EDITORletter

Back to the Movies

Pre-pandemic, I would go to the movie theater once a week or more, so not going to see a film on the big screen for more than 18 months was bizarre. Sure, I could watch films on my television or computer screens, but it is just not the same (and the popcorn is not half as good!). I made up for it the last two weeks, though, and saw both “Dune” and “The Last Duel.” I was lucky enough to win screening passes to them. That means you watch the movie a few days before its theatrical release for free. Sometimes you fill out a survey, but most times not. What does this have to do with gardening? Well, both films offered surprising plant lessons that might have snuck by the audience, but stuck with me. First, in “Dune,” there is a set of Date Palms on the desert planet that is hand-watered by a dedicated servant. These plants would not last a day without their caregiver and consume a precious amount of fluids. However, they are considered sacred, so removing them is not an option. In “The Last Duel,” which takes place in medieval France, the lady moves to a new castle and pines for her father’s garden, which had fruit trees and lavender. Her new lord promises her that he’ll plant all of those plants for her there. We get a glimpse of that promise fulfilled at the end of the movie. In both films, the humans are leading harsh, often cruel, lives, but there is never a question that the extra effort to grow these plants is worthwhile and important, not just for nourishment, but for their beauty and symbolic meanings.

Happy gardening, Kathy Jentz Editor/Publisher Washington Gardener 826 Philadelphia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20910 Phone: 301-588-6894 kathyjentz@gmail.com www.washingtongardener.com

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Volume 16, Number 8 ISSN 1555-8959 © 2021 Washington Gardener All rights reserved. Published monthly.

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