To nurture: “care for and encourage the growth or development of”
Dear Friends,
In the garden, I think of May as the nurturing month, where we continue to nurture the last of our fading winter plants and vegetables while nurturing the new seedlings for the coming season. The gardens are full of spring blossoms, the deciduous trees are leafing, and the birds are building their nests. But we also have the lettuces that are starting to fade, the celery that needs to be picked, and the last of our fall and winter avocados that need to be harvested.
The lettuce is ready to bolt, and in my garden, some already have. The different lettuces gave me a winter’s worth of salad and now will bloom into its beautiful flower, but as it does, the leaf loses its taste and is no longer edible. It takes away one aspect of giving nourishment and subsequently gives us bountiful flowers, a gift for the eye. It then goes to seed, to harvest, and plant for the next season. Nature gives us nourishment, beauty, and a way to preserve and to continue its existence, knowing we can count on it to revive, replenish and return year after year.
We here at the Gardens are a resilient group. It has been a hard year for all of us and our community. As we all hope the fading time of our “winter” experience will be in the past, we nurtured the Garden and our organization as best as we could during those dark days.
We are now in the process of blooming; the Gardens are open once again for docent-led tours. We are scheduling new events with all Covid precautions in mind. Our very versatile semi-virtual Children’s Science Program continues to serve children as they transition into the classroom with a new unit on plants coming soon.
The Virginia Robinson Gardens is a unique place. Not only is it a beautiful garden for all the community to enjoy, but it also is part of the history of the city of Los Angeles and Beverly Hills. We always invite you to be part of this special place.
Warmly,
Betty Rodriguez Goldstein
President of the Friends of Robinson Gardens
Leave a Reply