The North American continent is home to a vast of plants. From the southern tropics and deserts to the northern forests, there is flora unique to each landscape. What knits this whole American landscape together is a heritage, and the garden is the green heart of this heritage
Gardening is a tradition you can find anywhere there are plants and people. It was once necessary as many families had to maintain a personal garden to supply themselves with food and medicine. This practice of survival gradually turned into a tradition of self-sufficiency. The garden became the epicenter of a heritage, where knowledge of the plants was passed down to the succeeding generations.
Today, this practice has largely been replaced by industry and technology. Most people no longer need to garden, their needs being met by the market. That means the wisdom of the native environment and how to grow food. The properties of plants have been roughly lost. Some still gravitate to the garden as a hobby or a way to find solace in nature.
Now more than ever, there is a need to reclaim this forgotten heritage, to restore this part of America that is perpetually getting shoved under concrete. Unsustainable practices in the industry have unarguably proven lethal to the natural environment. Countless unique and valuable ecosystems are being permanently erased in favor of urban development, which, as we should now know, is not a sustainable practice that will benefit man on this planet in the long term
. Plants and trees will forever provide food, medicine, and resources so long as we can cultivate them sustainably. With each herb or tree planted, a little bit of true America has been recovered. Self-sufficiency is a lost tradition cultivated from the land, not an unstable system. To reclaim this American identity is to rebuild our gardens into flourishing habitats – one plant at a time.
Our gardens can be viewed as a life insurance plan extending down the family line. Planting a pecan or walnut tree guarantees a satiating harvest for our children years later. That ultimately means less work for our kids, who inherit an already established, thriving, and healthy way of life. In the meantime, we can enjoy the satisfaction of restoring a green America.
Tammy Sons, Tennessee Wholesale Nursery