, I thought.
Musing aloud recently I spoke of my desire to make my next garden a place to draw people in. A place to wander into, no permission required. Grass paths leading from the road for the curious to follow.
"Are you mad?" "Stuff will be stolen" "Damaged" "People will take advantage" "Vagrants" "Liability" "Unsafe" "Gossip"
"It's about trust" I ventured.
"Oh, you're such a Pollyanna," groaned one friend.
Oh no, my dears. It is because I could be described once thus
She has secrets & she trusts no one.
she's the perfect example of betrayal.
because everyone she trusted, broke her
- xanga
but grew to know this
If we really want to be full and generous in spirit,
we have no choice but to trust at some level.
-Rita Dove
The Honour System:
| copyright diane schuller |
The above photograph was generously donated by the lovely Diane Schuller who understands about trust and sharing and a lot of other things too. Read her post about the honour system here.
I can see and understand the beauty of your philosophy, though sometimes it needs to be tempered with some caution. However it is a beautiful to belief in the goodness of mankind.
ReplyDeleteBtw I cant see the photograph by Diane Schuller.
I think living in a very small place helps. Everybody knows everybody so there are social consequences to bad behaviour.
DeleteIf I ever had the chance to design gardens professionally, I would like to work on public spaces. At their very best, I have always thought that gardens were shared spaces.
ReplyDeleteShared spaces is a nice way of thinking. Land use planning is big in our district right now. Maybe I'll suggest shared use as an option.
DeleteI don't think I'd want people just wandering around my backyard, but if they knocked I'd gladly give them a tour. :o) Most people in my neighborhood are apathetic to my garden. That just feels so strange to me.
ReplyDeleteWhat ghastly people!
DeleteThere are so many circumstances when we do have to have trust. It may prove to be necessary at some stage for us all to trust doctors and nurses, people who look after our money, and importantly our children.
ReplyDeleteIt is a lovely idea to want to tempt people into your garden to enjoy it. We have garden schemes around here where people do open their gardens to the public and to my knowledge they are always respected. People do not walk off with their ornaments or plants.
I'm a great fan of the National Garden Scheme and plan to take full advantage of it on my next visit to England.
DeleteDear Susan,
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine did just that - placed a gate in his garden where it faced the street, and kept it open for anyone to wander in. It proved very popular. However he had access to the house fenced off just in case - because in this day and age, the innocence associated with such things is sadly gone for the most part and one must not present temptation to those who might be tempted - so I guess I am with 'stiletto' on that one.
As a member of the Society of St Vincent de Paul, I try never to judge - but sometimes it is rather difficult not to - the frailty of human nature I suppose.
Kirk
PS
I am enjoying this new direction of your blog!
Thanks for your kind words Kirk. Encouragement is a much appreciated gift. Kudos to your friend for sharing. Rest assured sensible precautions are part of my plan.
DeleteI once owned a house on a corner and there was a swing that you could sit in and look out at the river. A neighbour once stopped to chat while I was out in the garden, and said how pretty it was. I suggested that she could sit in the swing any-time she wanted to, and it was lovely to look out every now and then and see someone swinging gently in my swing.
ReplyDeleteYou get it aa. A simple act of generosity is a beautiful thing.
DeleteI am one of those people who would love to meander through someone's garden! Just to take a peek! What a wonderful post about doing what we all should be doing Simple, honest things. Like the old quote goes...Life is simple when you live simply!!! I hope that you have a wonderful week ahead Susan!
ReplyDeleteThxs Nicole. "Simple and honest" is a good phrase to live by.
DeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the same feelings about trust as you and Diane. I live in a rural area so I really don't have to worry about the neighbors coming to my gardens. It is nice though to share the beautiful flowers with others.
Well, Donna, I've learned to start from a position of trust. However, anyone thinking I'm a push over would do well to consider my awesome spidey senses and B.S. detector.
DeleteWhat a lovely idea. I love to wander through other people's gardens and so many times I have to be satisfied with peering over the fence.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Laura