The Future of Open Days, by Patrick MacRae

The Future of Open Days

Audrey Hepburn famously declared that “to plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.” Literally and metaphorically, what we do today impacts us tomorrow, next month, and next year. In our gardens, we nurture and build the soil; we sow seeds; we prune and rejuvenate; we trade favorite plants with friends who share our curiosity and passion. Everything that we do today is in anticipation of the bright and beautiful future that we know is to come. Likewise, the foundation that Open Days has built over 25 years has prepared us wonderfully for the next 25. We are deeply grateful to the nationwide Open Days community of gardeners and enthusiasts who have made the Garden Conservancy a leading voice championing the cultural significance of gardens. Much has changed in the world over 25 years, and much is certain to change over the next 25. What has not changed is the human desire to learn and explore; to discover and create community; and to do our part to make the world a better, more hospitable, and healthier place. Now more than ever before, there is a global understanding that gardening indeed can help change the world. We now understand better than ever that gardens are much more than just beautiful places. In an increasingly fragmented world, our gardens are places that celebrate the natural world and where we have an opportunity to help heal the damage done to the planet. Scientific understanding of the environment, soil ecology, hydrology, and the complexity of nature has grown by leaps and bounds. Gardening practices increasingly reflect our appreciation that actions we take on our plots of land have an observable impact on the health of the environment. As the gardening public becomes more informed, our gardens in turn have become vital sanctuaries for birds, pollinators, and native plant species and we are better equipped to make a positive difference. Gardening also has positive impacts on our physical and psychological health. Working outside with plants can help to cure “nature-deficit disorder,” especially in children. We know that in times of crisis, people turn to their gardens or start a garden for the first time, in order to develop a sense of permanence, optimism, and hope. There is mounting evidence that routine access to the outdoors has a positive impact on lifestyle diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity, and that gardening is one of the most accessible ways to connect time spent outdoors to a sense of purpose. The act of gardening—of pruning and digging and planting—develops and maintains our fine motor skills. Gardening—and garden visiting—also stimulates our creativity and inspires us to learn more and to develop our abilities as artists and craftspeople. It helps keep our minds sharp and contributes to our sense of intellectual fulfillment. Those of us who garden in order to grow some of our own food also understand the benefits to our health from eating food grown directly in our backyards or in containers on our terraces. Any child can tell you that a berry never tastes better than when it’s picked straight from the bush. And eating that berry, warmed by the sunshine, creates a lifelong memory in the mind of a young person. Gardening benefits our society, too. Over the past two decades and more, we’ve seen an enormous uptick in the prevalence of community gardens. We’ve seen abandoned lots in urban food deserts transformed into spaces where fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables become readily available. Interesting and unusual plants that would never be found even in the most well-stocked grocery store are grown in many community gardens. The gardens are places where complex and diverse cultural relationships to plants and to food are celebrated and nurtured. We’ve also seen an explosion in the popularity of houseplants, particularly in young urban populations without access to a garden plot. We’ve witnessed an increase in “guerrilla gardens,” gardens that are cultivated, often without explicit permission, adjacent to sidewalk strips, in medians, and in public rights of way. All of these break the mold of the traditional garden, while they profoundly contribute to the fabric of America’s diverse gardening traditions. Those houseplant-obsessed young people are gardening, and they are likely to continue to garden throughout their lives, perhaps in ever-more sophisticated and innovative ways. The gardens cropping up in the medians are often carefully designed and expertly tended, and speak to the human desire to grow something wherever and however we can. Open Days is, above all else, a celebration of how and why we garden. The Garden Conservancy recently adopted a new mission: to preserve, share and celebrate America’s gardens and diverse gardening traditions. Together with our newly adopted vision that the Garden Conservancy will be the champion and steward of the vital role that gardens play in America’s history, culture, and quality of life, we are challenged to rethink and expand the notion of the outstanding American garden. Throughout the history of Open Days, we have shared gardens of exceptional quality in terms of design, horticultural merits, or unique character. We remain committed to the value of excellence. However, a garden need not have an incredible design to be outstanding. A garden need not have a deep collection of important plants to be worthy of sharing through Open Days. Outstanding gardens are gardens that touch the soul; gardens that contribute to the vitality of the community in which they exist; gardens that connect people to their culture and history. In a food desert, a community garden that provides fresh fruit and vegetables to its neighbors is nothing if not outstanding. Over the course of the next several years, we anticipate that through Open Days, we will champion more gardens of different sizes, styles, and character than before. We will make more inroads into urban environments and seek out pocket gardens and rooftop gardens and gardens that otherwise reflect the new ways in which people are connecting with the land. We will seek out gardens that support the environment, that contribute to our sense of

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.

wellness, and that positively impact our society. We will forge new and vibrant partnerships with like-minded organizations and individuals who share our conviction that access to gardens is a fundamental component of the human right to access greenspace. In doing so, we will expand the impact of Open Days in ways that we’ve just begun to realize. Open Days is and will remain focused on sharing and celebrating America’s wonderful private gardens. Our partnerships, like the one we’ve recently developed with the Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, RI, will create opportunities to showcase the amazing creativity happening in peoples’ backyards as well as the life-affirming and community-empowering work happening in more public spaces. Open Days isn’t an either/or program, it’s a both/ and program. We can do more, and we will do more. Our work is only beginning. We face the future with bright eyes and enthusiasm. As we seek to build and diversify our coalition, we are also deeply grateful for our community of dedicated supporters who have been with us from the beginning. We invite you to join us and to bring along your friends, family, children, and grandchildren. Share your own garden, and join us in visiting even more gardens. Open Days is a program that belongs to everyone, always. We’ve planted our proverbial garden; over 25 years, we’ve watched Open Days grow into something we are immensely proud to share. We certainly believe in tomorrow.

Patrick MacRae Director of Public Programs and Education