Do you love plants? Is there something about gardens that continues to draw you in no matter what? Join the tribe. Plant Geeks R Us.

Some are horticultural professionals, and others couldn’t give you the botanical name of a plant to save their lives. No matter. We share a similar passion and it’s all about growth. This was on my mind tonight as I walked from garden to office and kitchen. Every room of the house celebrates plants and gardening in some manner.

In my office, there are dozens of volumes about gardening of course. But there are also shelves filled with publications that aren’t books but are prized as references nonetheless.

I know I’m not the only plant lover who can’t part with the Heronswood catalogs from the past. For many years they were a source of education, information and entertainment. Thank you, Dan Hinkley.

I remember talking to a friend in the late 1990’s who said that her husband forbid her to read the Heronswood catalog in bed at night. It seems that after he’d drifted off to sleep she’d be so delighted and engaged by Dan Hinkley’s writing that she would burst into laughter which would, of course, wake her husband up. I can relate to this. I still chuckle about the catalog listing that somehow diverged into a narrative about burying a failed bread dough in the garden before anyone else knew about the catastrophe.

In addition to plants and books about gardens, there are pieces of the garden throughout the house.

I picked a seed pod from one of my “party crashers” – Gomphocarpus physocarpus – and put it in my kitchen to admire for months. These “hairy balls” are a wonderful self-seeding annual that draws pollinators and smiles. A plant geek can’t resist savoring such a seed pod for months after the plant has died. This is a small piece of art… an original sculpture by Mother Nature that I am blessed to be able to view every day.

Most garden lovers also love good eating…what we raise in our own backyards is, after all, the tastiest food on earth. Today, December 10th, I harvested sweet, thick carrots. These, along with the kale and leeks I also picked out of the frosty garden were combined into a seasonal soup that I will savor for the next week.

The top inch of the soil was frozen today because the temperatures never climbed above freezing. But with the aid of a trowel I was able to pull a few dozen carrots. Some were cooked into soup and other will be roasted and frozen for future meals.

Food for the body, spirit, heart and mind. It’s all found in your own backyard. Join the tribe.