I’m planting in the front garden when Mason’s voice rings out from two doors down: “Free lemonade for a quarter!” Clearly, this is a deal too good to pass up. I walk down the block.
Mason and his mom are sitting on their lawn under a dogwood tree. “Hi, Amy!” his mother says. “The garden’s looking great!”
“Thanks,” I say. “Working on it makes me so thirsty though. Do you have any idea where I could get something to drink?”
Mason’s eyes grow wide. “Would you like some LEMONADE?” he asks.
“I would love some lemonade,” I tell him.
Concentrating intently, he pours me a cup and holds it out. “That’ll be one dollar.”
“You’re quite the businessman,” I say.
Mason’s mom, Jessica, and I chat a while. When I get up to leave, Mason says, “Amy, can I see your garden?” Music to my ears.
Over the past year, I’ve been packing my front garden with fun and fascinating plants, hoping to show my neighbors what’s possible here in zone 8 and perhaps inspire them to plant something new. It’s been a joy sharing my passion with passersby, but I get a particular thrill out of the kids who show an interest in plants.
Mason follows me back to the garden, and like all the neighborhood children, he’s compelled to tiptoe along the low retaining wall next to the sidewalk. “You have a lot of plants!” he exclaims. Walking up the path, he contemplates my seven-foot Arctic Summer mullein. “Whoa.”
“Do you like that?” I ask.
He nods. “Yellow is my favorite color.” Exploring a side path, he stops to kneel at a dianthus showing a smattering of flowers. “I used to like these when I was little,” he says.
I try not to laugh. “When you were little. So, you’re a big kid now.”
“Yes,” he says matter-of-factly. “I’m five.”
I try to think of what might be interesting to a mature five-year-old. “This smells good,” I say, leading him to my dwarf myrtle, Myrtus communis subsp. tarentina. It’s rare in gardens here.
I pinch off a piece for him to sniff, and with barely a pause, he says, “Yeah, we have that.”
“I sincerely doubt it,” I think to myself.
Mason discovers my top pollinator plant, Calamintha nepeta, and marvels at all the bees on it. “Have you ever been stung by a bee?” I ask. He tells me that he once got stung by a yellow jacket.
“Ouch!” I say. “Did you cry?” As soon as I say it, I want to take it back. People don’t say that anymore. These days, boys are allowed to have feelings and express them. I brace for his reply, imagining something along the lines of, “I don’t really buy into that subculture of toxic masculinity, Amy.”
But Mason is nonplussed. “I didn’t cry,” he says. “I’m five.”
***
I’m watering the garden on a sunny afternoon when Mason pulls up on his bike, followed by his mom on foot. Right away, he sees something amiss. “MOM,” he says in a loud whisper. “She’s watering the LEAVES.”
Apparently, Jessica has been told that wet leaves can burn in the sun, and I tell her that’s a myth.
Jess has gotten into gardening lately, and I want to do all I can to help. She points out a plant that she really likes, my Quicksilver hebe, and I say, “I’ve got an extra one you can have. Come on back.”
My back garden is a mess, but Mason has fun poking around the vegetable garden. Jess asks me what edibles I’m growing, and I tell her green beans, acorn squash, tomatoes, potatoes, peas earlier in the year, and strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Jess and I profess our love for green vegetables.
“I love green vegetables, too!” Mason announces.
Portland kids are cut from a different cloth. On not one but two occasions, I’ve actually witnessed a young child at the grocery store begging her mom to buy kale. So, I’m not completely shocked by Mason’s statement.
“What’s your favorite green vegetable?” I ask.
He thinks for a moment. “Mushrooms!”
***
I’m deadheading plants when Mason shows up solo. “What do you have that’s new?” he asks, scanning the garden. Before I can answer, he says, “Do you know what my favorite plant is?” I would love to know what his favorite plant is.
He marches up to my Blue Pearl sedum, an upright selection with big, round, blue-purple leaves and rich carmine-pink flowers. The boy has impeccable taste. “I like these, too, because we have some,” he adds, pointing to a clump of slightly prickly, green and gray sempervivums.
“I like the way they feel,” I tell him.
He touches one gently. “It feels like a cactus,” he says. His eyes light up. “Amy, do you know Aiden’s grandma?”
“No, can’t say I do,” I answer.
“She has a real cactus in her yard,” he says. Ah, I know the house. It’s just down the street. That robust prickly pear was one of the first plants I noticed when we moved to the neighborhood.
“You could have a cactus in your garden,” Mason suggests. “You could put it right here.” He points to an empty spot where I’ve just removed an underperforming ceanothus.
I chuckle at the thought of getting gardening advice from a five-year-old. Then I picture an opuntia in that spot—maybe that cute spineless variety—and I realize it would look absolutely smashing.
Mason hops on his bike. “I’m gonna go play with Aiden,” he says, already pedaling away.
“Thank you for visiting me, Mason,” I call out after him.
“You’re welcome,” he says.
I go inside and get on the computer, searching for a nursery that carries prickly pear cactus.
Thank you this touching post. 😉
Thanks, Brad!
Love this as a keen out of control gardener with a gorgeous two-year-old granddaughter already keen to help it was a lovely read
I actually could picture myself visiting that garden as the 5 yr. old- and probably would have said many dumb things while poking at your plants:)
No dumb questions or comments… it is a teaching garden!
This could be my favorite blog. Definitely world’s best@
Thanks, Mary! It is not the kind of writing I normally do, but it was fun to step out of my comfort zone.
The start of a beautiful friendship. Mason!
He will be joining our gardening group before long!
I think I’m going to have to get to know Mason and we can guerrilla garden in an Agave sometime when you’re out of town…
I do have an Agave bracteosa! I like it a lot.
I’m with Mason on your giant mullein: “Whoa.”
Great post. Now we’re waiting for the one where you show off your new prickly pear…
Thanks! I actually had to take out the mullein because it fell over onto the path. But it was a big hit while it lasted.
Great post! Mason seems like a future gardener to me!
Thank you, Matthew. I will try my best to turn him into a big plant nerd.
Love this post! I obviously did something really wrong with my kids. They sadly have NO interest in gardening…. Maybe it will change with age…? One can always hope.
I bet they will get into it when they are older. You planted the seed, it just takes time to germinate for some.
Maybe you and Mason can do a presentation together on the best plants? I would sit right in the front row! What a great post.
Thanks! I will see what he has on his schedule, he’s a pretty busy guy!
Just read this aloud to Bill. He laughed a lot and says it sounds like a novel. Really great writing. But then, you are a pro. Cheers.
That is really sweet of you to tell me that. That makes me feel so happy.
Love sharing with the neighborhood kids. I actually took one with me to a fabulous open garden – inspiring and learning from the next generation of gardeners.
I love seeing what catches their eye and enjoying the garden from a child’s viewpoint!
Great article, Amy! I really appreciate the way that you depicted your 5-year-old garden visitor. So typical for a 5-year-old to talk about “when I was young…” Extremely cute kid!
Thanks, Richard! This kid is freakin’ adorable.
Delightful! You really know how to tell a story, Amy – beautiful writing.
Thanks, Pam! It’s fun to write something other than just plant descriptions for a change.
Meeting the neighbor kids is one of the many great things about the way gardening gets you out there.
I have embraced the front garden as a public space and it’s a great way to meet neighbors of all ages.
Awww. Cute garden, suddenly even cuter through Mason’s eyes. I love this story.
What a charming story! I bet you’d put together a lovely collection of short stories revolving around your garden and plants…
I found your blog tonight, and based on this post, I know I will be spending a lot more time here. Thank you for sharing. x
Amy, thanks so much for capturing and cultivating “Mason’s” curious view of the garden..He really has some strong ideas and seems to be learning a lot about your garden…Thanks for sharing!!