Mindful Gardening Newsletter No 43
A Glimpse into This Week's Garden of Inspiration
As per the recent newsletter layout I share with you an overview of what is on offer in this weeks Mindful Gardening Newsletter by way of key bullet points. This allows you to quickly decide if this content will be of value to you.
Key Highlights to Inspire Your Reading
• Birds as Mini Heroes: Discover the resilience of winter birds, from the steadfast blackbird to the delightful arrival of a woodpecker, as they brave icy days in search of sustenance.
• Garden Transformations and Surprises: From pruning roses to spotting early blooms like snowdrops, Geum, and winter aconites, explore the beauty of a garden waking up after a frost.
• Gardening Wisdom and Experiments: Learn about creative propagation techniques, unexpected winter survivors, and the search for shade-loving ground cover to enhance any garden space.
• Beyond Gardening Adventures: Dive into reflections on mindful living, guided meditations inspired by Yeats, and the journey of building a creative presence on YouTube, all wrapped in the poetry of Rumi.
Each section offers a blend of inspiration and practical insights for both gardeners and seekers of stillness.
Mindful Gardening Newsletter No 43
Welcome to this week’s Mindful Gardening newsletter. For three of four days it seemed like a mini ice age. I spend some days feeding the birds twice each day and the next morning there was nothing left. I think of each one of them as a mini hero/ine who faces the bitterest of cold nights. Today its been different and I have spent a couple of hours in the garden that shows me just how unfit I am but that will change.
The Expanding Bird Population
The chase for a full breakfast begins.
Today has been a delight because a woodpecker has come to spend some time tapping away in the high pine tree that is to the north of the cottage. This morning Bee and I stood listening to it tap tap tapping. I wonder if I will see it at the rather crowded bird table and beehive feeders. It would be lovely. I am always interested in the mythology behind the birds that visit the garden. However, no mystic, poet or sage has thought this bird to worth mentioning. Still and all I love that it is around and about our garden. Our neighbor’s Chris and Bridget get to see the woodpecker at their bird table at the house down by Moneen Lake.
The blackbird continues to sit in the tree close to the bird table. In the morning the other trees are covered by small birds who wait for the bird café to open. They now get around three or four different kinds of seed so its like a full breakfast for them.
The Pruning Season Begins
Today (Sunday) I started to prune the David Austin roses (Emile Bronte) in the writers garden and to also cut back the stems of the Nepeta that grows underneath them. Its easier to grow nepeta than lavender here. Having done that, we covered the ground with leaves supplied by our lovely neighbor David.
I also cut back some of the few prigs of beech hedging that I planted some years ago and that were turning into small trees close to the cottage. I have taken the branches and cut them into cuttings and will add these to a mixture of sand and perlite. I will scar the end and add rooting gel and if that runs out, I will get more and a backup which is a jar of clear organic honey.
How does Your Garden Grow
Given that the ice has melted I got to look around various parts of the garden. By the pet cairn we have the beginnings of snowdrops poking their head above ground. I also see the beginnings of a lot of Geum which is a delight to see. I also see the beginning of the winter aconite which is one of the first spring flowers to appear. It carpets the ground green and yellow.
The hellebore (Lenten rose) is beginning to bloom and the ones I planted last year have put their heads above the grown but as yet no blooms. Its lovely to see all these plants come to show their beauty.
Garden Surprises
At the back of Stewarts Grove, I found the above plant that seems to not have been impacted by the freezing temperatures of this week. This is a house plant, but I will be researching more about it if this is how it manages in very adverse conditions.
I am always looking for interesting ground covers, especially one that does well in shade. I planted some of this last year (have forgotten the name) but the leaves turn a lovely combination of red and green later in the year. It seems to have expanded to about three times the size of what it was. So, this was a winner for 2024 and looking good for 2025.
Beyond the Gardening Adventure
When I am not gardening, I am writing. This week I began to write what will be a years newsletter called The Deep Heart’s Core. This will be available on the Substack platform later in the year and will be available free. This will be for fifty two weeks and I think I am going to include guided meditations. This Deep Heart’s core is a line from a Yeat’s poem entitled The Lake Isle of Innisfree which was my mothers favorite.
Another adventure for 2025 is expanding my YouTube channel. To this end I have started a thirty day commitment to make a short video each day. This is to get used to being in front of a camera via a mobile phone. Here is todays exploration.
Day 2 - The Courage to Create
Quote of the Week
Cordressagagh through the Archway
When I am writing I am graced to come across quotes that lift the heart. Here is one that did that. As might be expected it comes from the ever extraordinary mystical poetry of Rumi. It was featured in a YouTube video and said: -
When the noise stops you will hear the voice of the Universe – Rumi.
The noise that has to stop is the noise of the voice in your head that you listen to and take to be who you think you are. You are so much more than the thoughts that you identify with, and which are the cause of most of the unnecessary suffering for the individual and the collective that is humanity.
Get still and KNOW the I AM that you are a part of but never apart from.
Conclusion
I listen to the wind to the wind of my soul - Cat Stevens
As we wrap up this week’s Mindful Gardening Newsletter, let’s take a moment to reflect on the quiet beauty that unfolds when we immerse ourselves in the rhythms of nature. From the delicate bravery of snowdrops breaking through the earth to the steadfast tapping of the woodpecker, our gardens remind us that life’s most profound lessons often emerge in the stillness and simplicity of the moment.
This week, I invite you to step outside, even if just for a few minutes, and let the garden speak to you. Listen past the noise of your thoughts and hear the voice of the universe—whether in the rustle of leaves, the chatter of birds, or the silent unfolding of a winter aconite. As Rumi so beautifully reminds us, it is in stillness that we come to know the truth of who we are and the world we are a part of.
Thank you for joining me on this mindful gardening journey. May your week be filled with small wonders, whether in the garden, in your creative endeavours, or simply in the quiet corners of your day.
Until next time, may your hands stay busy, your heart stay light, and your garden keep teaching you.
Tony
Mindful Gardening Newsletter – Cordressagagh - Ireland