海角大神

True to his transplanted Southern roots, is a passionate proponent of . 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think you should ever have to buy a flower,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you have a flower someone likes, give them a little piece. Sharing 鈥� that鈥檚 what gardening is about.鈥�

This simple act of horticultural presentation will do you good in two ways, Mr. McGhee says:

1) You get this feel-good sense of accomplishment: 鈥淕iving someone a plant, and then seeing it grow in their garden, it鈥檚 like going over to their house and seeing [your] artwork on their wall. You see it and think: 鈥業 did that.鈥� 鈥�

2) Your garden receives an injection of history and character: 鈥淲hen someone gives you a plant, you think of them every time you walk by it. The man who works on my car gave me some plants. I have a couple things my mother gave me before she died. She brought plants on the plane. I鈥檝e got rocks from people in my former office. I was the crazy guy who wanted rocks. I think of these people every day. It鈥檚 history right in the garden. In gardening, you find another way to relate to people.鈥�

McGhee gardens at the Des Moines, Iowa, home he shares with his wife. They do not, however, share garden duties.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not big outdoorsmen 鈥� neither one of us,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut I like to garden. I鈥檒l be out there all day long. My family always knows where to find me. My wife doesn鈥檛 garden, but she likes to show it to people.鈥�

The garden descends abruptly behind the house in what are now four tiers or terraces. (鈥淏efore, it was a big nothing.鈥�) Up high 鈥� closest to the house 鈥� is a brick and stone patio and dining area. As the garden gets farther and farther from the house, the formality is lessened. By the time you get down to the stream, the garden is almost a woodland.

鈥淢y concept is to bring the garden all the way to the house. It鈥檚 a big hanging garden,鈥� says McGhee, who, when he isn鈥檛 wearing garden togs, dons the robes of a judge. 鈥淵ou can sit almost anywhere and get a different perspective. You should have different feels in a garden 鈥� different mood areas: quiet, serene, hectic. I鈥檓 trying. I haven鈥檛 done it yet.鈥�

And despite 鈥� or maybe because of 鈥� the formality of court proceedings, he views his garden as anything but. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe in having too formal of a garden. I don鈥檛 like eight of the same plants in a row. I like highs and lows. I like things to brush up against each other.鈥�

McGhee began gardening as a child, growing up in Mississippi the son of a sharecropper.

鈥淚鈥檓 a country boy 鈥� never grew out of it. My mother always had a flower garden, and my father always had . I went out a few times and picked cotton. I鈥檝e cut down sugar cane.

鈥淭imes were hard. But it was also heaven. Money was never a problem because we never had any. We gave to people 鈥� vegetables, flowers, baking. And people gave to us. Everybody shared.鈥�

Everybody 鈥� even though in hard-time Mississippi 鈥� had at least a few flowers.

鈥淢y mother stressed that you should surround yourself with a little beauty. Even in a world gone awry, you will always have a sense of serenity.鈥�

McGee shares this feeling as well. On several occasions, he has told people in his courtroom, 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have any place to get married, you can get married in my garden.鈥� And they do.

Or he asks the entire office over for lunch.

鈥淧eople told me it was nice to get away. It鈥檚 so easy to do, but we don鈥檛 do it enough. We had a nice big old white tablecloth flowing in the wind.鈥�

Or maybe it鈥檚 a quiet evening with just one other couple, "one of the greatest things I can think of.鈥�

The garden, however, is a work in progress 鈥� and will remain so.

鈥淎 garden is never done,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y ultimate plan is to just feel good about it.鈥�

To read more by Craig Summers Black, click here and go to the end of the post for more links.

And don't forget the Monitor's garden photo contest on Flickr. Click here for the details.