Alice Anne Ellis

“To see a world in a grain of sand

And heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand

And eternity in an hour.”

William Blake, from “Auguries of Innocence”

All the plants in my garden have a story, a provenance. They remind me of the person who gave them.

Sometimes their seeds are lovely in their own right. Unlike cut flowers, cut stalks with seed pods will last years, gracing a vase with their spindly beauty and memories of gardening adventures.

Although our food supply chain distances us from these basics, without seeds, soil and insects, we die. Being in a garden helps remind us we are a part of nature, not apart from it.