The Courier’s long-time gardening columnist Anne Marrison has a confession to make.
“I do not like palms,” she admits during a recent phone interview. “I think they’re ugly, which is why I never said anything about them before. I prefer plants that feed birds.”
After decades of writing gardening columns for numerous publications, including the Burnaby Now and the Courier, Marrison is stepping away from the keyboard and picking her gardening gloves back up — a move gives her the freedom to finally express her disdain for all things palm. Decades ago, Marrison was a community reporter and editor before turning her love of gardening into a career writing about plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, pests and vegetables.
Marrison, who turns 80 in July, says ironically by dedicating so much time to writing about gardens, her own has become sorely neglected in recent years. But that’s about to change.
“The garden is a mess,” say Marrison of the Whonnock-based property she shares with her 93-year-old husband. “I’ve also been busy with hospital visits, so I couldn’t garden. I wasn’t emotionally ready, but I am now. I love growing from seed, especially things you can’t find at a nursery. The Alpine Garden Club has a wonderful seed exchange, but I’ve been too busy to go.”
Marrison wants to not only take up gardening again, but also plans to continue practising tai chi, reacquaint herself with her favourite garden clubs, write more poetry, start attending church and learn more about astrology.
“I started studying astrology two years ago, but I’m still a terrible astrologer,” Marrison says with a laugh.
Marrison adds her favourite part of column writing has always been hearing from readers — who at the bottom of each article were encouraged to send her questions about gardening in segments that became known as “Ask Anne.” She says answering those questions was a great way to increase her own knowledge of everything gardening and green. Marrison notes she still plans to answer questions from fans via email, even after retirement.
“It just might not be as timely as before. And if I don’t know the answer to a question, and those are getting fewer, I consider them a challenge,” she says. “My readers are like having friends, I’ve enjoyed them so much.”
Asked if there was ever a favourite column, Marrison says, “The last one I wrote or the one I’m working on.”
As for the future, Marrison is philosophical when it comes to ideas surrounding organized religion and a higher power.
“I believe people do go to a better place,” she says. “But that better place is about making other people happy and basically trying to do good in the world.”
Anne, you will be missed.
@sthomas10
