There is this divide
Between cleaner, horticulturist, and designer That always needs to be navigated. I always say "The greatest problem we face Is the word 'Landscaper.' Fifty years ago, it worked. It was primarily a construction term. Then in the 70s and 80s There was a massive economic shift To a service economy, and Transformed "landscaper" Into a weekly lawn mowing service. You come to me To care for your landscape - "Ornamental horticulture" Is the field, The profession - But you imagine our work In weekly intervals; You imagine our work As if we are the manicurists and cleaners. We clean and manicure As just a part of the work of caring, But our production isn't organized Around the interval of lawn mowing. Our cycles are seasonal Tied to the snow's thaw The blooming of spring bulbs And the dropping of flowers from the shrubbery. The soil drys in the summer And we can work it Turn it Build new beds And set solid foundations. As the summer nights cool in early August We can sow turfgrass. Soon the leaves start to turn And we transplant, And as the leaves fall We clean them up and plant the bulbs for the spring. We celebrate the holidays Rest Design And begin again as the snow thaws. But the word landscaper Has been completely subsumed By weekly intervals And I can't for the life of me Figure out how to communicate that With Modesty Without sounding elitist I'm trying to give consult and care But there is a line that cuts you every seventh day And you can't feel it; But it makes me cry. Comments are closed.
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AuthorFrom Matthew Dore, the "I" voice of Buffalo Horticulture and "The Buff Hort Project." Archives
April 2022
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