A Powerful Story

A Powerful Story

by Danny Summers

When our girls were young, we stumbled upon a magical story crafted in an animated film titled The Man Who Planted Trees. The fictional story paints a simple yet powerful and unforgettable message set in the early 1900s. It introduced us to a shepherd named Elzéard Bouffier who quietly takes on the task of planting 100 acorns a day in an effort to reforest a desolate region in the French Alps. As the story unfolds, you see the shepherd's work transforming the region as life (and hope) returns and the world around is renewed.

If you have not seen The Man Who Planted Trees, I invite you to spend a joyful 35 minutes and watch this cleverly crafted tale. This one is an alternative version - in color and, in my opinion, has much better narration. You can see it at the bottom of this post below. The photo shown here is an award-winning exhibit depicting The Man Who Planted Trees during the Mosaicultures Internationales de Montreal 2013, at the Montreal Botanical Gardens.

Another inspiring story is A Man Named Pearl. The title doesn't exactly shout "Horticulture" at you but you will quickly see the connection. This is a true story of Pearl Fryar as he retires and begins to plan and plant his garden. When he first moved to the small town in the 1980s, he was almost unable to build his house because neighbors feared that as an African American, he wouldn’t keep up his yard. Determined to dispel that stereotype, Fryar went on to win “Yard of the Month” from the local garden club. But it didn't stop there. In the following years, he’s created a world-renowned topiary garden with more than 300 plants, most of which were rescued from the compost pile of a local nursery.

The Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden, in Bishopville, South Carolina, is a three-acre garden with a purpose. Its development is a story of plants, sculpture, community, hard work, and inspiration. Self-taught and armed with a hedge trimmer, Fryar worked for more than 20 years to create and maintain remarkable and dazzling topiaries from plants that were often salvaged from a local nursery. Since then he has received numerous awards and recognition and today, the garden attracts over 10,000 visitors a year. Just this year, The Garden Conservancy, with support from The Atlanta Botanical Garden and others are supporting the long-term preservation of the garden.

These are powerful stories... both feature ordinary people doing extraordinary things with plants. Both illustrate the power of plants and the impact of plants on our lives and the world around us. While both of these stories are remarkable, I hope they can be an incentive for all of us to create and share messages to inspire and encourage everyone we know and have a connection with to do more (and live more) with plants and in the Garden.

The power of these two stories contains the same power you have in spreading the good news about plants and gardening. Don't try to overcomplicate it. Just share real stories ... and let the plants do the rest!

You have the power!

If you want to learn more about either of The Group Programs, give me a call or email. Sharing is at the heart of The Group and your ideas are very important. Are you and your staff all subscribed to our eLists such as GroupEs, Marketing, Retail-Grower, Retail-Landscape, Owners-Only, and a number of others? Need help subscribing? Let me know as I can show you how you can sign up.

Thanks for sharing!

Danny Summers
[email protected]
Tel: 678-909-7770
Cell: 678-761-7145

REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Steve Bailey, Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, Robert Hendrickson, John Kennedy, Jean Seawright, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!


 

The Man Who Planted Trees - an Alternative Version
The Profound Healing Power of Nature

This alternative version is by Lloyd Ezra Fortune, who edited and narrated as he says “just because it's a treat to say the words". Stills are from the original illustrated book by Jean Giono’s French story / featuring Frederic Back's art / and Jean Roberts translation.
https://youtu.be/h3sBaDLFgnk


 

A Man Named Pearl
The inspiring story of Pearl Fryar and his garden. In 2006, Pearl said, "It was important to me to create a garden. I wanted a feeling, so that when you walk through here you feel different than when you came."

You can see the full sized version on Amazon Prime HERE.

Read a timeline of the garden and additional coverage by The Garden Conservancy HERE.

If you want to learn more about either of The Group Programs, give me a call or email. Sharing is at the heart of The Group and your ideas are very important. Are you and your staff all subscribed to our eLists such as GroupEs, Marketing, Retail-Grower, Retail-Landscape, Owners-Only, and a number of others? Need help subscribing? Let me know as I can show you how you can sign up.

Thanks for sharing!

Danny Summers
[email protected]
Tel: 678-909-7770
Cell: 678-761-7145

REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Steve Bailey, Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, Robert Hendrickson, John Kennedy, Jean Seawright, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!

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