Mindful Gardening Newsletter No 15

There have been some glorious days in the garden here in Cordressagagh.  Today the temperature is going up to 21 degrees and thus I have been out early watering the newspaper that covers the carrots.  Before then I sat in a chair playing my Faith guitar and practicing a combination of chords and melody for Fields of Gold by Sting. 

It’s been a heart dynamic week with the loss and finding of a cherished heart and the loss of a heart friend. 

Losing my Heart to Lily.

Lily the Assistant Head Gardener in Cordressagagh

I have a four year old assistant gardener called Lilly.  She appeared earlier in the year (2024) and now considers this garden in Cordressagagh as her jungle playground.  She has moved her small garden wheelbarrow and tools here and for her fourth birthday we bought her a small watering can in bright colors and matching child gardening gloves.

Together we have planted up a tray of seventy-two sunflower seeds which are now coming up and which we will monitor together.  I am busy weeding what will become Sunflower Hill that is to the East of the Writers Garden.  It is open and really is a large mound of dirt from trenches that were dug to drain the writer’s garden.  There will be room enough for seventy-two giant sunflowers.

Lilly planting Sunflower seeds.

Literally Losing my Heart

I have an Aventurine heart that I wear constantly around my neck. On occasion the leather strap breaks.  So, I was surprised to have Bee tell me that Lilly found my heart and that it was now tied to the signpost in the St. Bridget’s Garden.

So now I have my heart back courtesy of Lilly and it is now on a silver chain courtesy of Bee. So, I have lost my heart to Lilly, and she has also found and returned it. 

I was sorry to learn this week of the death of a man who was a close neighbor and a close friend. He owned the beautiful house and garden by the lake around the corner from us.

He was 93 years old and a mentor to me over many years.  It is tradition for me to plant a rose for those who are family and friends to remind me of them when I see the rose in bloom.  We were great drinking buddies during the time I enjoyed red wine, and we would share more than one bottle of McGuigan’s red over what we in Ireland call the ‘Craic’ pronounced “Crack.”

So, I am presently searching to buy a climbing rose that is deep red of the wine that we enjoyed together.  McGuigan’s red wine is deep red so I might have to compromise on the color.

The Vegetable Garden

Bee in Kale Gone to Seed

The lamb’s lettuce that I planted earlier in the year has now gone to seed so I am looking for another variety which I will buy at Ashwood Nurseries on Sunday. 

It’s been hot today, so I have had to water the carrot seed tape that is under layers of the Guardian Newspaper sports pages.  This is a technique that keeps the seed moist until they begin to put their heads above the ground and so the seeds don’t get rotted by unduly heavy rain.  This technique for grounding fabulous carrots is courtesy of Bumblebee Farm on YouTube

The result last year was fabulous.  I felt that I had created a kind of carrot Findhorn and was proudly showing them off to visitors.  I wondered if they thought the old man is losing it.

Seed Collecting

I am surprised how long the flowers of the hellebores are staying around.  I love them but am excited at the opportunity to collect the seeds.  Now the seed heads are still soft, and I need to wait until the flowers have died. 

I picked a flowerhead off the most abundant hellebore and opened the seed pod.  The seeds are small and white, and I need them to be black before I put them in small paper bags until its time to plant them in the autumn.

I need to do some research on putting them in the freezer for a while given that they need a cold spell to break their dormancy.  More about this and other adventures in seed collecting  in future editions of this newsletter.

Stewarts Grove Plant Awakening

Brunnera Macrophillia – False Forget Me Not.

Here at Cordressagagh we have a circle of trees that are self-seeded and are now a small grove.  I coppice these and use the branches for weaving willow edging for the bank in front of the cottage. 

Last year I planted a host of perennials that like shade and do well under trees. I love that on these lovely warm days I can stand under the shade of the willow trees and admire the handiwork that has been graced to flow through me.

This grouping of this perennial shade garden works so well that I share it here so that you might like to try it.

·       An assortment of colors of Brunnera Macrophillia – (Blue and white)

·       Mixed colors of Aquilegia – False Goats Beard.

·       Many sizes and leaf variations of hostas including a white one.

·       Assorted colors of hydrangea – one gifted from Chris and Bridget.

·       Different colored astilbe from white with chocolate foliage to pink and purple.

·       A perennial titled Stairway to Heaven from Farmer Gracy and

·       Some perennial grasses, one of which is called Shennondoah.

Some of these plants remind me of some of my favorite songs – can you see what they are.

Beginning to Stand and Stare

One of the joys of having created this sacred garden space is that increasingly I take time to “Stand and stare” at what has been created through me. I call this a garden of grace because I am graced to steward the land and create an experience of beauty that pleases the eye and lifts the heart.

There’s more to be done but I don’t allow myself to get caught up in the mindset, “There’s so much to be done.”  Now I have the help of Lennon (17) and I get to play with assistant Head Gardener Lilly (4). This afternoon we had fun running her around on the red sack truck and her bouncing on the new mattress in Bee’s room. As you must be aware this is essential training for an Assistant Head Gardener aged 4.

I was saying to Lennon this mid-morning that we needed more seating in the garden and so that will be an intention for this year (2024).  We have a lovely wrought iron seat in Brigit’s Garden which we love (courtesy of Joanne).  I insist that as part of her ongoing “Wife in Training Program” that Bee sit in the sun on this bench in her garden and write the poetry she loves.

Poetry, Quotations, Prayers, and Blessings

One of the things I want more of in the garden are banners with inspirational quotations, poems, prayers, and blessings.  I have my website

https://tonycuckson.com

which I was thinking of expanding but now am thinking I want to move to it to Substack.

The reason is that being found on Google is becoming almost impossible and I would rather have a few engaged subscribers on Substack rather than be subject to the whims of the Google algorithm updates that can wipe out years of effort overnight. With the new Helpful Content Update in March/April 2024 content creator sites like mine have lost up to 90% of the traffic coming from Google.

I am thinking that I could do a Newsletter around the poetry, quotes, prayers, and blessings that I love together with mythological storytelling.  I would also explore recording guided meditations once the She/he shed is built in the garden. Recording these would allow subscribers to have access to an uplifting piece to start their week.

I would also share aspects of this inspirational poetry here as part of the invitation to Inner Gardening that I call Companioning Your Greatness (W. B. Yeats). So may you companion YOUR greatness in the unique way in which the Infinite designed you to express through you and too know that you are blessed and can bless (Vascillation IV – W. B. Yeats).

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