If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ~CiceroI spent some time at a gardening centre yesterday. It was a little like being at a library, but unfortunately, it was a little busier.
The staff were almost run off their feet. Their reference skills were extraordinary.
One woman started me off, then excused herself for five minutes while I browsed, helped two other customers, returned and guided me through several areas of the centre looking at vines, a trellis, pots, she hauled 6 bags of soil and manure onto a trolly for me. Most impressive was the way she constantly asked questions to elicit further information about what my needs were, adjusting them slightly as we went along... full sun, but actually shaded roots due to a balcony wall...lot's of space, want to grow up not out though, a bit windy, so need hardy plants, soil blowing away last summer, need more mushroom manure, have a pet so avoid poisonous nightshade varieties. It's complex.
Anyways, at the end of it all, I realized that the trellis probably wouldn't fit into my car. A elderly woman overheard as she was loading her SUV and asked where I was headed to (another neighbourhood entirely). I informed her, and she offered to drop it off for me. We started folding down seats and measuring the width of her vehicle. A complete stranger! What unbelievable kindness. But alas, it didn't really fit into her car, and I thanked her anyways. There is such a comradery among gardeners. When browsing the same area as other people, it wasn't unusual for a conversation to be struck up. Total strangers would frequently smile at me. What a wonderful place, I think I shall go there more often. It's too bad that the library isn't a bit more like the gardening centre.
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