The author Michael Pollan says that a garden is “a place of many sacraments.” The many hours of communion I have taken in the gardens of my past, hours spent on my knees in supplication to forces I barely comprehend and cannot control, testify to the truth of his statement. As I garden in community with others—which I have done off and on over the years, in urban landscapes as well as rural—these sacraments are no longer taken alone but are more often shared with others. Through the group action that is required to achieve something that benefits all as much as it does me, I have received unexpected gifts that are not available to the solo gardener.

Mark Winne