Gardening as a Communications Enhancer

A beautiful aspect of the garden shared through this novel is the way that people learn to communicate with people they would not generally talk to in order to learn more about gardening and planting. Virgil’s father, for instance, quizzes the people who ride in his taxi about gardening. Tío Juan tries to communicate his vast knowledge of plants and planting even though he does not speak the same language as any of the other gardeners. It is through the garden that Gonzalo, Juan’s nephew, realizes how much his elderly uncle knows when it comes to plants and planting. In another instance, with Sam’s contest to determine how to best water the gardens, the adults turn to the children to find a solution to their problems. Rarely do adults ask the advice of children, but in this case...