“I like gardening - it's a place where I find myself when I need to lose myself.”
Alice Sebold (2002)

---

Gardening Through Grief was seeded by sociologist and writer Monica J. Casper, an enthusiastic gardener with experience in geographies as varied as the Midwest, the California coast, the Pacific Northwest, the South, and the Sonoran Desert. The idea for the site, which explores the relationship between gardening and grief and loss, was planted after losing her beloved stepfather, Dennis, in 2012, to a hospital infection. He was 67 years old and full of life. Denny enjoyed gardening and he also loved arranging and pressing flowers. He was especially fond of Tiger Lillies. For Monica, gardening had long been a cherished and relaxing pastime, but in the wake of her dad’s death, it became life-saving. This site honors his memory and the gardening lessons handed down by Denny and Patricia, Monica's mom, who grew vegetables in our small town in Wisconsin. Pat still gardens, and has a beautiful yard in Tucson. Monica is forever grateful for parents who let her play in the dirt and cultivate her own path.

---

Photo credits: Monica J. Casper, from her former home in Tucson, Arizona