The significance of nature as a source of healing is becoming increasingly apparent in times of lockdown, when we are longing for green spaces to escape from the media and the four walls of our homes. Gardens (those of us with the luxury of having them), as well as local parks and green areas, turn into important spaces for children to play, and adults can get a break to reset. As in The Secret Garden, we are discovering nature in a new way, and it has helped us to re-establish ourselves.

Time-traveling spaces

In children’s books, gardens can be a space for imagination, adventure as well as for time travel. In novels like Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden, Lucy M Boston’s the Children of Green Knowe, and Andre Norton’s Lavender-Green Magic, The garden transports children back to the past. In the garden, they meet people from the past of the garden, or other historical figures. They encounter their ancestral relatives or engage in actions to help others (usually younger) historical characters who have been mistreated or put in danger.

The garden is a space where you can “fix” mistakes and learn about the vast mystery and life’s circle. Gardens also represent the passage of time: they are never done growing and changing. Every seed we plant carries with it the hopes that we have for the future.

Although The Secret Garden is not an actual time-traveler, It does function as an intermediary that connects the past to the present. Through it, the family’s past is revealed and analyzed, altering the present and setting them off toward a brighter future.

The connection between the garden and time (and the concept of time travel) could be appealing to viewers of 2020 who are seeking an opportunity to connect the past to a bleak future. In this tale that many adults treasure, they are able to revisit their childhood and take some time in the past to remember an earlier time.