2022 In the Garden

"Build pockets of stillness into your life."

―Maria Popova

I don't normally do a blog post about the garden, but this year I made some big changes so I thought a post was in order.  As I sat down to write, it occurred to me the seeds of this project were planted 13 years ago!  When we added a screen porch to the back of our house, the man who laid the pavers underneath asked us what we wanted to do with the extra dirt.  I distinctly remember him asking, "Do you want us to haul the dirt away or put it in a mound in your back yard?"  I recall looking over at George and my next door neighbor John and they said... "Oh, just put it in the back yard...maybe we can use it for something someday." 

“Because of what you have done, things will happen later which can't possibly be foreseen.”

― Iris Murdoch

Well, that mound of dirt sat there for 13 years! Finally, last fall I decided to take some action.  For two days I attacked the mound with a shovel and simply flung the dirt as far as I could.  Did I hurt my back?  Yes.  Am I happy the mound is finally gone?  YES!  When my back told me I was done moving dirt, a low circle remained.  At first I was irritated, but then it occurred to me I could build a low stone wall around it.  It was late fall when this occurred to me...probably too late to complete the stone project, but not too late to plant a rhododendron. 

"The first gesture of an architect is to draw a perimeter;
in other words, to separate the microclimate from the macro space outside.
This in itself is a sacred act." — Mario Botta

LOW STONE WALL

This spring I was happy the rhododendron survived the winter and George and I started the project.  After harvesting all the "extra" stone from around our yard I realized we needed a couple more rows.  My Dad came down with his truck and we made a trip to Creech's Ohio Valley Stone.  The next day George and I built the wall.  Below you can see the wall and the rhododendron.      

Later that week I had a wonderful time at Natorp's buying shade plants.  I bought Jacob's Ladder, Lady's Mantle, shade Phlox, Mukdenia, ferns, and a hosta.

Below you can see the final wall with all the plantings.

“Sometimes since I’ve been in the garden I’ve looked up through the trees at the sky and I have had a strange feeling of being happy as if something was pushing and drawing in my chest and making me breathe fast. Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

And here is the view from the other side before the wall and after.  From this view you can see it is more of a crescent wall that ends as the elevation gets more shallow.

BOULDERS

Last fall we had two large, overgrown bushes removed from the front yard and their absence left two gaping holes in the landscape.  So when I was at the stone store I couldn't help but notice the beautiful selection of boulders.  Again, my Dad brought his truck down and I had a great time selecting bounlers.  I was like a kid in a candy store and the guys at the stone store were so helpful, always happy to oblige me and roll this or that boulder over for inspection.  At one point, I was walking around a giant pile of rocks and the man who was helping me was a native Spanish speaker.  I apologized for taking so long but told him the stones "have to speak to me (tienen que llamarme)."  He didn't miss a beat when he responded, "Yes, of course, they have to speak to your heart. (Por supuesto, tienen que llamar al corazón.)"  After many "conversations" I came home with two beautiful boulders.

"Even a stone, and more easily a flower or a bird, could show you the way back to God, to the Source, to yourself. When you look at it or hold it and let it be without imposing a word of mental label on it, a sense of awe, of wonder, arises within you. Its essence silently communicates itself to you and reflects your own essence back to you." ― Eckhart Tolle

When we pulled into the driveway we weren't sure how we were going to get them to their new locations.  But we were able to use to two old, sturdy boards to shimmy them down from the truck and roll them into their new homes.

PLANTER

When we first bought our house we ignored the side yard for a good three years.  When I finally turned my attention to it, you couldn't even walk from the front to the back yard due to the weeds that towered overhead.  Once we cleared those weeds, I realized there was an underlayer of day lilies.  We have spent the last twenty years trying to dig them up.  They still appear and I still try and dig them.  It is a gardening ritual that will probably last as long as we own the house.  I have always had a vision for this side yard that included some sort of focal point in the middle.  I envisioned a boulder fountain, or a bird bath, or a large pot. 

I like to be open to what solution might present itself.  And this year I happened to visit Grandma's Garden's in Waynesville when I noticed this incredible stone planter.  The intricate relief designs reminded me of Mayan carvings.  I kept circling the display of planters, but that one pot kept calling me back to it... like "mi corazón" had ears .  I think I saw it in May or June and didn't buy it because I thought it was a little pricey.  But I kept thinking about that pot for a month and that's how I knew it was meant to be.

In July I met my Mom at Grandma's and I was nervous it would be gone.  But I was so happy when I saw she was still in there in all her glorious detail.  My Mom generously purchased it (and a load of plants to fill it) for me as an early birthday present and I am so in love with it.  Thank you Mom!  And thank you for always being a model of generosity and giving in my life.  I strive to be more like you in this way.

I know not many people will walk around my side yard.  But you can also see it when you look over the side porch.  It made me happy every day to stand on the side porch and water it over the edge. 

It was about finding the sacred within myself, my center, my peaceful core. We each have a sacred space within us, a part of us. This sacred space is a temple, a temple to our inner power, our intuition, and our connection with the divine. Discovery of psychic powers, spells, and meditation are all things that lead us to the temple. They help us find the road within and walk our path to the inner temple.

— Christopher Penczak

I had to include a photo of this planter on the opposite side of the house.  It was such a prolific bloomer this year you couldn't even see the pot. 

PAGODA

The pagoda was another new addition to the yard this year.  Towards the middle of July I met my Mom and Dad at Aquatic and Garden Decor.  I knew I wanted to buy some sort of pagoda and they had quite a selection, but nothing exactly called out to me.  Both my parents purchased items and as we were leaving I noticed half of the parking lot was filled with pallets of assorted statues and fountains.  I wasn't sure these were even for sale, but I meandered over just to take a gander when I spied this pagoda. 

It was sitting in four pieces and I asked the man working there if he could put it together.  When he finished placing the final piece on top I was struck by its "adorableness."  But I still wanted to see what Grandma's might have to offer also.  So I took a photo and we left to go on to Grandma's and that's when I got the stone planter mentioned above.  Once I got the stone planter home and in place, I still couldn't get this adorable pagoda out of my mind.  Or maybe I should say it kept tugging at my heart, "llamando a mi corazón."  It seemed like such an extravagance to add yet another new garden feature, but I decided to treat myself to an early birthday gift.  

My Dad helped me dig up the old, slightly odd garden ornament that sat in this spot for at least twenty years.  We had no idea that old ornament went down two feet!  

But it was worth it because I love how this pagoda welcomes everyone who enters the yard or pulls in the driveway with its cheery presence.

“Portals must have guardians.”

― William Richard Lethaby, Architecture, Mysticism and Myth

DRY CREEK BED

After George and I built the low stone wall I spent a fair amount of time watering the new plants in my newly created circle.  One day I noticed there was a natural pathway between the new wall and the hydrangeas.  I thought about what I could plant there, but it occurred to me that I don't need any more plants!... especially way back in the yard where it is hard to water!  So I came up with the idea to put in a dry creek bed.  I was inspired by my favorite section of landscaping on Xavier's campus where they use stones to create a simple pathway.

At first I thought it was just one of those ideas that pops into my head that is too hard to enact.  I actually contacted a landscaping company, but they never got back to me.  I don't know when it happened or whose idea it was, but at some point my Dad and I thought we would give it a go ourselves. 

At the very end of July George was going to be out-of-town visiting family and my Dad agreed to come stay with me for a long weekend.  Right before George left he attempted to dig out the worst of the big roots and sapling trees.  But my Dad and I still spent the entire first day clearing, clearing, clearing the pathway as best we could.  Below is a photo after our first day.   

The next day I was so excited to go back to the stone store.  The same nice man recognized us and showed us all of our options.  My favorite stone was the Colorado river rocks.  The only problem was they only had "large" and "small" sizes available that day.  He wasn't sure when the "medium" size would be in...it could be a day or a month...they never knew.  I was disappointed, but was determined to proceed.  After all, my Dad was here to help with his truck and I wasn't sure when all the stars would align again.  I also wasn't sure exactly what sizes we needed.  Plus I love big rocks and figured the bigger the better.  So I bought half a pallets worth of the large rocks and figured we would return to buy the smaller ones once we finished laying the large.  It turned out my Dad's truck could only hold half my purchase of the large rocks.  So they loaded us up with half my purchase and off we went, slowly, slowly driving home with our heavy load.

When we got home and unloaded the large rocks I started to freak out a little on the inside.  I could tell they were a bit large for the space.  But this is not something I could have know without actually placing them down!  Below you can see they looked a little odd!

I was having an additional freak out because there was a sign at the cash register of the stone store that said, "All purchases are final."  As we drove back to the stone store I was starting to really freak out.  I didn't want any more large rocks!  When I arrived back at the stone store I walked into the little hut where you pay and nervously asked if I could trade out the rest of my large rock purchase for small rocks.  Luckily they were very nice and let me exchange the large rocks for small.  Phew!  I was so relieved!!!  Below you can see Poppy and me unloading the small rocks from the back of his truck.

"One who can move mountains starts with the little stones."

— Confucius

I was also extremely relieved to see the small rocks greatly improved the look of the creek bed and made it look more natural.  Below you can see us exhausted, but happy at the end of a very long day of hauling stone.

When I look at this selfie we took at the end of the day it brings me so much joy.  My Dad is an amazing person.  I can't even put into words how much his steady, kind, and loving presence means to me.  He is always there...no matter what. We didn't know it at the time we took this photo, but life held some challenges in the coming weeks that made this stone pathway look like child's play.  And again my Dad was there....always there by my side.   I can hardly even keep typing because I am tearing up with so much gratitude and love. Thank you Dad for all your love and support. 

"This is the mark of a really admirable man:
steadfastness in the face of trouble."

— Ludwig van Beethoven 

THE BUDDHA

The final addition to this year's garden was the Buddha.  I know this is a statue and by their very nature statue's are steadfast.  But when I water the plants and peer down through the leaves, I am reminded of my own unwavering, immovable, and abiding nature and I am filled with peace.

I have also noticed that there is a lovely, timeless quality about a statue Buddha sitting next to a stone river.  In one sense, nothing moves or changes, yet everything around is in constant motion.

"In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you."

— Deepak Chopra

As I look back at all the changes that took place in the garden this year I am struck by the sacredness of this space.  Every change...the stone wall, the boulders, the planter, the pagoda, the stone river, and the Buddha...make the garden a little more of a reflection of me.  And I believe that by making these changes in the external environment, that my internal environment is altered.  By creating the sacred outside, I am creating the sacred inside.  This is true not only because I was transformed by the experience of enacting these changes, but also because everything is "inside" of our consciousness.  I believe the sacred can be exchanged in both directions...it is a two way street.  By being still and listening, we can hear the call of our hearts. That can then inspire us to give and receive gifts outwardly...which then inspires us with gratitude to go inward and the journey goes on and on.  It is a constant dance between action and inaction, movement and stillness, song and silence.

"Among my stillness was a pounding heart."

―Shannon A. Thompson

I am excited to see how the seasons will change the appearance of the garden.  And the Buddha reminds me to remain steady within this world of constant change...this play of joy and sorrow. 

"I said to my soul, be still, and wait...So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing."

— T.S. Eliot