Father’s Day can mean something different to everyone. For some, it’s a day of breakfast in bed, presents of socks and jocks, dad jokes and spending time with the person who taught you how to ride a bike, change a tyre, mow a lawn or perhaps even how to swear when something in the garden refuses to grow.
For others, it might be a day spent celebrating a grandfather, stepdad, uncle, brother, mentor, family friend or another person who stepped into that father-figure role.
And for some of us, Father’s Day is also a day of missing someone.
There is something rather fitting about celebrating fathers and father figures through gardening. Gardening is, after all, about nurturing. It’s about patience, teaching, encouraging, protecting and sometimes simply standing back and letting something grow in its own time. Dads can be a little like that too. They teach us things, they pass on knowledge and they give us confidence to try things ourselves.
And occasionally, they stand beside us while we both stare at a plant and wonder why the bloody thing has decided to die. Some lessons are practical and some are profound and some don't seem particularly important until years later, when you suddenly realise you still remember them.
My dad and the garden
For me, gardening will always have a connection to my dad who passed away a few years ago. He was always bringing me seeds or cuttings and our tomato planning days were an epic annual event where we poured over the seed catalogues and books trying to choose the perfect varieties for that year.
I miss my dad. There are so many things I would love to be able to talk to him about now, and gardening is one of them.
At the time, perhaps I didn't realise how much those moments would stay with me.
But they did and now, whenever I'm in the garden, there are little reminders of him everywhere, especially the tomatoes. A plant can do that. It can take you somewhere completely unexpected and invoke memories of people and places we hold close to our hearts.
More than just fathers
Father’s Day isn't only about biological fathers. It’s about the people who showed up, the ones who taught us, the ones who encouraged us and make us laugh.
It’s about the dads who gave us a safe place to land and share their knowledge, their time, their stories and sometimes their gardening tools — although there are certain tools that apparently remain permanently "borrowed."
So today, I want to celebrate all of them.
The dads.
The grandads.
The stepdads.
The foster dads.
The adoptive dads.
The dads who have lost children.
The children who have lost their dads.
The father figures.
The mentors.
The men who quietly stepped up when they didn't have to.
And everyone who has played that role in someone's life.
Happy Father’s Day
So wherever you are, and whatever Father’s Day looks like for you, I hope today gives you a reason to celebrate.
And if, like me, you're missing your dad today, perhaps spend a little time in the garden.
Plant something, water something, sit quietly for a while and remember;
Sometimes the people we love continue to grow with us, long after they've left the garden.