No Shrinking Violets
"If it be necessary for a woman to work to earn a livelihood, there is no work she can engage in that is more healthful, more pleasant or more renumerative than horticulture…In the garden she can find ample scope for her ingenuity and skill, of which most women have a plenty, if they are placed in a position to bring it out…The more I study nature, the more I comprehend what heights there are to scale, what depths there are to penetrate, what breadths there are to compass, the more enthusiastic I become…the horticulturist is not always carried "on flowery beds of ease" to success, but, like all other mortals, they have their trials but there are so many sweets to one bitter."
The preceding was excerpted from "Women as Horticulturists" by Mrs. A.A. Kennedy of Hutchinson, as printed in the report of the Minnesota State Horticultural Society's 1891 Annual Meeting.(In 1873, the Minnesota State Legislature approved an act providing funds for the publication and distribution of 2,000 copies of all society transactions, from the time of organization.This marked the beginning of the society's official publication, now known as Northern Gardener.)
In addition to well expressing the passionate spirit that embodies anyone who seeks horticulture as a way of life, Mrs. Kennedy exemplifies the kind of woman who was key in the development of MSHS and horticulture in Minnesota. It's no surprise that women were ardent about gardening during the early years of Minnesota. Since the dawn of time, the Mother of the home has connected instinctively with Mother Earth. In addition to filling the house with color and fragrance, pioneer women knew that the earth had the power to feed and heal. What is exciting to discover is the leadership roles that women played in the days when Northern gardening was just beginning to be accepted as a possibility.
In 1874, a resolution was passed giving women the right to become voting members of the Society (a full 46 years before they could vote in all of the United States). In addition to being active, vocal members and prize-winning floral and fruit exhibitors, women were frequent contributors to the magazine and speakers at annual meetings (to which ladies were "especially invited to attend). Sentiments expressed in "Annuals" by Miss Hortense Share of Rosemount, (published in the 1877 Annual Report) once again demonstrate the strong female voice in the Society's fledgling days. "While preparing to remove to Minnesota, friends often said to me, "What are you going to do without flowers in that cold country?" "I am not going to do without; I expect to cultivate flowers wherever I have a home…in a land of strangers I longed for the familiar faces of the old home flowers. With me flowers are a necessity…So I set to work to conquer difficulties.">
Recognizing the grounding influence of plants, Miss Share joined with other new, hardy Minnesotans to bring what they loved and cherished to Minnesota. Whether it was apples, shrub roses or annuals, these pioneers were paving the way for later northern gardeners. Miss Share lists over 30 varieties of annuals she had good luck with, including alyssum, amaranthus, candytuft, dianthus, morning glory, sweet peas, portulacca, zinnias and exotic experiments such as abronia, escholtzia, and perilla. Also in her list of annuals are flowers now considered perennials in the north: delphinium, poppies, phlox and asters. She also wrote of tried and true techniques. She amended the garden soil with leached ashes, sweepings from the hen house, liquid manure from the barnyard and soot from the stoves "until everything laughs with bloom and beauty." Citing chickens as "excellent scavengers," she let her flocks reign free in a garden bed infested with worms. The result? "Not a bug or worm to be seen, not a plant destroyed." Thank you, Hortense.
Some women parlayed their passions into industry. In 1867, the society membership roster (one year after its formation) included Mrs. P.A. Jewell, who with the help of her husband, founded Jewell Nursery in Lake City, Minnesota. Particularly useful during these early days was an indomitable spirit, exemplified in a report by Anna Underwood (an employee at the Jewell Nursery) at the 1892 Annual Meeting. Anna wrote: "Failures are lessons and, if followed by improvement, are profitable…there would be no earthly need of horticultural societies, if there were no failures to recount…we must admit that failures are useful, necessary and entertaining to others." How eloquently (and humorously) Miss Underwood expressed the very nature of true growth.
Throughout the years of MSHS, women continued to play an active role. During the 1930s, society membership rose dramatically due to the large influx of newly formed garden clubs. Female membership grew particularly strong as the Society worked at attracting gardeners of all experiences and interests. As Northern gardeners became more and more expert at growing flowers, the interest in artful arrangement of these flowers also grew. Many of the garden clubs formed for this very reason. The society's magazine recognized this interest by publishing more and more articles on the subject. An introduction to one such article on flower arranging by Mrs. Axel Hansen in the August 1955 issue spoke of this. "Recognizing that not every woman can leave the children and the chickens…but that many farm and suburban women do grow beautiful flowers and would like to understand better how to enjoy them in the home, we have planned this discussion which might form the basis of a series of simple home lessons."
To this day, women continue to play key leadership roles in the Society. Past women Presidents include Janice Frederickson, Diane Emerson, Loraine Augustine, and Mrs. V.E. Nicholson. The first female Executive Director of the Society was Dorothy Johnson (1987-1997). The current CEO is Rose Eggert. Just as gardeners from decades past saw how working the earth could improve the quality of life, women of today embrace its life-enriching powers as well. Though they still garden to put food on the table and add color to their lives, today's woman also sees the value in slowing down and re-connecting to the earth. In today's fast-paced, technologically enhanced world, the pale blush of a rose may be even more of a needed sight than it back in 1866.
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