After reading the recent controversy over Lynne Irons’s garden column, brought on by Woody Williams’s letter to the Gazette (Feb. 4), I also felt a need to speak up in defense of her writing. I am a big fan of Lynne’s garden column, precisely because of her unique, honest, often humorous, down-to earth style, which reflects the writer herself. Her garden column, and the bird column, are the first things I turn to in the Gazette each week.

Lynne has years of knowledge derived from her own gardening, knowledge one can learn from, but what makes her column so satisfying and encouraging to read is the way she humorously reflects on her own failures in gardening, as well as her successes. Anyone who gardens certainly knows of similar failures, no matter how hard we try sometimes, and it is reassuring to know we are not alone. May Sarton reflected, that “a garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.” Lynne’s excitement in finding some stray seedlings in the path of a hoop house, from seed accidentally fallen out of a seed packet, and her determined diligence to transplant them into a bed where they can thrive, is infectious, and brings a smile to the reader. The joy in small things like this is partly what gardening is all about.

While taking care of all the tasks involved in gardening, some more fun than others, those of us who garden certainly know how broad the range our thoughts can travel while weeding, digging a hole, laying out a bed, or turning a compost pile. In the vein of many great, and often entertaining, garden writers, Lynne’s garden column reflects on more than just the how-to’s of gardening, but also reflects on her life and the world around her. Gardening is often more than just gardening. Her reflections can range from reminding us not to miss a beautiful tree or shrub display, to when to start onion seeds, to how she put together a slow-cooked meal using the meat and vegetables she raised herself, to harvesting and preparing vegetables with her granddaughter, Violet.

Anyone who has read and enjoyed her column regularly looks forward to what else she might reflect on besides gardening. Her thoughts can span a wide variety of subjects, from the current news of the past week, to politics, to being stuck in summer traffic, to earthquakes and hurricanes in other parts of the world, to memories of her early life in Rew, Pa., to name just a few. She has written often of her father who was a World War II Navy veteran, as my father was also, and has reflected on the sacrifices he and other veterans made, and how proud she is of him and his service to this country. She wrote a wonderful tribute to her father in her column on his death, and never fails to write something poignant around Memorial Day, reminding us all to honor those who have served.

And of course, she has commented on the crazy state of politics in recent months, but I don’t know anyone who hasn’t. I think there are many people on all sides of the political spectrum who are finding the vitriolic schoolyard brawl, seen in the Republican primaries, with the vicious name calling, taunts, and lies quite disturbing. It is certainly part of current news, and would be hard to not comment on.

It was upsetting to read such an irate attack on Lynne, accusing her of spewing hate through her garden column, as Mr. Williams did. He said that he has only read a couple of her columns, but after reading just a couple, accuses her of spewing hate. I would say that spewing hate is more reflected in his comment that “almost everyone in her political boat is basically intolerant, arrogant, divisive, disrespectful and unpatriotic.” Lumping everyone together on each side of the political spectrum in separate boats doesn’t help to unite people. It only creates more divisiveness.

I know Lynne. She has a deep faith, a great love for this country, and is quite patriotic. Patriotism isn’t owned by one side or the other. Lynne may express dismay and even possibly amusement in her column at the political circus that we all have been exposed to lately, but I have never, ever heard her spew political hate. I found the comment was hurtful, and unfair to her. However, she being as patriotic as she is, would fight vigorously, and has in the past, for Woody Williams’s right or anyone else’s right to freely express themselves.

I would suggest if he could get past the difference of opinion on politics, and read more of her columns, he might be able to see how much more there is there. Whether gardener or not, one doesn’t have to agree with her politics to enjoy her column, or to be able to benefit from the vast knowledge that she passes on about gardening.

Randon Rynd
Vineyard Haven