In her book, “My Natural History,” Liz Primeau describes her gardening journey through her life. As she went through life, growing and maturing, her garden changed, too. She learned more about herself as she gained knowledge about her favorite past time.

Beginning of Gardening Interests

The author begins the book by describing how she gained an interest in gardening. Liz Primeau, as an adolescent, lived with her mom, dad and sister in Manitoba, Canada. Her dad’s Victory Garden sparked an interest in her.  She and her mom would sneak green onions from her dad’s vegetable garden. Then they would enjoy the onions in sandwiches with mayonnaise. The primary purpose of his garden was to make (grow) food for their family to eat. In addition to that, this vegetable garden also encouraged a young Liz Primeau to gain an interest in plants.

After her father died from the effects of a stroke, her mom moved their family. Their new residence was in southern Ontario, where her mom grew up. Now they were near her mom’s family for support. Though he could never replace her father, Liz Primeau’s Uncle Ren quickly became her garden mentor. While her father enjoyed vegetable gardening, her Uncle Ren had a fondness for annuals and perennials.

In “My Natural History,” the author goes into detail about specific plants. No matter what changes came throughout her life, gardening was her constant. Though her garden was different everywhere she moved to in Canada, gardening always had a part in her life. She wrote about her gardening experiences writing for a magazine. Then, she used her experiences when she was on a TV show. All of her gardening adventures were in Canada. Her work in the media took her all over the country.

A Bit of Biodiversity

Liz Primeau wrote about biodiversity in the garden and how it is beneficial. Also, how it can benefit nature as a whole. She also wrote about invasive and introduced animal species. For example, she wrote about the grey squirrels’ effects on England. Also, she wrote about the European startlings and Gypsy moths in North America and raccoons in Germany.

In Conclusion: My Natural History

“The garden is not the place for control freaks and perfectionists, and yet I know that in my callow youth I tried to make mine conform. I used to wish for the time when it would be finished, when it would reach the perfection I envisioned.” This was a thought she had near the end of the book. With that in mind, she included “The Six Stages of Gardening.” Of this, she said, “these stages echo the stages in our lives, from the desire for immediate gratification in our youth to the deeper and mellower pleasures of maturity.” In conclusion, Liz Primeau determined, “that life, as well as gardening, is indeed a journey with many worthwhile stops along the way, if you’d only you take your eyes off the road long enough to recognize them. And if you do, you’ll never have to ask if that’s all there is.”