Mindful Gardening Newsletter No 33

Here in Cordressagagh we have had a lovely week of early autumn/fall sunshine.  My heart goes out to those in the U.S.A. who are experiencing so much devastation by way of storms that have caused severe flooding.  One of the things that I am thankful about living here in Ireland is that while it might rain a lot there are not extremes of weather that other parts of the world are subject to. 

The Orchard Garden

Planting teabags for experiment for creating chamomile lawn

Last year I planted up some apple, pear, plum and hazel nut trees.  Given the wet summer there has been a heavy growth of weeds around these trees.  This week I bought some stakes with which to support them through the winds that come through Cordressagagh in the autumn and winter.  I will be tying the trunks of these fruit and nut trees to these stakes with ladies’ nylon stockings supplied by Bee and Penny.  This means that the trunk can expand as it needs.

This week I have started my chamomile lawn experiment with laying down some chamomile tea bags in a mixture of seed sowing compost (John Innes No 1) builders’ sand and perlite.  This means that there is enough drainage and that the soil is not over rich. I have planted these in a small square frame as shown above.  If the test planting is successful then I can lay the square out in the orchard and allow it to expand and create more this time next year.

And don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter. It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous. - Rumi

I will be creating more of these squares from the re-purposed wooden pallets that I had split, and I will fill these with different mixtures to test sow a wildlife patch, a wild clover patch as well as a patch for a normal grass lawn (with some bought in topsoil).  The plan will be to have the lawn filled with spring bulbs and a mixture of wildflowers rather than have something that is what my friend Marc Charlton calls a chemical desert.

With chamomile, wildflowers and clover I get to provide lots of necessary feeding for all those creatures that share this garden of grace and that I get to delight in seeing, hearing and simply being with.  Bee and I now get to sit in Stewart’s Grove with a cup of tea, and we joke, “Another fine mess you’ve got me into.”

The Garden Shed Extension

Cutting wood for creating frames for potting shed extension

Have had great fun and some frustrations around adding the garden shed extension.  Have to decide on how to deal with the rain that falls on the roof panels.  This will be in consultation with my dear friend Micheal McCann who is a star when it comes to finding solutions to project issues. 

The frustration is around needing to cut a 45 degree angle on most of the pieces of wood when the miter saw I have (Evolution) doesn’t extend to that degree (which all miter saws do except this one). Still and all some people have real issues to deal with. It will get sorted.

Every moment I shape my destiny with a chisel - I am the carpenter of my own soul. - Rumi

It will be great to have a potting shed with a heated bench to start the sweet pea early and that will give me more opportunity to create living walls of flowers that create separate garden rooms.  They will be sensational and create opportunities for gift giving of flowers that then come back and give and give. 

The Himalayan Knotweed Issue

Tool to inject treatment for Himalayan Knotweed.

Have acquired my new tool that I will use to start to deal with the Himalayan Knotweed issue.  This I think will be a long term treatment plan of three or more years.  I cut back the plant and we burned the stems and the flowers in an incinerator.  I will put the ash in a separate black plastic bag and bury it in the garden and keep an eye on whether it returns. 

The task now is to measure out the right amount of glyphosate into a separate watering can which I will mark with a large X so that the content isn’t used on other plants.  Then we will clothe ourselves in safety wear (clothing, eye protection and gloves) and start to inject the stems as instructed.

Then we will cover the ground with black plastic and load it down with a light layer of topsoil so that any light is excluded from the area. Then next spring I can check to see how effective the treatment has been.  From research on YouTube the treatment might need to be continued for a number of years.

Its such a pity that this plant is so prolific.  I really loved the flowers and the foliage.

The Winter Logwood Pile

As the Mindful Gardener I am mindful of the needs of the various wildlife that is part of this garden.  This week coming I intend to create a wildlife wood pile so that these creatures have somewhere safe and warm to over winter in.  I think I am going to situate this wood pile at the back of Stewarts Grove where I have piled a lot of the logs that we bought in bulk for use in the new wood stove in the living room of the cottage.

This week I purchased from Dutch Bulbs a load of spring bulbs and perennial shade loving plants for the back Stewart’s Grove that include bluebells, crocus, wild tulips, astilbe and more.  This will create an array of color and food in the spring for the emerging insects and bees. It will create a feast of beauty for the eye as we sit sipping tea and ginger biscuits while thinking how blessed we are to have the energy to steward this garden of grace.

Poem of the Week

Peace of Wild Things Print on Etsy

One of my favorite poems is “Peace of Wild Things” by Wendal Berry.  One of the things I will explore over the coming year is to create a space where I can lie down and contemplate the “Peace of Wild Things” that share this garden. 

This is in part the reason why I am experimenting with planting a chamomile lawn.  There may be issues with regard to the amount of rain in Ireland, but I can address this if it is an issue. If I can’t have a dry chamomile patch of lawn, I might opt for a rainbow colored hammock, but we will see.

The Peace of Wild Things

When despair for the world grows in me

and I wake in the night at the least sound

in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,

I go and lie down where the wood drake

rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.

I come into the peace of wild things

who do not tax their lives with forethought

of grief. I come into the presence of still water.

And I feel above me the day-blind stars

waiting with their light. For a time

I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Wendell Berry

The Vegetable Garden

Some of the carrots that have been a real success this year.

This week I will begin to harvest some of the last potatoes given that this week we had a dusting of frost one morning.  We will probably harvest the rest of the carrots which have been a real success this year (and last year).  Then I will begin to add some well-rotted manure (bought in) with a mix of perlite.  We will cover the raised beds with cardboard so that all the goodness doesn’t leach out and in springtime its simply a case of pulling back the covering.  Its great to find underneath the covering what I call “black gold.”

This week we started to collect some of the Brussel sprouts that are small but will now begin to fluff up.  This is the first year that we have had success with these which were transplants that we bought from Ashville Garden Centre in Enniskillen.  The winter cabbage keeps giving and giving.  A couple of leaves and you have the veg needed for lunch.

I will be moving the large bunch of barley that has grown from the barley straw that I placed around the rhubarb in the raised bed in late spring.  I love to see the stalks of barley as they are so pretty to look at.  I might cut these and use them as part of an indoor cut flower arrangement. If I get my own barley patch, I might explore harvesting it for making bread.  We will see.

You'll remember me when the west wind moves
Upon the fields of barley
You'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we walk in fields of gold

– Sting – Fields of Gold

Conclusion

Garden meditation Tee Shirt for Mindful Gardeners

As we wrap up this week's newsletter, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on the peacefulness engenders from the scent of a chamomile lawn, the gentle release it offers, and the grounding presence of the September Garden. Just as Wendell Berry's Peace of Wild Things reminds us to find solace in nature's quiet wisdom, we, too, can cultivate that calm within ourselves through mindful gardening.

A mindful practice for the September Garden could be grounding through seasonal transitions. As you step into your garden, take a few moments to observe the subtle changes—the shift in the air, the fading blooms, the deepening colors of foliage.

Choose a single task, like gently clearing away fallen leaves or harvesting late-season herbs and do it with full attention. Notice the texture, scent, and sound of the materials in your hands. Feel the earth beneath your feet, and let your breath match the rhythm of your movements.

When you own your breath, nobody can steal your peace. —Unknown

As you work, reflect on the natural cycle of letting go, how the garden prepares for rest, and how you, too, can embrace this gentle transition. As the season transitions, let us continue to nurture both our gardens and our inner landscapes, finding peace in the simple, wild things around us. Reflect on how you can support and give comfort to the wild life in your garden and the wild life within. Here's to another week of mindful connection with the earth beneath our feet.