Herban Sprawl

Last week a doyenne of the Herb Society was laid to rest. In truth, we lost Bette Rogers quite a while before her demise, but it was to illness that devastated her body. It hurt to see her in a wheelchair, debilitated and unable to do for herself because she had always been such a vibrant and active lady.

When I first met Bette, I was new to growing herbs, and very new to doing anything much with them. Bette was enthusiastic and welcoming to all who were interested in the useful plants. When she served a term as president, she created committees and generally organized us. I followed her, but having a “thing” about committees, I kind of let them languish. Dumb move. Bette had it right.

And that was the thing about Bette - she was organized and she liked to pay attention to details. When Bette made up a basket for our annual auction, it wasn’t just a basket of herbal concoctions, it was an event! Each bottle or jar was done up with decorative tags or labels. If they were capped with a cork, that cork was likely dipped in parafin that had been mixed with cinnamon or other spices to give it a unique look and a pleasant scent. The items would be arranged in fluffy stuff so that everything could be shown to advantage, and then the crowning glory would be her bows.

The first time I ever saw wired ribbon used was on one of Bette’s gift baskets. She had that thing going all down the handle, in waves, wired to the handle and looking as fresh as the opening buds of a chive plant in May. It was fabulous! And that’s when I realized that presentation is everything, and that no detail is too small in making something look really special.

Bette was a motherly sort - having a large family will do that to a person. She had snow white hair and was as pretty as she could be. I don’t think being grubby was ever a possibility for her. She had some pretty definite ideas and she could be fairly stubborn. I don’t ever remember her being ugly or unkind. If anything, she was probably the one person who taught me about the cup being half full. I doubt she realized it, but her way of encouraging people was something we all followed without even thinking about it. To say she led by example is an understatement!

When Don Haney and Thom Hamlin opened Buffalo Springs Herb Farm, Bette was one of the most enthusiastic supporters of their effort. The Herb Society rallied around The Farm and Bette led the parade. She loved that place. We all did, but for Bette, there was some connection that drew her to it. She even arranged to have her daughter’s wedding at The Farm! With characteristic attention to detail - Martha Stewart had nothing on Bette - she worried the guys to death about every last little thing, changing her mind and improving and perfecting as she went along. Don and Thom bore it with their usual aplomb, and I don’t think that even at her most persnickety worst there were ever “words” among them. The guys just wouldn’t have done that. This was another example to live by.

I’m going to miss Bette, even though I’ve been missing her for a long time. Just seeing her at Herb Society in her wheelchair, caregiver fussing over her (and her fussing at the caregiver!), had a grounding effect. While there are others who are more prominent in their activities and enthusiasm, Bette had set the tone, and she somehow was the anchor for us all. Being frail wasn’t easy for her, but now she’s in that great heavenly herb garden and no doubt giving orders on moving some plants around to better advantage.

Rest in peace, Bette. May the herbs I plant in your honor live long, flourish, and maintain their shapes the way you would want them to!
Yep. That would be Bette!