By Patti Spezzaferro
“I spend all my free time in my garden
during the pandemic, and it shows.”-PRS member, Lydia Truce
On May 11th, Lydia Truce invited Peninsula Rose Society members to visit her beautiful rose garden in San Rafael. Fifteen lucky members, including myself, accepted her gracious invitation. Stepping into her backyard was a thriving paradise of roses, peonies, succulents, and much more. There was a sense of excitement in the air — our very first inperson PRS get-together after so many months. We started with a tour of the garden while slowly sipping an assortment of drinks, like ice tea, water, and chilled ros , and then marveled at the wonders of Lydia’s garden playground, an explosion of colors, scents, and textures. Her ability to mix plants so beautifully and effortlessly was so evident. After the tour, we lunched on cheese, cold cuts, frittata, crab cakes, salad with delicious desserts of lemon curd tarts and cheesecake.
Before I ventured back to the Peninsula, I needed to know Lydia’s secret. How did she keep her garden looking so fabulous? Lydia explained, “During the pandemic, I had so much time on my hands that I naturally gravitated to caring for my garden. It’s amazing how much your garden improves if you spend time watching, listening, and studying your plants.”
Lydia is not alone. COVID gardening has gained popularity during the pandemic, with more people working from home and wanting to grow their food and create an oasis of calm and tranquility. As a result, gardening sales broke records in 2020, with Burpee Seed Company selling more seed in March than any time in their 144-year-old history. Johnny’s Selected Seed also saw a 270% increase in average sales. At David Austin Roses in Texas, the demand has been so high that in 2021, the breeder had to limit the supply they made available to wholesale growers. This phenomenon is not only felt in America but globally as well. The pandemic has made people desire to have a sense of control over their food, lives, and future, and gardening provides that.
The shift in people’s perspective about their homes has forced them to look at what they need to thrive. Here are just a few benefits gardening can provide.
• A sense of control in uncertain times
• The opportunity to bring nature home during a time when many parks were closed and trips canceled
• Escape from life’s anxieties
• A sense of serenity in the place where we now spend much of our time
• Food security and nourishment
• A sense of well-being from nurturing living things
• An enthusiasm from finding a new passion
I welcome you to keep thriving by keeping your love of roses alive by attending Zoom PRS Monthly Meetings, Zoom Thursdays, PRS member’s garden tours, and participating in the Annual Rose Photo Exhibit.
Keeping you in the know
Here is what we talked about at our PRS May Board meeting:
• when we can go back to indoor meetings in Redwood City
• a memorial bench for past president Barbara Todd
• introducing payment option as Zelle to our members
• looking for a talented graphic designer to design our PRS logo
Peninsula Rose Society welcomes your comments or suggestions at
[email protected]. That’s it now. Take good care, and don’t forget to take time to smell the roses.