Gardens and flowers appear frequently as a symbol in this book. From the opening section in which Doug’s mother is forced to break up and leave her garden to the beautiful orchid Mr. Ballard gives Lil, it’s clear that gardens and flowers hold a special place in the lives of the Swietecks and the citizens of Marysville. The flowers are symbolic of beauty and balance.

For example, when Doug’s father tells Doug’s mother that she can’t bring her carefully potted plants with them on their move to Marysville, she distributes them to the neighbors. The diced-up garden seems to represent the lack of balance in their family’s lives as this moment, but the redistribution to grateful neighbors also calls to mind the beauty still present in their lives.

The daisies Lil brings from her mother to Doug’s mother, and which they plant together, once again brings these two concepts to mind. The intimacy between Lil and Doug when they plant them t could certainly be seen as indicative of the beauty permeating their lives at that moment. As Doug says, “it means something, ya know, when people plant things together” (61).