Maybe you’re familiar with The Little Prince and how he cares for his rose. Well this is my rose. I had to dig out a strip of grass and weeds along the border of the path, and here in the Charente Maritime the ground is very, very stony. My neighbour says his main garden tool for planting is a pick! We bought two roses, one each, and planted them next to each other just inside the entrance way.
That tall flower is a hollyhock, known as a Rose Trémière around here. I think they are astonishing and beautiful plants and mostly they grow where the seeds land. You see them everywhere in this part of the world. They go nicely with the roses don’t you think?
My experience of looking after a plant is very consistent with that of The Little Prince. It is based on the creation of an ongoing relationship. This rose is not the same as all the other roses in the garden centre. I don’t care for them the way I care for my rose.
Looking after plants is about nurturing. I can prepare the soil, feed the rose, water her, look out for for pests, but I don’t control her life, her growth or her flourishing. That reminds me of how I saw the practice of Medicine. As a doctor, I attended to patients, established a relationship of care and supported their recovery and growth. Medicine isn’t about control, it’s about care and nurture.
Every plant is unique. Every human is unique. And every relationship between a human and a plant is unique. It’s special.
Heroes Not Zombies 
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