The Fragrant Garden and Memories of Memorial Days Past
By Margaret Ann Lembo
“When I smell certain floral scents, I am immediately transported to my childhood garden. I am always grateful for the reminder, as my first and happiest memories are of time spent with my mother in that wonderful place.
We had a small front yard and backyard at our Brooklyn row house. In our neighborhood, trees lined the streets, and the backyards of the houses that backed up to our yard were a series of blooming gardens. Our garden was filled with many treasures—from pussy willows and forsythia to eggplants and tomatoes and from azaleas and crocus to iris, lily of the valley, and sweet pea. My mother and I talked to the plants, weeded the garden, and nourished the soil with coffee grounds and eggshells.
The garden experience traveled with us to our summer home at the beach in Breezy Point, New York. It didn’t occur to me until I was an adult that my mom—with me as her personal garden fairy—had actually grown an amazing garden in beach sand! Every year on Memorial Day weekend, we would leave Brooklyn to open the summerhouse and start the garden. On the way, we would pick up peat moss, cow manure, and starter plants. Once there, we would prepare the ground for the coming season. We would bury fish heads, kitchen cuttings from vegetables, and seaweed I had collected from the shoreline to nourish and nurture the plants. Little did I know, we were composting. It was just what we did, and I am so grateful that these gardening experiences taught me to connect with the energy of the plants at a young age and to understand its value today.
I was happy to have the tasks of weeding and watering. With my hose in hand, I would imagine the plants with fully mature flowers or vegetables. I would make believe I was pouring nutrients and good energy into the roots through the water from the hose. I’d imagine I was part of the book The Secret Garden, working with my imaginary friends to bring the garden to life. This book and the many years of growing up in the garden inspired me to follow my spiritual path as well as create my store and spiritual center, The Crystal Garden. The book The Secret Garden takes the reader on a journey in which faith restores health and flowers renew the spirit. I believe in the magic of the garden and nature—plants, animals, fairies, and the elemental energies—as gifts from the earth to remember our soul contracts and recover our body, mind, and spirit.”
~an excerpt from The Essential Guide to Aromatherapy and Vibrational Healing
Today I have a garden in my yard in what is essentially beach sand. Sunflowers and magnolias and roses are growing along with pineapple, peppers, gladiolas, tomatoes, papayas, figs, bananas, tropical ginger, and so much more. Take a little peek into my garden…
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Bio: Margaret Ann Lembo is the author of Animal Totems and the Gemstone Kingdom; Animal Allies and Gemstone Guardians Cards; The Essential Guide to Crystals, Minerals and Stones; The Essential Guide to Aromatherapy and Vibrational Healing; and many more. She is an evolutionary aromatherapist, and the owner of The Crystal Garden — the conscious living store of the Palm Beaches established in 1988. www.MargaretAnnLembo.com TheCrystalGarden.com