Two friends came to see me one morning in May.
They’d each built a house on the outskirts of town.
These two neighbors were ready to put in their yards,
and since I’m a gardener of fame and renown
and they knew me, they came with wallet in hand
to ask if for each I would draw a design
for a landscape, a plan that would bring them great joy,
a landscape as lush and attractive as mine.
I went out to see their new homes and took note
of all the conditions I’d have to address.
Details are important. I always make sure
I leave nothing to chance. I don’t like to guess.
When my work was completed, I showed each his plan,
explaining the details, and stressing the need
to prepare well the soil. “Please, never forget:
good ground makes it easy to keep out the weeds.
Your plants need a medium in which they can thrive.
Your ground is a mixture of cobbles and clay.
The plan first requires the soil be purged,
that rocks be extracted and carted away.
Next, compost and sand must be tilled in their place,
well under the surface, so roots will reach deep.
The ground must be workable, fertile, and clean.
so whatever you sow, you’ll abundantly reap.
Then trench out the line between plantings and lawn,
each trench a foot deep, also twelve inches wide.
Half fill them with gravel on which you will build
6-inch walls made of concrete with re-bar inside.
“This mow strip on gravel will serve to define
the boundary that separates gardens from grass.
The plants that you grow will find safety within
a place into which choking grass will not pass.
Lay pipe in the trenches and sprinklers that rise
to water the soil you’ve so well prepared.
If properly placed they will temper the drought;
so when rains fail to fall your yard will be spared.
Next fill in the trenches and put in the grass.
Level the soil. Plant trees, shrubs, and seeds.
Thin the seedlings as needed. Don’t water too much.
Fertilize often, and keep out the weeds.”
Both friends thanked me kindly. I gave each his plan.
One rolled up his sleeves and began right away.
He oftentimes asked me for further advice.
He was eager for council, and quick to obey.
He followed my lead to the letter and gave
his very best effort. He worked long and hard.
There were often delays, but he stuck to the plan,
looking forward in faith to a beautiful yard.
And after a summer of sweat, strain, and toil,
with all things made ready, all details in place,
he put in the plants and he broadcast the seed,
then watched as they grew with a smile on his face.
Now he labors with love. He labors with zeal.
The joy of his harvest was well worth the deed.
Every year he adds compost, phosphorus, and sand,
so the soil stays fertile and easy to weed.
The plants in his care are the best they can be.
The depth of the soil allows them to grow.
The sprinklers supply all the moisture required.
My friend’s strict obedience has made it all so.
And often he thanks me for what I have done,
for my knowledge and skill, for providing the plan
that brings him such joy; and he still seeks advice.
I’m happy to help and do all that I can.
My other good friend was slow to begin.
His efforts were lacking in fervor and zeal.
The work was exhausting. The cost seemed too high.
My plan for his landscape soon lost its appeal.
He soon became weary of picking up rocks.
There were so many. Why suffer the pain?
He raked them up quickly. Why waste all that time?
Those not near the surface were allowed to remain.
He skimped on the compost. He skimped on the sand.
The soil seemed loose enough. Why till again?
If he went any deeper he’d bring up more rocks.
Stage one of his project was finished. Amen!
And why trench a whole foot for mow strip and pipe?
The black plastic edging he’d seen in the store
was much less expensive to buy and install.
No gravel required. Twelve inches? No, four.
When needed, he’d water his yard with a hose.
Omitting the sprinklers would save cost and mess.
His yard when he finished would look just as good
as that of his neighbor and cost so much less.
So he planted perennials, shrubbery, and trees.
By the fourth of July, his labor was done.
But the heat of the summer showed him his error.
The work he’d thought finished had only begun.
His soil when watered turned crusty and hard.
The roots of his plants had nowhere to grow.
The moisture remained on the surface, unless
he broke up the crust with his shovel or hoe.
With roots small and shallow, and soil so dry,
some plants needed watering most every day,
while the shrubs he had planted from nursery stock
almost drowned in the holes he had dug in the clay.
And such frequent water gave refuge and home
to an endless assortment of wind-carried seeds.
The conditions that thwarted perennials and flowers
were ideal conditions for all kinds of weeds.
And the black plastic edging was simply no match
for the grass that joined weeds, invading the space
reserved for his flowers, as it too took root
and advanced o’re the ground at a resolute pace.
My friend was determined at first and he tried
very hard to protect the plants in his care
from the weeds and the grass, but where, he inquired,
was the joy and reward he had hoped to find there?
The plants and the flowers he sacrificed for
showed so little progress; so little, indeed,
if he left them alone neglecting their care,
it was hard to distinguish the plants from the weeds.
Discouraged and weary, the gardener at last
gave up and abandoned his yard to its fate.
He had neither the knowledge nor will to make right
the wrongs that had lead to his unhappy state.
And sometimes in anger and envy he looks
through the hole in the fence at the yard next door,
and reasons within, “it’s the plan that was flawed;
I did all I could; I could do nothing more.”
Young parents in Zion, this parable hear.
If you want to grow children, follow God’s plan.
Make sure that the ground of your life is prepared.
For if it is not, though you do all you can,
you will sparingly reap, if you’ve hurriedly sown
in soil that’s shallow, compacted, or dry;
or lacks the ingredients, the compost and sand
of faith and obedience. For though you may try
to nurture your children outside heaven’s plan,
the weeds and the grass of the world will prevail.
If they grow without models of covenants made
and of covenants kept, your children may fail.
But know too, dear parents, it’s never too late
to roll up your sleeves, to till up the soil,
and take out the rocks, add in compost and sand;
and mow strips and sprinklers are well worth your toil.
As you labor in love, as you labor with joy,
the children you harvest will follow your lead
every day as you nurture and strengthen the soil.
Good ground makes it easy to keep out the weeds.

I love outdoor spaces, especially beautiful gardens. I became a landscape architect because I wanted to create them. I especially enjoyed those times when I also built what I had designed. The several years I spent designing and constructing residential gardens also gave me the chance to work side by side with my son every summer during his high-school years and the year before his mission. Few fathers have that opportunity. Looking back now on those years, I know now that more important than the personal satisfaction I gained from making my creations become reality was the opportunity to teach my son the value of hard work and to share with him the satisfaction that comes from a job well done. It was also fitting that our last design/build project together was our gift of gratitude to God for that opportunity: the site for the “Family and the Covenant” statue on Logan’s Tabernacle Square.

Because of that part of my life’s experience, it was only a matter of time before I wrote a poem using planning and building a garden as a metaphor for raising children. My clients would often tell me that they wanted a beautiful yard that was maintenance free, and they were always disappointed when I told them that there was no such thing; I designed gardens for those who loved to garden, and although my role was to make their garden as enjoyable for them as was possible, maintaining its beauty would require their consistent best effort. Reflecting on the details that make a garden manageable, and therefore enjoyable, gave me the material to extend the metaphor.