Walking in the Gardens

Some days, you just need a break. And the past two, even though I’ve been on deadline, I’ve desperately needed a break. After the security company came to install the system in our house on Tuesday, with all the clamoring and loud noises that kept going all afternoon, we got horribly jarred. I decided that both Andria and I needed to do something calming. And since the flower gardens had been weeded, but not planted, for the year, I decided we would tackle them. Jayelle came over to help, and we spent yesterday afternoon and most of today putting in the dirt.

So in the back, we have a Faerie Garden, where I’ve been actively working to embody the energy of the Fae, to give them a lovely place that serves as both magical touchstone and a beautiful garden, and for ritual. Last year, the flowers we put in didn't work right and I didn't like the unkempt weedy look. So we took out most of them, and this year, I bought foxglove (which I associate with the Fae more than any other flower), lupine, heliotrope, petunias, Scottish and Irish moss, lemon verbena, salvia, lobelia, a sunflower, dahlias, and other goodies. We already had phlox and gladiolus growing in there. As we planted, the energy began to shift from barren and waiting, to magical and happy. The bumblebees were buzzing out there, happy for the foxglove, and the whole corner of the yard came to life. Here’s what it looks like at this point:

And then, there’s the Bast Memorial Garden, created as a tribute to the Goddess Bast, and as a shrine/memorial for our beloved kitties we’ve lost. We planted red roses last year, and they are blooming like crazy, and phlox which really blossomed out. This year we added begonias and bleeding hearts. The statue of Bast sits among the flowers, and at her feet, the urns of our beloved Keeter, Luna, and Tara. The memorial garden is a quiet spot, to sit beside and meditate…just be.

I hung up two baskets of hanging cherry tomato plants this year and am crossing my fingers that it's warm enough for them to set.

he Autumn Garden, below my office window, is so named because of the colors I like to have there. That’s where I look to gather the oranges and yellows (for the most part), and I already had fern and hellebores, and mums coming up from last year. So this year, I planted salvia, marigolds and petunias, and I’ll be planting Chinese lanterns when they come available. I love looking out, being able to see a bright array of colors beneath my office window.

The front walkway is filled with tulips during the spring, but for summer, we plant petunias, primroses, snapdragons—a mix of what we can find that we like. We have an azalea bush there, and our Garden Goddess. Also, Wendell, our gargoyle protector, watches over those who come up the path, as well as one of our guardian dragons. We have a birdfeeder pole there, and hang the birdfeeders from that pole.

In back, we have a birdfeeder pole and right now, we have hanging tomato plants there. And the other one in the front yard, we planted two baskets—one of geraniums and one of begonias. And so far, we’ve planted two big pots of peppermint and dill. I’m going to do pots of herbs out back along the back patio.

There’s a basketball hoop/pole in the front yard that we’re going to turn into a giant green man…but that’s for another post. J

Now, a number of people said they wished that they could be a gardener like me—well, the truth is I’m NOT a gardener. The lawn care service takes care of all the plants, mowing, heavy weeding and pruning twice a year. I don’t have the time or the skill, nor do my allergies cope with that much of the great outdoors. But I like picking the flowers, and arranging them, and digging a little in the dirt. And I happily sit and water the gardens, watching them, as I think.

So, are you a gardener? Do you enjoy planting flowers or vegetables? Or do you, like me, prefer to walk in the gardens, to sit and quietly contemplate among a field of green with splashes of vibrant color?

Yasmine