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Gardening inspires Los Gatan to write book
By Shari Kaplan
When she works in her garden, shaded beneath a broad-brimmed straw hat, Diane Dreher could easily be mistaken for a dryad rather than a human being.
In fact, the Los Gatos author has much in common with the wood nymphs of myth. Slender in body and fair of face with a ready smile and a soothing voice, Dreher sees her garden--and indeed all of nature--as a sacred space that both gives energy to and receives energy from its caretakers.
A gardener who feels at home in the outdoors as she does inside, Dreher reveals that she is a Taurus, which is considered the "earthiest" of the earth signs in the traditional zodiac.
"Gardening reminds us that we are a part of nature, not apart from it. We're here to honor nature, not dominate it," says Dreher, who just released her sixth book, Inner Gardening: Four Seasons of Cultivating the Soil and the Spirit. Several of her earlier books also dealt with spiritual topics. Among them are The Tao of Womanhood and The Tao of Inner Peace.
Divided into four parts, Inner Gardening offers practical gardening tips from a dedicated green thumb, with a look at the more ethereal side of gardening. This includes inspirational quotations, questions, poems and various historical and spiritual reflections and parables.
One of Dreher's favorite metaphors springs to mind when she thinks of a favorite flower: "California poppies have more common sense than a lot of California people," she says, referring to the orange flowers' habit of closing up at night or during adverse conditions, then opening fully and brightly the next day.
Dreher says it bothers her that too many people are getting by on too little rest--either their hectic jobs demand it, or their partying lifestyles encourage it. Studies have shown that long-term sleep deprivation can lead to a number of physical and emotional problems.
Although Inner Gardening is not a panacea for all that ails society or its members, Dreher believes it contains ideas for everyone. For her, the ideas are second nature.
"In one way, I've been writing this book all my life; I've always loved gardening!" she says. A more direct impetus, she adds, came after she and husband Robert "Bob" Numan moved into their current home a few years ago. The eclectic gardens surrounding the property are what Dreher calls "a paradise" left by former owners and longtime Los Gatans Betty and Harold Johnson, who moved to the Sacramento area.
"Before we moved, I was mainly a vegetable gardener. In the new garden, something was in bloom at all times! Our first year there, it was like a show. Part of living there was getting to know everything. It was like buried treasure," she relates with a sense of wonder.
Armed with a field guide and a garden journal, Dreher learned about, and kept notes on, all the "unidentified sprouting objects," until she truly knew her new neighbors from the plant kingdom.
"Then I realized, 'Wow! I'm writing a book about this!" she recalls, with a laugh. References to many of Betty Johnson's former charges found their way into Dreher's reflective book, from the avocado and redwood trees Johnson tended from their childhood to dozens of fragrant and colorful flowers that offer a perennial rainbow without the rain.
The property also contains many mature trees and backs up to a greenbelt with more trees, especially oaks. Dreher says the ambiance reminds her of a private retreat.
As with any retreat, hers is a source of peace, meditative energy and refreshment on all levels: physical, mental and spiritual.
"Being in touch with Nature shows us that there are other rhythms to life. In the Renaissance, they believed that when people cultivated their gardens, they also cultivated their souls," says Dreher, who holds a doctorate degree in Renaissance literature and is a tenured English professor at Santa Clara University.
Dreher says she, too, believes that taking care of a garden--just as having a friendship or a marriage--involves developing a healthy relationship that must be cultivated in order to last. Gardening, she adds, is also a moving experience, simply because it shows the interconnection of all things.
"Garden years are not linear; they go in continues cycles. The end of one touches the beginning of another. I think it gives people hope and reassurance to see the new beginnings," she says, smiling.
Inner Gardening may by purchased at the Barnes & Noble bookstore on the Santa Clara University Campus. It will be available at the Borders Books in Los Gatos soon. Dreher will also be at book signings at various local bookstores this summer.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
