The Idea of a Garden

Gardens that are no more are described by Sharon White throughout “Vanished Gardens.” But this does not upset Sharon for we still live with nature, and beauty all around. This idea of gardens is closest to Pollan’s seventh discussion “The garden doesn’t take it for granted that man’s impact on nature will always be negative. Perhaps he’s observed how his own garden has made this patch of land a better place, even by nature’s own standards. His garden has greatly increased the diversity and abundance of life in this place.” Everyone says nature is disappearing from our lives you just have to look deeper as Sharon proves in the morning glory. She sees “down the street from her the rubble and trash along the narrow alley by a house is covered by morning glories, bright blue flowers popping out over tires and plastic wrappers and pieces of wood.”(136) Sharon stated in one of her interviews that she felt nature is not disappearing, just changing. This goes directly with Pollan’s idea that the “environment in not, and has never been, a neutral, fixed backdrop; it is in fact alive, changing all the time.” “Vanishing Gardens” may even make a person cry for all this beauty and nature that was blossoming in the past is no more today. But this is not a sad book because we all believe in nature.