Mindful Gardening Newsletter No 50
Tending the Garden Within: Where Nature Meets Embodied Spirituality
Welcome to another edition of Mindful Gardening Newsletter. There have been two glorious days of sunshine this week and the weather is forecast to be good all of this week. I have been blessed to have the support of Lennon who is doing most of the heavy lifting with wheelbarrowing tons of topsoil down to lay the lawn within the boundary of the hornbeam hedging.
Here's this week’s overview of what was happening in Cordressagagh this week.
Bullet Points for this week’s Mindful Gardening Newsletter
• A Garden in the Bedroom: The Magic of Indoor Seed Starting – The back bedroom transforms into a mini greenhouse, filled with seedlings emerging under LED lights. Sunflowers, onions, and more begin their journey, bringing hope and renewal.
• Welcoming the First Signs of Spring – Crocuses, narcissi, and daffodils light up the garden, signaling nature’s awakening. The golden carpet of winter aconite spreads beauty, while early tulips promise a riot of color.
• Clearing the Way for New Growth – A new chainsaw and protective gear mark the start of clearing fallen trees, making way for more planting. The garden’s transformation continues, ensuring access to previously blocked spaces.
• A Milestone Celebration: Turning 75 – Plans unfold for a joyous birthday gathering, complete with music, friends, and a special wish for bird boxes to nurture the garden’s winged visitors. Another celebration in May will make up for a missed 70th.
A Garden in the Bedroom: The Magic of Indoor Seed Starting
This week I pulled out the photograph storage box in which I keep all the seeds from previous years. I bought some additional 84 rigid cell modules and have filled these with a mixture of John Innes No 3 seed sowing compost. Once the seeds were planted, I covered them with a very light layer of vermiculite.
To plant a seed is to believe in tomorrow, to trust in unseen miracles, and to participate in the sacred rhythm of creation. — Audrey Hepburn
The back bedroom is filled with racks and more racks of seed trays and led lights. It’s like a football stadium in the room and many of the seeds are beginning to put their heads above the soil. This includes the onion seeds that I planted later last month and the sunflower seeds. The sunflower is our family totem, so it is good to see them coming on early. I will be needing to source more potting on compost and this week I may well be building a few cold frames to hold the potted on plantlets.
A Lucky Find: Discovering Affordable Echinacea Roots
Last week I mentioned that I bought a packet of echinacea seeds and when it came to planting them the total in the packet was five. I planted these but I found some inexpensive roots in packets of three when I was in Dunne’s Stores in Enniskillen.
These we planted them into pots at the front of the house. I want to see how they fair because I planted some last year in the ground, and they disappeared. It may be that the roots rotted because of the damp ground.
Welcoming the First Signs of Spring
I love walking down into the garden because most every day there is something new to delight the eye. There are the crocus and the narcissi that I planted last year that have come up. The ice follies (daffodils in white) seem to have come up over night by the lane that is The Beauty Way. This will give the walkers along the lane something eye catching to appreciate.
My favorite plant at this time of year is winter aconite. Beyond the fairy garden the ground looks like a carpet of gold and green. Winter aconite is a wonderful ground cover and is a great spreader if you like that (which I do). The early tulips are also on their way up from underground so soon the garden will be a riot of color.
Chief Attention Seeking Cat
One of the great graces of my life is the fact that I get to care for animals. This is our cat Sparkle or affectionately called “The Princess.” Every time I go into the garden, and she is on the path she will roll over and get my attention. I just have to bend down and tell her how much I love her. She knows that.
Cats are Zen masters in fur coats—fully present, effortlessly at peace, and always attuned to the moment. — Eckhart Tolle – The Power of NOW.
She was a kitten on the lane and struggling to survive until the daughter of a friend came to the cottage with this little black kitten and I stole her out of the child’s arms. Then I took her into the back bedroom where she hid for a day or two until I feed her milk on the tip of my fingers. My sister Gillian said that I could breastfeed that kitten if I would. It was a love affair at first sight and still is.
Clearing the Way for New Growth
There are so many trees and parts of trees down in this garden that I have reluctantly purchased a chainsaw and protective clothing and other equipment (helmet and boots) to cut my way into places in the garden that I presently can’t get to but need access to such as the septic tank.
The death of a tree, especially one that has stood tall for decades, is like the loss of an old friend—silent, steadfast, and full of stories we will never hear again. — Unknown
I am busy watching several YouTube videos on the matter of chainsaw safety so that when the chainsaw boots arrive this week that I have an awareness of the hazards and can take the necessary precautions.
I think given that I am very cautious about using this tool that I will be careful in how I use it. I won’t be cutting down any trees but only those that are lying on the ground and blocking my ability to plant in areas where the tree is lying on the flower bed.
A Milestone Celebration: Turning 75
It’s my 75th birthday on 20th March and plans are going ahead for a celebration on Friday night of the 21st. I am having fun inviting many friends in the village and some musicians who will come from further afield so that we can have a session together as well as a bring and share buffet. I am planning to ask for gifts of some bird boxes for the garden. The idea was that I would make my own but that hasn’t happened, and I want to have what are called roosting boxes which will protect the birds later in the winter months. I might look into buying myself a bird box with a camera inside it but will wait and see what materializes.
Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been — David Bowie (1947–2016)
There is also the plan to have a second 75th birthday over the bank holiday in May to compensate for the fact that I didn’t have a birthday party for my 70th given the advent of the Covid pandemic. So, this is to make up for that. With the help of Lennon and my friend Mike’s mini digger we might just be able to have the ground ready for having a roll out labyrinth which would be “cool.”
Expanding the Vision: Four Newsletters, One Journey
Over the last few weeks, I have revamped my Substack account that now includes four newsletters and not just one. These are: -
• Mindful Gardening.
• Bringing Heaven to Earth and
I am intending to include a weekly summary of all four of this in a newsletter called Out of the Blue which is how these weekly newsletters arrive on the page every morning before I get out of bed.
I realized this week that all of these newsletters have one thing in common and that is the invitation to what I call “embodied spirituality.” All of these are topics that I love to write about and which I feel blessed to have as part of what I refer to as my amazing unfoldment.
I wish that I could live like a river amazed by its own unfoldment – John O’Donohue – Author of Anamcara.
All of these are weekly newsletters that go out on different days and are free to subscribe to. There will be paid versions of A Yoga Life and Bringing Heaven to Earth, but these newsletters will have their own free version.
A Season of Growth, A Life of Unfoldment
As the garden awakens, so too does the spirit within. This week has been a reminder that mindful gardening is not just about tending to plants—it is about tending to life itself, embracing the rhythms of nature, and allowing creation to move through us in its own perfect time. From planting seeds to nurturing the creatures that share this space, every action becomes an act of devotion, a quiet prayer of connection to the earth and the infinite.
There is something deeply satisfying about watching life take root, whether in the form of seedlings reaching toward the light or friendships blossoming in the warmth of shared celebration. The birthday party plans are not just about marking another year but about honouring the relationships, the land, and the journey that continues to unfold. It is all a part of the great tapestry of embodied spirituality—living in harmony with nature, creativity, and love.
Blooming in Presence: Embracing the Rhythm of Life
Tending the inner garden begins with cultivating stillness and presence. Just as a gardener prepares the soil before planting, we must create space within ourselves for growth. This means setting aside time for silence, meditation, and reflection—practices that nourish the soul and allow clarity to emerge. Like pruning away dead branches, we can also examine thoughts, habits, and beliefs that no longer serve us, gently releasing them to make way for new possibilities. The inner garden flourishes when we approach it with patience, intention, and a willingness to surrender to the natural rhythm of life.
The mind is like a fertile garden—whatever you plant, will grow. Choose your seeds wisely. — Buddha
Nurturing the seeds of inner wisdom requires daily attention, just as tending a garden requires consistent care. Practicing gratitude, engaging in creative expression, and aligning with the cycles of nature are ways to deepen this connection. Just as we celebrate the first signs of spring in the garden, we can honor the small shifts in our inner world—moments of peace, insight, or joy that indicate growth. By tending to this sacred space within, we become more attuned to life’s unfolding beauty, allowing love, wisdom, and presence to bloom effortlessly.
Subscribe and Grow with Us
If you find joy in the rhythms of nature, in the simple pleasures of mindful living, and in the deeper call of embodied spirituality, I invite you to subscribe to Mindful Gardening and my other newsletters.
Each week, I share reflections on gardening, yoga, creativity, and the sacred dance of bringing heaven to earth. By subscribing, you’ll receive inspiration, practical wisdom, and an invitation to cultivate your own garden—whether that be of plants, presence, or purpose. Let’s walk this path together, let’s walk The Beauty Way living like a river, amazed by its own unfoldment.
Subscribe today and step into a life of mindful, joyful, and abundant growth.