To the trained eye, there is a story to be told in every garden.

“There are little histories. Trials and errors,” said Bridget Bell, of Port Townsend, owner of Gardenkeeping. “There are endless things you can write about.”

And write Bell does. In addition to her day job as a professional garden tender, Bell maintains a blog.

Oftentimes, the plants themselves are the protagonists, she said.

“They are definitely a main character. People have stories about plants. They remember their mother growing a certain plant or liking a certain flower. There can be a lot of sentimental stuff that happens in a garden.”

That includes burial plots for favorite family pets, Bell said.

“If I ever see a pile of rocks, I have to wait and talk to the person before I do anything.”

Bell does not generally install gardens, but maintains existing gardens for her clients.

“She is practically a perfectionist in every way which is challenging in a garden,” said Anne E. Hirondelle, one such client.

“We share a sense of sensibility about what needs to be done,” Hirondelle said. “I am a bit ruthless in the garden and that gives her permission, in a way, to go for it. I think a lot of times people hold back. Don’t cut that limb or don’t do that. Frequently, doing that you end up with a much better result.”

While not appropriate for all gardens she tends, Bell said she does know when to pull out the sharp tools.

“Some people they think even cutting a plant is mean, but I don’t feel mean when I do it, and I think the plant understands: ‘Take a little off the side. That feels better.’”

Plant communication

Bell has been working as a professional gardener since 2008, when her husband had a heart attack and she needed to pick up some additional income to help support the family.

Over the past decade, Bell said she has learned to understand what a plant needs to thrive.

“I kind of feel they talk to me. There is some kind of transmission that goes on when you are around them enough.”

Since plants don’t actually talk, it’s thoughts and feelings that come through, Bell said.

“If something is not right with a plant, sometimes I can just spend some time around it and it will suddenly let me know something about it. I think some of that could just be me letting the thoughts come to me, but I like to think the plants have a way to engage more with their environment. They are not these static things. They are living creatures.”

Broccoli is one example, with scientists theorizing it has an IQ of about 2 since it responds to external stimuli such as electrical current.

“I assume anything that has to survive has to know how to do that,” Bell said. “It’s got to know something and feel something and respond to its surroundings.”

To be sure, Bell also listens to the desires of her clients.

“There is always one crazy demand, no matter how great the client,” she said. “I really like the people I work for, but you just wait for it. There it is, the one crazy demand.”

One such demand was when a client directed Bell to remove anything red or orange in the garden because they couldn’t bear to look at it.

“They couldn’t figure out how those colors had gotten into their garden. They looked at me a little suspiciously.”

The seeds must have been introduced by birds, Bell said with a sigh.

“There was just a few, but nah they couldn’t stay. No way.”

Each garden is based on the taste of the owner, Bell said.

“That is what I try to do, give them the garden they want and the level they want it kept tidy. It is different for everyone. It is kind of a challenge. You really have to hear people and gauge it.”

The garden owners usually let Bell know if she is hitting the mark or not, with some exerting more hands-on control and others trusting Bell to cultivate a beautiful outdoor space, similar to a painter being given a blank canvas.

“Everyone is different,” Bell said. “Everyone wants something completely different and it is never obvious to me, initially. Therein lies the one crazy demand.”

As Bell walks through a garden, she can usually sense the personality of the owner.

“I think it is really reflected.”

In the Port Townsend area, the general consensus is a taste for native species. Many want flowers, and woodland gardens are common.

“I think one of my favorites to work in are the woodland gardens that have lots of trees, shade and foliage,” Bell said. “I don’t have the sun beating down on me all day.”

In her line of work, Bell gets plenty of Vitamin D.

“I don’t have any deficiencies.”

Bell said the key to being a great gardener is enjoying the work and bringing an eye for beauty.

“One definition I have for a gardener is one who has opinions about plants. Should that plant be there? Do I like that plant? Does that plant look good? You have to be able to discern what should stay and what goes. You have to have an opinion or you wouldn’t do it at all.”

Bell never gets bored with the job, she said.

“Every day is different. If I am doing something that is tedious, I just kind of go off in my own thoughts.”

To check out Bell’s blog, visit gardenkeeping.com.