Views of April

Garden Journal: April 24, 2008
As I sit here this morning having a cup of coffee, I decided to download some of the garden photos I took yesterday. These are pictures from sections in the Elemental Garden. (Photo to the Right: Wild Violets)

These violets make my soul smile...they are pure love and beauty. Last year as I was clearing the space for the garden, there were a few of these beauties.

It was decided to make room for them, invite them in to spread, and see what would happen the following season. I can not even begin to tell you how gorgeous they look and how abundant they are. So in this garden, as well as many of the other beds on the property, they are one of the first flowering arrivals to spread their seeds of happiness.

The Elemental Garden
She is awakening for the first time. Last summer she was created with much love and focus, as I worked together with the Deva of the Garden to create a retreat for the Elementals who have worked so hard to keep our skies overhead clear and our land flourishing with abundance. If you are interested in the full story about the origins of this amazing space, read Elemental Garden Retreat Project.

I have been amazed at the ease of preparation as I cleared her beds from the long winter's nap. Also, I am so excited and anxiously awaiting each new development as I see who pops up each day.

So why not grab a hot cup of whatever your choice is and join me as I share just a few of the photos from the Elemental Garden.

PHOTO: Meditation Bench

I am thrilled with this section and can't wait until it is in full bloom. A trellis was placed at each side and then bamboo laid across the top. Last year's clematis is coming up nicely, and will travel up and over to create a shelter from the strong afternoon sun. In front of the bench are two woodlike tree cravings, each with grasses planted beside them. Two Tiki Torches are also placed in this area, so we can sit out at night and enjoy the garden under the moonlight!

PHOTO: Tool Shed

What a joy it is when I can take something that was trashed or is soon to be trashed and give it a second life and purpose. It thrills me to take on the challenge of creating something from seemingly nothing.

It was becoming a hassel to constantly run back and forth from the garden for all the tools I needed while working, so I dedicated this back section to house the tools.

Using an old section of fencing that my husband found on the side of the road, we cut it up to form a small enclosure. Hooks were put inside to hang the tools. There is space to stack some empty plastic pots inside on the ground. The wire fencing that surrounds the garden also provides storage for the assorted piles of stakes and bamboo poles that can be weaved into place there. A piece of plastic tarp covers the top but it is rather flimsy. This year we are upgrading to a roof, my husband the great trash finder, has a discarded plastic roof from an old golf cart that he will attach to the top.

PHOTO: Tiled Storage Unit

This unit is off to the side of the Tool Shed. We got this old beat up

cabinet from a garage sale last summer, then using grout and tiles,
covered the top. It was my first attempt at a tile project and I
am proud of the results. It is used to store the smaller stuff...seed
packets, scissors, ties, lables, pens...It blends in nicely with the
surroundings.

PHOTO:

Center Garden: Section 1

The garden was started with the intention of just being a small center circle. Agh, that's not enough! So four small beds surrounding the center circle were added. Agh, now that needs more defination, so four more sections were added, with a pathway between the center circle and the outer surrounding beds.

This photo is the first bed outside the center circle. I put together a trellis system out of bamboo. This will support morning glories. Last year I did this and it was strikenly beautiful. The problem was the bamboo trellis design was not strong enough to support the weight of the flowers and at times any strong wind that blew through. This year I slighlty altered the design and provided additional support with more stakes...I think I have a winner.

Well my coffee has long been done and I need to move along with the work of the day. Thanks for joining me. Hope you will stop by again soon to see what's new.

Let me leave you with this Seeds for Change Thought to ponder:

"Criticizing another's garden doesn't keep the weeds out of your own" .

Now go ahead and make it an amazing day!

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Let the Weeding Begin!

Garden Journal: April 23, 2008
A Weeding Meditation

Here is one view of the outside of the Elemental Garden in need of weeding. Off in the back right corner is a shed we constructed last year out of a piece of old fencing. This is where I keep my tools stored so it isn't necessary to run back and forth out of the garden. A piece of plastic tarp that was laying around was used for the top. Worked ok for last year, but this year we are headed for an upgrade. My husband has a piece of used roof from a golf cart that we will place over top. The advantage...we won't be sticking our head into the tarp with each entry into the shed.

Inside in the foreground is a wooden bench and anchored beside it on each side is a wooden trellis. Last year a clematis was planted at the base of each late in the season. So they have come back this year and are looking strong and healthy. Laying across the top are just bamboo poles sitting on the top of each trellis. The plan is to have the clematis grow strong and hardy up and across the trellis providing a natural bit of shade to sit under on the bench, as well as something beautiful to look at.

To the left and right of the bench I planted quite a few perennials last year that hopefully will make a strong return this spring. The paths were a challenge to keep weeded. Don't be fooled by those beautiful magazine photos! I have tried, unsuccessfully to discover the Lazy Gardener's Way to Weeding, and frankly, I don't think it exists. There are techniques that can be done to help make the task less labor intensive, but it will never be weed free by wishing.

So after many different ideas and approaches last year, I decided to work smart and settled on laying thick layers of newspaper and cardboard boxes down on the paths. This was then covered with pine bark nuggets. It blew my initial budget out of the water, with the purchase of the mulch, 'cause I was determined to do it for pennies, but like I said, I decided to play it smart which meant not being penny wise and dollar foolish. It overwintered well, and requires little in the way of maintenance at this point. This year the plan is to pull back some of the bark, add more cardboard and newspaper, then reapply the mulch.

One trick I learned was to have a big barrel of water beside me and soak the paper and cardboard before laying it down. This kept it in place and made it easier to work with. Also this approach has the benefit of recycling material as well as creating more of a barrier between the weeds and mulch. Weeds do make their way through, but hand picking regularly when the weeds are small and few in number keeps it manageable.

So the last few days I have been spending my time doing what I call Weeding Meditation. First I connect with the Deva of the Elemental Garden so we can work together and have asked to be guided and inspired as I do the clearing. This activity is helping me to empty my mind of all the clutter and baggage I am carrying around and get in tune with the energy of the land. This will help to set the foundation of what to plant and where to plant it once the weeds are clear.

I have already filled in the compost area rather fully and am asking for guidance and suggestions on how to get this compost down to a manageable useable state in just a few weeks.




( To the Left) This compost pile that runs the length of the outside of the garden fence, contains all the weeds, leaves and sticks from the various beds and gardens around the property. My husband, when I wasn't paying attention, put all this years compost on top of last years, now I need to go back and reassemble the compost piles...like I said, really no easy way... Guess I'll be doing Weeding Meditation alot longer than I originally had anticipated!




( To the Left) Here is one of the overflow compost piles that needs to be cut up into smaller pieces . This contains mostly cut off branches from shrubs and of course our Christmas Tree.


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Garden Season Officially Opened

Photo of the Elemental Garden, Summer 2007

After much anticipation...waiting, and waiting for the weather to change and my blood to warm up...Spring Has Arrived in PA and I am now working almost full time outside. I started a few days ago, but my body went into major retaliation. After basically laying dormant the past few months, each muscle loudly protested the spring baptism into manual labor. But now, with 3 days under my belt, things are under better control.

So here's the scoop, we have 10 major beds surrounding our property that need to be cleaned out, spruced up, and worked. In addition to that there is my treasured Elemental Garden, started last year, two long stretches of what we call tiger country, and a golf green. All of this is nestled onto one acre of land.

My goal is to move away from the traditional lawn and into a naturescape...to work with the land to grow food, herbs, spices, flowers, fruits, and natural habitat for all the critters that reside in our neighborhood. So in the upcoming season most of this blog will be devoted to the adventures of planting these seeds for change. It is a daunting task, but a definite labor of love.

I will be adding photos of what is being done as well as commentary along the way. We work organically...to fertilize, to correct imbalances, to build a healthy soil. I also like to use sound environmental practices for the hardscape...using recycled materials as much as possible, and to keep the costs manageable.

Hope you will stop by and visit on occasion to see what is new and developing in the daily adventures of Gardening with Seeds for Change! Well off to work, see you in a bit!

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My Favorite Photo

As I sit here listening to the pitter patter of slushy rain outside falling on the dusting of snow, I am longing for the face of spring. I decided to travel back in time to last spring to view some of the pictures I took while on a maddening 3 month creative explosion. The picture above is what I call my Angel in the Sky,she showed up one day as a confirmation to me about the work I was doing.

It all started around the end of January 2007. I was in an energy funk. I didn't want to leave the house. Had no interest in anything. Was physically exhausted. But was not depressed. Was not happy. Just was. Sort of just hanging with no expectation or emotion, but knowing in time things would shift dramatically. Didn't know how. Didn't know what. Just trusted the gut feeling, knowing it was right.

As time went on I realized these were the Ascension Symptoms and my body was adjusting to being in this new, higher vibrating frequency. It seemed like forever before the period of transition subsided, but when it did all hell broke loose.

First I started working on a photo essay called Project Blue Sky, with the purpose of determining if the sky over my home and local neighborhood was indeed being bombarded by chemtrails or was I just imagining this. For the entire month of April 2007 I took photos. See my earlier post explaining this. At the end of the month I decided I needed to create an Elemental Garden.

So what is an Elemental Garden? In my mind it was a small garden space for the elementals, especially the air slyphs, to come to rest and restore their energies, for the work they do to help the planet. Once I started on this journey, it was like initially deciding to go for a walk around the block, then changing your mind and walking across the country instead. I became manic, fully driven to put this garden in as a tribute and retreat for the elementals. Some days working 10 -12 hours or more in the garden. All else was pretty much put on hold. I couldn't break away from this project even if I wanted to.

This can become a real annoyance to those I live with, when I am in my manic mode. Fortunately, I never go depressive...after manic, it is normal behavior. My mood doesn't fluctuate in either state, just my attention and focus to task. Yesterday my oldest daughter, a senior in high school said to me, "Mom, I have analyzed you, and finally figured you out. When you get involved in a new project that becomes your world until you can get the work done, and most times it means dinners aren't gonna be that great." I chuckled, knowing I was busted!

Anyway, the elemental garden is a wonderful journey, that many have enjoyed reading about and following. It is way to long to post here, but I want to link to it...if you are curious, if you need a break from the winter doldrums, if you want to see some interesting photos, grab a cup of coffee or tea and travel with me through the Elemental Retreat project.

Looking back through this today is making me excited to begin my planning work for the garden this year, and yep, gotta get my order in for the Biodynamic tomato seeds. After last year, we now know better that a mega staking system is needed in order to harvest the thousands of tomatoes we harvested.

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