Bliss. Mixed textures. Heavenly shades of green. What's not to love? But those large green leaves are mini-oaks, taking over a place not prepared for trees. Is it magic - - these pesky acorns becoming vibrant sources of shade & food? Maybe, but they've got to go... ...to make room for this Sweet Woodruff, a dainty & mighty medicinal herb & groundcover. I love this kind of work. The problem is clear & the solution simple. The problem of rain barrel drainage in the veggie garden was equally clear, but the solution more complex than pulling a few 'weeds.' But again, it's such satisfying work. The solution elegant. As happens, though, solving one thing leads to another. Like this wonderful scented shrub whose name escapes me. It was great when first planted, but it's now outgrown that spot, creating a barrier & not an invitation. With the right tools & care, it's not so hard to make a change. There is power in transplanting and re-imagining a plant or a space or even an assumption about how things are meant to be. I feel that way all the time in the garden. There's the vision & then there's reality. And sometimes that reality is like this honeysuckle, planted to fill & beautify the corner of the garden that happens to be adjacent to the compost and happens to, over time, look amazing on both sides of the fence. As I free the blueberries & liberate bounded roots, I am grateful for unexpected flourishings. Amid the seeming chaos & disruption of transplants & fixings, there are places where things work and where beauty exists. Honoring
these places feeds me & gives me strength for the next challenge inviting a solution. And sometimes the solution involves nothing more than patience, as the herb garden reveals between the beginning and the end of June.
2 Comments
Mary Gregory
7/3/2020 06:56:55 am
Rain barrel 101 - is the white pipe for overflow? Smart!!
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Sarah
7/3/2020 10:24:19 am
I love your gardens! Had the same Q re the white pipe, now I see the overflow function. Having a few problem/solution events here myself, heavy rains knocked over the tall and the leggy so out come the clippers. From year to year solutions acceptable for me move up and down the scale from control/“the perfect fix” to letting something just go, and all the fixes in between. Choosing which reflects my state of mind at the time. Very interesting material for mindfulness practice! Like you I pluck out tree seedlings in the woodruff. But a big bed in my garden is smothered in tall weedy grass thru which, amazingly, scabiosa blooms beautifully every year so I just call it a meadow.... I am very challenged seeing friends’ gardens where careful planning and research shows me the potential of our souls and flora. I learn much from them but work hard to remember how important it is for our gardens to be “of ourselves” - I think your’s is Lyn, a combination of the long views and the small intimate spaces. Always appreciate seeing what you’re motivated by and taking on. 💕💕
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Evelyn R. Swett
reframing the narrative in community and with myself, finding transformation and joy in the mess of it all Let's ReFrame!
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