#plantagarden
A lichen is a symbiotic organism that is a partnership between a fungus and an alga. The algae photosynthesizes and provides the fungus with carbohydrates while the fungus provides structure and protection from the elements. Most lichens look very little like mushrooms, but this one (Lichenomphalia umbellifera) is an exception. When this lichen reproduces, it sends up fruiting bodies that are gilled mushrooms. The rest of the lichen is the dark green in the foreground which is the algae mixed in with fungal hyphae. Lichens are a love story as old as time.
Suddenly you just know it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.
The mark of a true gardener is a person who does not see a finished landscape but a series of tasks that need to be tackled. This isn’t as onerous as it sounds because it gets to the essential elements of gardening: creativity, honest toil and the satisfaction of a job well done. Aches and pains come along for the ride, but that’s why we have bathtubs.
This place is a sacred space to me.
I have come here countless times- to laugh, to cry, to think, to not think. I’ve sang here, danced here, sat in silence here. I’ve felt incredibly connected and utterly alone here. This is a place where I’ve seen and felt magic around and within me. Here, the trees taught me how I might ought to live, and the grasses have taught me that the only constant is change. I’ve watched the seasons go by in my garden. I have learned an incredible amount from the beings that inhabit it, and from the elements that flow through and around it.
Gardening is a mood booster
Studies in the United States and abroad have found that gardening improves your mood and increases your self-esteem. When people spend time in a garden, their anxiety levels drop and they feel less depressed.
2022…
More weeding
More pruning
More planting
More mulching
More watering
More composting
More harvesting
More happiness!
Plants do not speak, but their silence is alive with change.
If we restored a lot of native plants to where we planted turf grass or ornamental things, we’d see a lot of biodiversity return that we’ve seen diminished through the years.
If gardening makes us feel better, it also makes us into better people.
Within 30 days of playing in the forest soil and leaf litter, Finnish preschoolers had increased T-cell counts and far more diverse gut bacteria.
Ninety percent of our plants and trees depend on the service of our pollinators for survival and one in three bites of our food are the result of their actions.
Lavender is a wonderful garden herb! It has many uses in the kitchen, has lovely, colorful flowers, and is very good at attracting pollinators to the garden. Lavender loves the sun and hates to have its feet wet, so choose a position with good drainage and plenty of sun. In fact they will winterkill if the roots stay damp. They are great candidates for rock gardens. Select soil that is well worked, well drained and so loose you can dig it with your hands. Once established in a garden, lavender is a hardy and drought tolerant perennial.
