Evelyn R. Swett Photography
  • Welcome
  • By Degrees
  • Photography
    • Compost Compositions
    • Portfolio
    • Shows & Talks
  • Store
  • About
    • Bio & CV

Energy & Edging

8/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
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,
Picture
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."
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.

Picture
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.
Picture
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. T
he
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. 
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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. 
Picture
Summersweet, Ruby Spice, Photo by ERSwett
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
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.
Picture
Our front garden, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

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. 
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Evelyn R. Swett
    reframing the narrative in community and with myself, finding transformation and joy in the mess of it all
    Picture
    compost re-imagined
     Let's ReFrame!
    is a somewhat regular 'viewsletter' that hopefully inspires joy & transformation. It will include links to recent blog posts & updates about my work. Oh, and I promise I won't share your information (that would be so uncool) and I don't actually do promotions, but that text is required.

      Subscribe to
      ​Let's ReFrame!

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Archives

    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    Being Real
    Citizenship
    Climate Action
    Community
    Compost
    Creativity
    Earth Care
    Gardens & Gardening
    Joy
    Let's Talk
    Midlife Reflection
    Object Lessons
    Photography
    Place
    Planning
    Transformation
    Travel & Transportation
    Waste In Our Lives

    RSS Feed

Join the conversation and sign up for Let's ReFrame!
Check out the description below**.

(Oh, and I promise I won't share your information (that would be so uncool)
and I don't actually do promotions, but that text is required.)
You can unsubscribe at any time
Picture
603-715-4468
PO Box 378 Hanover, NH 03755
evelynrswett@gmail.com
Submit
Picture
© Copyright 2019
Evelyn R Swett Photography
All Rights Reserved


**Let's ReFrame is a weekly viewsletter about this and that.
It includes links to recent blog posts, updates about my work, and when relevant, inspirational action prompts
​for you to explore your creativity and passion for the world you love. 
  • Welcome
  • By Degrees
  • Photography
    • Compost Compositions
    • Portfolio
    • Shows & Talks
  • Store
  • About
    • Bio & CV