I have great memories of being a boy, and spending weekends at Garden Centers.  I know that isn’t typical, but nonetheless they are fond memories.  My Dad, and his Dad, and a few generations back (all the way to 1855) were in the business of supplying  “feed and seed” to first local farmers, and then before I was born,  garden centers.  This meant that my family was friends with other families all around our area.  I got to look forward to those hops into the front seat of my Dads car to go see them.  At many of these garden centers, they had their own kids working right alongside the owners.  I was part of something really great!

            Now fast forward to today.  I have put some thought into why I perk up when I get invited to visit a garden center in a different town.  I thought this was a silly thing to look forward to, but now I think it is really profound in a way.

            When I was a child, traveling was exciting.  When we went to a new state, it was like being in a foreign country.  The people spoke funny, they had little nuances of dress, and body language.  It was a treat to eat the local food, and listen to the radio and TV.

            Nowadays I could drive from Maine to Tijuana and eat at Denny’s for breakfast, Wendy’s for lunch and Applebee’s every night.  Rush Limbaugh, and Dr. Laura have displaced the local radio personalities.  I would stay at a Holiday Inn, and realize that the accents have all morphed into our shared TV language of today…. Can you feel me?

            When I go to Garden Centers… real live family owned Garden Centers, I get what may be one of the last tastes of that deeper richer America.   If you try this you will find some truths.  First of all, it will look different.  You see all of these Garden Centers have different green goods, and different season changes, and different customers to work with.  Of course they all look and feel different. 

            The families you find there will be the salt of the earth kind of families that make our country great.  They may be Japanese, or Mexican, or Anglo, or any other shade between black and white.   What they have in common is hard work, the desire to build a business with their family.  These folks have to care about customers, and they are embedded deep into their communities.

            So, my gift to myself is the project of touring all of the “Great American Garden Centers.”  Right now I have about 100 in mind.   I bet that the process of seeing these, will lead to some I don’t even know about being added.  I want to take photos, shake hands and take notes.  In the end, I think this will be a catalog of America.  I hope that the reader will see their town in the tapestry that blankets our towns and our families with beautiful lawns, gardens and homegrown tomatoes.