Mindful Gardening Newsletter No 31
The weather here in Cordressagh has been mixed but there has been a lot of autumn sunshine which has allowed Bee and I to enjoy being in the garden together. I have been able to spend three or four hours each day catching up on clearing weeds, pruning and dividing plants. I will over the next couple of weeks begin to propagate cuttings from roses, fuchsia and other perennials and look at dividing other plants such as the established heuchera
The Wild Geese Overhead
Video from Canva Gallary.
As I write this newsletter with the window open, I hear the honking of the Canada geese as they fly over the garden making their return to their native homeland. I love to stand and watch them fly in their chevron shape. I get to stand and stare and adore the beauty of this sight. It always reminds me of the poem by the mystic naturalist poet Mary Oliver.
This poem is available at this link https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/1580424280/wild-geese-poem-by-mary-oliver-digital
Why not take time to sit awhile and remember (re-member) that whoever you think you are you are more than what you think. You are the emanation of the Presence that connects you to the family of all things and beyond things. Like the wild geese you have wings. Use them and fly (Rumi)
Hedging Time
Rronenow, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
At this time of year, I spend time exploring the hedging I intend to plant during the autumn. I am drawn to plant up a hedge of Spirea Arguta that has the common name “Bridal Wreath.” I like the idea that it will grow to six feet high. This means that I can surround the Rumi Garden and create a room that becomes a kind of mystery.
I am thinking of leaving this garden empty space. This is symbolic of the emptiness that is forever full and that is within each one of us as a living silent Presence waiting for each of us to trust its unfoldment and flowering.
The South facing side of the Rumi Garden is really quite wide and I am going to plant this hedge beyond the bamboo cane structure that is created to support any hedge I plan to plant there.
This Marriage
by Rumi
May these vows and this marriage be blessed.
May this marriage be as sweet as milk and honey,
May this marriage be as intoxicating as old wine,
May this marriage be fruitful like the date palm,
May this marriage be full of laughter, and every day a paradise.
May this marriage be a seal of compassion, for here and hereafter.
May this marriage have a fair face and a good name,
May this marriage be as welcome as the full moon in the night sky.
Listen lovers, now you go on, as I become silent and kiss this blessed night.
The real marriage that Rumi invites is that of the personal with the impersonal – the marriage of time with the Timeless and the marriage of the self with the SELF. This is representative of the white flowers that arrive in springtime. This is the mystical marriage that all wisdom teachers point toward.
The Yeat’s Garden Design
Picture 1 - Yeats Garden Gallery of Plants for seasonal variety
One of the fun things for me to do at this time of year when the gardening season is ending is to begin to design or re-design the various garden rooms. This morning (Sunday) I spent time designing what I call The Yeat’s Garden. For the purpose of designing, I use Gardenia.net which is a garden design tool worth every cent of the $25.00 annual subscription. Below is a gallery of the various flowers and perennials that will be part of this deep heart’s core garden that I will get to sit in and enjoy.
Picture 2 Gallery of Plants for Yeats Garden for seasonal interest.
All the above will feature at different times of the year. There are really four seasons of interest which include: -
· Early Spring and Winter
· Spring – Early Mid and Late
· Summer – Early Mid and Late
· Autumn/Fall
So, the planting for the early spring and winter interest includes: -
· Lungwort
· Ferns
There is an alder tree that is already well established and provides much of the shade for this garden and the plants that will thrive in these semi shaded conditions. Over the last few years, I have planted a lot of winter aconite. I love this ground cover which is some of the most beautiful to appear at the beginning of the spring.
Outline of plants for Yeats Garden for spring and winter interest
Conclusion
Autumn project of painting shed and adding solar panels for propagation area at back.
The call of the wild geese heading home continues each day. The forecast for next week is for it to be sunny. So, there will be lots of time spent in the garden. Most of this will be the beginning of measuring the shed for solar panels and extending it at the back and creating a lean-to potting propagation area with heated benches and automatic watering system. This is a fun project which I will enjoy doing with the help of my long time beloved friend Mike McCann.
This week’s theme has included the reference to the winged geese that pass over this garden. Let it be a reminder from Rumi that invites: -
I remember Bee reading this Rumi poem to school children in Glangevlin and at the end of this reading there was a kind of surprised silence. So from this Mindful Gardener in Cordressagagh have a great week and let there be moments when you allow the never ending voice in your head simply be witnessed and become open to the Presence of Divine Intention that is designed to be uniquely expressed through you so that you become a unique garden of infinite possibility.