Barbara

The Passing of a fellow gardener who liked plain talk and politics
Barbara Douglas
Shore Line Times, July 31, 2009

You can’t help but stop and take notice when a man and a gardener like Ned Vare dies.

Vare, a longtime Guilford resident known for his forthright opinions on everything from the shortfalls of the public school system to the abuse of the drug Ritalin in treating ADD in children, died July 22 of pulmonary fibrosis.

What Ned was not widely know for was his gardening prowess. Outside of the political and social spotlight, Ned’s life was an ode to the simple pleasures of getting one’s hands dirty in the garden. The disease that ended his life last week took him away from his garden much earlier than that, a hardship that only a fellow gardener can understand.

With his trenchant humor and youthful energy, Ned made a name for himself in Guilford. A fixture on public access television, Ned often post-scripted his television broadcasts with a video diary of his vegetable and flower gardens. A visit to his home was often marked with a stroll through the garden or the labyrinth he and his wife, Luz, created. Inside, a wam mug of tea and something to eat was offered. And the discussion was always lively and interesting.

He was - despite the angry hue and cry of those who censured him for his plain talk - a brilliant man. A golfing expert who authored several books on the subject, Ned was a professional skier and skilled squash player, a Yale graduate, an elected politian, a comrade of such notables as Hunter Thompson and Timothy Leary, and a media magnet who wrote prolifically for magazines and newspapers.

But outside of the spotlight, year in and year out, he tended his garden. Tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces (which he grew throughout winter under tarp tunnels), peppers and a wide variety of flowers graced his garden. He took pride in his abiblty to cultivate fresh, homegrown food in an era of foods imported from across the globe.The Ned I knew was a determined Libertarian, a gracious host and a devoted gardener. Opinion and fresh food flowed whenever I sat at his table. There was never a moment when the conversation wasn’t challenging and the food delicious. He had grace generosity, style and brains.

Contrary to his critics, Ned was not an attention-seeker, but rather a man who cared deeply for children (he and Luz educated their own son, Cassidy, who is living proof that their initiatives in “unschooling” http://borntoexplore.org/unschool are sound), his community and the world. He was a pioneer in the political arena and in the garden.

Also among the things he held dear were compost, twig teepees, marigolds, Queen Ann’s Lace, and earthworms. He seemed to believe in the redeeming powers of gardening. He was not so naive as to believe that gardening could put the world to rights: no, he took up that task himself, right to the end. His garden was simple, productive and excellent in design. I took several gardening cues from him.

Many, including myself, were attracted by his philosophy, and his garden. We recognize the loss that Ned’s death brings, and the hope that he’s now part of something greater than this world and even these gardens That eternal bloom is something in which gardeners never seem to lose hope.

For a while now, heavier dews will hang in the garden. But eventually, the delicate balance will return. Ned once said he viewed life as “a hilarious adventure.” For 75 years, he rode that wave. What he leaves behind will resonate in the minds and gardens of all the fortunate people who knew him.

Visit my gardening blog: http://satoriinthegarden.blogspot.com