Utah
Gardens - An Historical Vignette
The first settlers arrived
in Salt Lake Valley in 1847- and upon gazing down over
the barren, inhospitable wilderness,
an expanse of sagebrush, unbroken by even a single tree,
it is said that one of new arrivals exclaimed that she
would rather go another thousand miles than try to make
a home in such a unwelcoming wasteland.
The pioneers had been warned by Indians and Western scouts
that no crops would grow in Salt Lake Valley and it was
no place to call home. But Brigham Young, the leader of
these settlers, would not be swayed. From his covered
wagon he surveyed the wilderness and famously declared,
"This is the place: Drive on." From the very
first day the weary travellers settlers arrived in Salt
Lake Valley, they busied themselves with plowing fields
and planting with some urgency; they knew that their labour
needed to provide for the thousands of pioneers soon to
arrive.
Faced with such daunting
horticultural challenges, it may be surprising that these
pioneers made time for non-productive gardening and why
Utah has such a rich gardening tradition. But Brigham
Young, preached on Sunday afternoon sermons that even
the very first log cabins should be surrounded by the
beauty of plants and flowers. "Some will say that
it is not worth while to plant around a log cabin. I say,
that it is worth while. Plant vines over the door, plant
fruits and trees and flowers so that every one who passes
will say, `What a lovely little cottage.' "
The hard work paid off and it wasn't long before every
log cabin was sheltered by cooling trees and surrounded
by fragrant ripening fruit, lilacs and roses. So great
was their impact that visitors passing through on their
way to see gold in California were astounded to find these
oasis of gardens in such barren wilderness and famous
authors noted them in their writings.
Bibliography
and Acknowledgments
Shown: Sego Lily ( Calochortus
gunnisonii )
