This isn’t our normal walk in the garden. Unlike others, where we’ve looked at a plant and seen the stories and meanings men have woven around them, this is a personal conversation between a gardener and the person who visits his garden. The Garden of Gods and Monsters is open to all but today you and I are going to walk quietly because I want to show you one of it’s essential truths. Here in the wildflower meadow I want to introduce you to the Jerusalem artichoke.

How you are feeling as you come into the garden is always valid. You may feel unimportant, unloved; you may feel you have no purpose or reason to exist; you may feel that you have no direction, and no hope of ever finding one. This is ok. The truth of my garden is that there’s never any expectation to feel anything but your truth. You have a right to feel your worst or best in this moment, but I hope that this little yellow flower will help to bring you comfort.