Gardens Hold Lesson for Armistice Day

Today marks the 90th anniversary of Armistice Day, the official end to WWI.  Armistice began during the 11th month, on the 11th day, at the 11th hour (11/11/1918 at 11:00 a.m.).  It wasn't until 1954 that Armistice Day became Veterans Day in the United States, as a way to honor the military service of all the nation's veterans. 

If you've read my blog before, you already know that Victory Gardens had their origins in WWI.  These gardens had important impacts on the homefront, not only because they produced much-needed food, but because they helped create a sense of common purpose and solidarity during a challenging time.  Victory Gardens were perhaps even more in the public eye during WWII, and again, represented a hugely successful mobilization of citizens on the American homefront.

But what about the importance of gardens to those most directly affected by war? There are documented accounts of German soldiers carefully maintaining gardens in trenches, of French soldiers planting flowers on the Western Front, of the importance of gardens/gardening to the recovery of hospitalized (and deeply traumatized) soldiers.  These kinds of stories, and more, are included in Defiant Gardens: Making Gardens in Wartime, written by Dr. Kenneth Helphand.  In his book, Helphand explores the significance of planting gardens against the backdrop of war. 

“Gardens promise beauty where there is none, hope over despair, optimism over pessimism, and finally life in the face of death,” Helphand said. “In trenches, ghettos, and camps, defiant gardens attempt to create normalcy in the midst of madness and order out of chaos.”

Helphand's book is deeply moving - even profound.  Not merely a history, it is a call to consider how gardens can work in our lives, today.  Helphand makes me consider the challenges others have faced.  When presented with their persistence and dedication to gardening, even when faced with imminent death (as in the case of Jewish inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto), I am humbled and awestruck.

"A Garden for Everyone. Everyone in a Garden."