I started writing this blog on a whim back in February as a means to document all that I do in my gardens. I had no preconceived notion as to where it was going and never mapped out where I wanted it to go. It was a harmless venture and a chance to show my friends and family that I actually knew what I was talking about when it came to plants and gardening. I also welcomed the chance to make them laugh.

It took a while, but eventually I figured out how to promote it to other gardeners. The thrill of reading those first comments will never leave me. They were inspiring, educational, warm and most of all, they energized me in a way I never anticipated.

Where am I going with this based on the title of the post? Allan Becker was one of those early readers who left comments and inspired me. He was obviously super educated in all things gardening and the fact that he took the time to read my nonsense and comment on it meant so much. His comments were heartfelt, full of great information and a sort of “push” to continue doing what I was doing. He has managed to stick along for the ride and finally one day recently, the idea hit me. Ask Allan to write a guest post here.

Well, he has graciously agreed to do so but before I get to that, a few words on Allan.

Allan Becker is a professional garden designer out of Montreal, Canada. He has been doing so since the 1960’s (sorry about the age reveal!) and today oversees the work of his young apprentices, passing on his knowledge to them all.

Allan blogs at http://allanbecker-gardenguru.squarespace.com/. I have been an avid reader of his site the past year and can tell you it is not to be missed. In fact, I’m sure you are reading it already but had to pass on to you all in case you were not reading it. Allan’s writing reminds me of a mentor sharing information in a humble way, knowing he enjoys passing on his years of experience to his readers. My favorite post of his to date, can be found by clicking here. It covers the argument of garden bloggers giving out advice and the role of garden bloggers as a whole.                     

One last comment before his guest post. I never expected Allan to write what he did below. I was not looking for any “props”. After reading the post, it really opened my eyes to the psychology behind my own blog and the approach I take to writing it. The post put a big old smile on my face this morning and I hope you enjoy it.              

Express Yourself!      
Allan Becker

Three mentors inspired me to garden. I met them all in the summer of my 17th birthday. That was the year that my parents moved my brother and I to a new home surrounded by many empty flower beds. The arrival of a new family on the street kindled some curiosity among the neighbors but most of it came from three gentlemen who were anxious to know what we intended to do with the empty beds.

My father had no interest in ornamental gardening. He wanted only to grow tomatoes and cucumbers. It surprised me that I was the far more willing participant in the neighbors’ zeal to fill our bed with flowers. It also fascinated me that, although the three men were not friends, they shared common traits. All were successful, hard working businessmen with a preference for gardening over golf; and all had children who did not demonstrate interest in their fathers’ hobbies. Each man was eager to invite me into his particular horticultural world and all of them were generous with the time they devoted to me. One neighbor, whose specialty was hardy perennials, taught me how to propagate plants. The second, wild about compost, instilled in me a love for richly amended soil. The third was a British émigré who introduced roses into our limited perennial assortment to create English-style gardens.

Although the three men shared a passion for gardening, none were able to express how they felt. This non-occurrence took place during the early 1960’s. Anyone who has been following the TV series Mad Men understands that, back then, men did not have a vocabulary for expressing how they felt about anything. Well, almost anything. We sure knew how to scream and bellow when our favorite athlete scored a goal or a touchdown. However, verbalizing a passion for gardening was not an integral part of any man’s lexicon. After all, this was a time when ecstatic public expressions were reserved for pre-teen girls watching Elvis Presley gyrate on television.

Nevertheless, any one paying close attention would notice that when these men spoke about gardening, their eyes would widen, their voices would quiver and wide grins would stretch across their faces. Unfortunately, while they were very successful in transmitting their gardening fervor to me, they were poor role models for teaching me how to communicate that enthusiasm to others. After all, how might a 17 year old boy reveal that his passion for gardening was almost as strong as his love for his girl friend?

Years later, when I began to blog about gardening, I discovered that I was handicapped, compare to most other writers. I had not yet found a comfortable way to describe how I felt without sounding over the top. Consequently, I avoided writing about how gardening touched me, deep inside. To communicate my emotions when describing plants, I resorted to using multiple adjectives, to stretching the boundaries of hyperbole, and to milking metaphors. And then, one day I discovered Jon Markowski’s blog and garden writing has never been the same for me.

It’s not important if John does or does not speak that way in every day life. What counts is that the ONG’s dialogue is an effective literary device. Where I live, his is a colloquial language usually spoken by an oafish, yet lovable television character that one only meets while watching a sit-com or reality show. I presume that in the actual world, people who do speak that way usually revert to proper English when they write. But not John’s ONG. This character stays in character in order to communicate with humorous, but powerful, feelings.

The way I see it, John has created a very endearing character who has given him the framework in which to express his own intense enthusiasm for gardening, without sounding sappy. He is realistic without being over dramatic. Instead of hyperbole or metaphors, we read humorous dialogue. The message is delivered by a stereotype who, in mainstream culture, is the most unlikely person in the world to ever take up gardening. Yet, this character says it like it is. There is no misunderstanding the passion about gardening that he delivers.

With the very first post that I read, the ONG disarmed me by demonstrating that it is possible to wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve without attracting ridicule. His honesty became a powerful drug for me, and now I eagerly check my Reader, every day, looking for his newest blog. In the end, I have become more candid when writing my own postings. A warmer, friendlier style is trying to emerge from my keyboard and when it does, I enjoy every liberating moment.

Coincidentally, John discovered my blog, as well. Eventually, he wrote some nice things about me. Attached to his words has been the noun mentor. I am profoundly moved by this honor because I never set out to earn it and doubt that I have ever before deserved it. What an ironic situation this has turned out to be. I have been gardening for at least 50 years longer than John; I’ll bet that I am old enough to be his father. Yet, in the art of expressing one’s passion about gardening, unashamedly and with candor, I am proud to reveal that, unknown to him, John has become my mentor. And this has occurred in cyberspace between two people who have never met and have never spoken. As the persona of the ONG might say, “Go figure!”