Conversations with Nature
This fire pit garden has absolutely blown up with green growth. I was listening to Urban Farm Podcast the other night, and an ex-reality TV personality turned geeked-out gardener (his words, not mine) kept referring to his garden as preppy. I took out fresh eyes to gaze on this space decided this mess is definitely not preppy.
It nearly took my breath away, not because of its beauty or anything like that but simply the boldness of its existence. In the winter, there was hardly any evidence of all this life hidden under the ground. Its just a mess of wood chips and rocks and a few crunchy stalks. All fall and early spring I kept packing in more root systems, bulbs and tubers forgetting what was already there and hoping they would come up in the spring. Then the heat came and this section of the yard now seems to be a life-form all its own. As I stood there being overwhelmed, I thought to myself, I’m going to have to balance this out in the rest of the yard!
Initially was tempted to judge myself as I evaluated my work and saw the wild mix of natives, colors and textures, but I paused to remember what motivates me. My garden is a conversation with nature. I make suggestions, it gives me feedback. It’s a give and take process of trying, observing, appreciating, and responding. I plant not only what is beautiful to my eye but what is beneficial to the birds and insects and the other critters I spot hanging out on branches and leaves. It also is a literal conversation as some of these critters have names, and I pause to say “hi” and wish them a good day as I pass. I feel wonderment and gratitude when I see a bird land on a tree that has only just been planted or a lizard lounge on top of a bird box that has only just been hung. In essence, gardening is an invitation – an invitation to take root, to spread, and to pass through or to dwell.
No matter what your gardening style is, know that you too can have conversations with nature and chances are that as long as you aren’t trying to assert your will but are there to nurture and learn, it will probably give you life in return.
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