The Wise Woman's Garden

by Jacqueline Collen-Tarrolly

A hammock is almost vital in any form to a wise-woman garden ( or at least to MY garden ). One can relax comfortably and peer through the ropes at all the life going on in the grass, or lay back and watch clouds go by, or the wind in the trees. What better way to learn to listen to the trees, or to escape for some meditation? The best hammocks are those hung from two sturdy trees, but barring that, a self-standing one will do. I know that not everyone can have a hammock, but a good creaky rocking chair works almost as well. Anything that you can sway in, and watch the world from.

A moon garden is one that is best appreciated at night. Most gardens, no matter how colorful in the day, pale and lose all colour at night. Why is this? Because it is dark out and you cant see them. But a moon garden is made up of all white or silvery plants and you can see them against the dark shadows of night. I have a small corner of my garden dedicated to a moon garden. It is so beautiful during the day, and equally lovely at night. And it is the perfect part of your garden to work in in the dark, which can be very calming, and fulfilling. Some plants to try: dusty miller, white allyssum, sage, white roses, Queen Anne's lace.

Another wonderful little thing I have found is a butterfly feeder. We all know about hummingbird, or regular bird feeders, but a butterfly feeder which works on the same basic principal is just as much of a joy. And speaking of bugs; there are what I call good bugs that are fabulous to cultivate and nuture in your garden. They eat harmful pests and can be kinda cool to see wandering around too. Lady Bugs will eat mosquitos, and aphids and other litle flying bugs, so will praying mantises. There are these funky looking things called decollate snails which are shaped like a cone rather than like a regular brown snail. I call them the canibal snail because their primary diet is the brown snail, and other slugs. You can get all these helpful bugs at a good garden center. The decollate snails come out primarily at night, during the day they live underground, so you will not have to see them much, unlike the other two which you will see often. It offers a much more environmentally and karmically well-balanced way of controlling the pests that might be destroying your garden.

A note about bugs in your garden. Bees. So many people are so frightened of them. I dont blame them, no one wants to get stung, and people who are allergic to bee stings have something extra to be cautious about. But I work in my garden alot, I mean A LOT. And in my garden all life is welcome and encouraged. I cannot begin to tell you the amount of times I have worked happily and joyfully next to a busy bee on the same rose bush! Bees are not malicious, really. They are just doing their thing, if you dont mess with their thing, they dont mess with your thing. I mean, bees are not kamikazes, they are not on a suicide mision to sting the first person they can and then die ( bees die after they lose their stingers). Obviously, if a bee is buzzing around a particular flower I dont cut that flower. I let him do his job, and when he has moved on, then maybe I will clip it. I work surrounded by various critters, butterflies, birds, squirrels, spiders even. There is a certain kind of joy you get when you know that you are working in total harmony with the creatures you share your tiny plot of earth with. A hummingbird sitting in your hand is a miracle. I know, I have held one.

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