Energy & Edging

Our 'new' front yard garden, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Welcome.
When I walk into
our 'new' front yard, it's
like magic. The granite pavers
guide me past the front
door and around
​to the back,

Our 'new' side garden, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

where ​pungent
SummerSweet and cheerful
purple Coneflower (echinacea) beckon.
"Come," they say. "You are
​safe here."

Echinacea (Coneflower) Photo by ERSwett

And I am.
Bees frolick and
I feel a warm embrace
not just from the plants, but
from all the people who guided
me to this time and this place. It seems
hard to believe that in the midst
of a global crisis, I have
​found such joy in
​the garden.

Calvin lounging in the sun, early May 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Just
three months
ago, Calvin and I sat
in our front 'yard.' Still early
in the COVID crisis, we were eager
to be outside. For me, though, this space
between our house & the road
was not a calming
​place.

The front yard, early June 2020 Photo by ERSwett

In fact,
it was unsettling.
Perhaps it was the abrupt
contrast between the lawn & the
trees or maybe it was the way the lawn
just headed off into our neighbor's
property, carrying my
energy with it --
away.

A work in progress, June 2020 Photo by ERSwett

But with my
son ready to help,
we gave new form to this
part of our yard. By mid June
there was a layer of
healthy soil &
​mulch.

Gro-Low Sumac, Detail August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

By mid July,
I had planted the
hillside with a cool mix of
native plants, including Gro-low
Sumac and Joe Pye Weed. In the process,
I co-opted some more of the lawn,
which really is just a nasty
water hog that has 
​no nutritional
value.

Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

The more
I walked among this
increasing variety of plants,
the more grounded I felt in every ​way,
not just because a formally neglected place was
getting attention, but because it was
coming to life - the winged
creatures were
showing
​up.

Scented Geranium, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

But
even with
this beauty, there
was something missing.
The more time I spent in this
place, the more I realized that it had
​something to do with the
flow of energy.

The original brick edging, July 2020 Photo by ERSwett

From prior
experiments, I realized
that it was all about ​edging and
the clear definition of boundaries. The
bricks that had been in the front of the original
bed for decades were not strong enough
to contain the power of what
​this part of our land
was ​becoming. 

Granite pavers - getting started, late July 2020 Photo by ERSwett

So,
it was with
great enthusiasm that
during the last week in July, I
carried one hundred pavers from a pallet
at Gardener's Supply in Lebanon, NH
into and out of the car, slowly
laying them into the soil,
and in the process,
transforming
this place.

The edging in place, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Our
initial design
did not include edging
material nor did it include this
connection between the front and back
yards. But this mix of stone and
diverse plantings created
an increasingly
​dynamic
space.

The view on a cloudy day, edging and all, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Power
emerges when
when there are natural
connections among people, plants
& place. Earlier today, I could almost hear
the conversation between the two varieties of
SummerSweet, one in the front and
​the other along the north
​side of the house. 

Summersweet, Ruby Spice, Photo by ERSwett

Summersweet, Hummingbird Photo by ERSwett

It was
as if Karen
who introduced me
to "Ruby Spice" in 2016
was actually talking with Kelsey,
who, working off what we already had,
integrated "Hummingbird" into the
front design in 2018. Together,
in 2020 they provide a
mid-summer
​banquet.

First Monarch of the year in the Hummingbird Summersweet, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

I love
​how these various
groundcovers, shrubs and trees
embody the positive spirits of the many
plants people throughout the Upper Valley who
nurtured them so that someone like
me could come along and
use them to create
a garden.

Various rocks, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

And
now that
garden comforts​
and inspires because of
how a few small stones in various
shapes and sizes can contain a mix of plants
while also enabling life-giving
energy to flow.

Our front garden, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

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Local Resources

At one time or another, Kelsey & Karen worked at Henderson's Garden Center in White River Junction, VT. The Garden Center is run by Sylvia Provost, who always has amazing ideas and plants for any project.

Permaculture Solutions, LLC Karen Ganey shares her creative gifts through consultations, design and installation. 

Gardener's Supply, Lebanon, NH A friendly place to find native trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetable starts.

E.C.Brown's Nursery, Thetford, VT A welcoming place to find native trees, shrubs and perennials. 

Ongoing inspiration from friends at the Hanover Garden Club and colleagues on the Sustaining Landscapes Committee in Hanover.