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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 5:58am
Post #1 of 41
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Gardens of sorrow, gardens of hope
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So between my birthday and my TORniversary, I thought I should share something.
It was the lovely gardening thread below that reminded me of a moving piece of writing I read a few days ago.
So many beautiful and loved gardens are disappearing from our city, as red-zoners leave, never to return.
I found this beautiful meditation on the process, Gardens of Sorrow, by Diana Madgin. She is leaving hers after 37 years.
I have a clematis in my garden which is doing very well. It was given to me by a neighbour down the road, just before his house was demolished and his garden destroyed before he began rebuilding. Lots of people are sharing plants, so many of these lost gardens will live on in other places.
Here are some children from the school I teach at, 'greening the rubble'. We planted lots of cheery flowers on the vacant site where the local shops fell down. It's what you might call a garden of hope.
Thanks, lovely people, for providing such a great community here. I'm so happy to be a part of it.
Just as an aside, how many people would be interested in a regular gardening thread?
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Nienna
Nargothrond
Jan 7 2013, 7:10am
Post #2 of 41
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Gardens can be hard work but along with produce and beauty they can also bring joy, solace and much fun.
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alienorchid
Menegroth
Jan 7 2013, 9:02am
Post #3 of 41
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It's great to get the kids involved with such a cool project. The vacant lots are such a poignant reminder of all that we've gone through, and they can look so barren and forlorn, so it's wonderful to see bright flowers growing. I heard of some people a while ago making seed bombs for the vacant lots around and I'd love to have a go at making some myself!
I'd definitely be keen on a gardening thread!
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 9:11am
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It's all gone pretty wild. The shops are going to be redeveloped soon, and the people doing the development are asking our kids to have a go at designing a logo for it, which is so cool. It looks like quite a nice development, so we may end up with something really good for the community.
When we put the flowers in, we all had an underlying anxiety about whether there would be any vandalism. Instead, people really seemed to take local ownership of the garden. People regularly watered the plants, and someone set up a little table and chairs in the middle. They put a tablecloth and a dainty tea set on the table. It was very cute. 
We were given some seed bombs and a few of us went and did some guerrilla seed bombing. You should do some, it's great fun! You could just make your own seed bombs. I'd much rather see flowers springing up than yet another carpark.
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 9:13am
Post #5 of 41
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It sounds like there are enough keen gardeners around here to get something growing.
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alienorchid
Menegroth
Jan 7 2013, 9:23am
Post #6 of 41
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People seem to respect those kinds of efforts
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I haven't heard of much vandalism or nastiness, other than when a guy I knew was doing a mural somewhere in Sydenham and some loser came along and spray painted over it, so he had to start again :/
I'd love to have a go at seed-bombing. I need to get a posse together and get it done!
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Sunflower
Doriath
Jan 7 2013, 9:40am
Post #7 of 41
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When I have the time...I'd love to. Seems like everywhere you turn, the world is going to the dogs. But I can't tell you how many times last year (it feels weird, saying "last year":)...I'd walk in the early morning down the farm path to my community garden (I deliberately take a bus instead of drive there and walk 15 minutes down the path, it's a lovely old path called "the Yellow Brick Road" b/c that's what it was 100 yrs ago, a yellow-cobblesoned carriage path; the farm is over 200 yrs old (google Normanskill Farm, Albany, NY for pics)..there's a lovely spot on the path where I stop to look over the landscape, I call it "The Shire" b/c that's exactly what it looks like...you can see a pic of this view on the site... on the farm grounds, which are open to the public all yr long, there are also hiking trails, dog walks, and old buildings where kids come on field trips. A special treat for them is to see the resident blacksmith at work. And sometimes you see the cows or and sheep grazing right next to the path. And across a bridge, on a high hill, there are stables for the police horses.
I walk down there, getting lost on the farm path, you feel like you're in another world....even though the farm is in the midst of a suburb. It sits in a valley, a vast bowl through which runs a creek (the "Norman's Kill" ( "Kill" being corrupted Dutch for "creek", apparently the origional farming family was French) ..the whole sorry world melts away. As long as this land lives, whether or not human hands lovingly tend it, as long as this little patch of God's Creation survives, one can never lose hope. And then I'd be on my land (well, not mine; I rent it from the City, but it's my 4th year now, so I've come to think of the plot as mine) and the work is never work; every hour of labor is a therapeutic joy. And yes, we had swallows come and nest too. And other birds of every description. And the little critters scampering about....as long as they didn't eat my plants --(though the marigolds didn't work where my collards were concerend; collards must be like chocolate for bugs.) And sometimes I'd see an eagle or hawk flying far overhead, and wonder b/c not so long ago we never saw them; they've come back to us. And after, staggering up the path after hours in the garden, and every exhausted muscle and every drop of sweat a bendiction, a balm to my soul. A profound, almost holy Mystery, a spiritual purification.
Waxing poetic, I know, but one can never do too much of that on topics like this. I can go on from there!
The article was indeed moving...I blinked back tears. i can just imagine what they are going through, what you are. the healing must begin..sometime, somewhere.
(This post was edited by Sunflower on Jan 7 2013, 9:48am)
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 9:57am
Post #8 of 41
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I'm so glad you have a garden that brings you comfort and joy.
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Lily Fairbairn
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 2:49pm
Post #9 of 41
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A garden of hope---what a lovely idea.
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I love the thought of people sharing their plants. Like elves returning from the Halls of Mandos, those plants will live forever.
In our family it's my husband who's the gardener---which is one reason I've nicknamed him "The Gaffer". Me, I pull weeds.
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Alassëa Eruvande
Doriath
Jan 7 2013, 4:16pm
Post #10 of 41
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In Texas, there is a group called Texas Rose Rustlers. Their aim is to hunt down antique roses in old farmsteads, cemeteries, and other abandoned or neglected areas. They get permission from the landowner, then take cuttings of these "wild" roses to propagate in their own gardens, thus preserving a bit of pioneer history. And, any rose that not only survives, but thrives, in its neglected spot is a rose worth having.
The "Martha Gonzales" rose that Lily mentions is one of these roses. It was taken from a cutting in a lady's yard. The experts have yet to positively identify it and have concluded that it may be a sport of something else. So they named it after the lady from whose yard it came. I've owned it as well, and it is a tough little beauty.
The sharing of flowers is a lovely way to preserve a garden, even when its original spot is gone. When you have a cutting of a dear friend's flower, or a hand-me-down iris bulb from your grandma, a little bit of them lives on in the plant, and in your memory. 
As for the current Eruvande garden, it's a patch of weeds right now. With the construction of the man cave this fall, we've been a little distracted. I've got to get in there soon, though, and get it into shape. Planting season starts next month!
I am SMAUG! I kill when I wish! I am strong, strong, STRONG!
My armor is like tenfold shields! My teeth like swords! My claws, spears!
The shock of my tail, a thunderbolt! My wings, a hurricane! And my breath, death!
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Nienna
Nargothrond
Jan 7 2013, 4:26pm
Post #12 of 41
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I'm assuming you're speaking of Wongi as he has done quite a number of the murals in Sydenham. They're great aren't they?
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Alassëa Eruvande
Doriath
Jan 7 2013, 4:34pm
Post #13 of 41
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For me, half the fun of planting stuff is seeing if it actually grows! 
Also, if you want to tell about what you observe in your back yard, I'm interested. We plant things that aren't for human consumption all the time. Gotta have something for the butterflies, bees and birds, too.
But not for the deer. 
I am SMAUG! I kill when I wish! I am strong, strong, STRONG!
My armor is like tenfold shields! My teeth like swords! My claws, spears!
The shock of my tail, a thunderbolt! My wings, a hurricane! And my breath, death!
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 7 2013, 4:55pm
Post #14 of 41
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I draw a blank when clicking on that link - is it supposed to be http://phenology.cfans.umn.edu/?
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Magpie
Elvenhome
Jan 7 2013, 5:04pm
Post #16 of 41
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well, I notice more than in my backyard
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:-)
For being a largish urban area, Minneapolis is chock full of green space. On my way to work and running most of my errands, I drive past two lakes and a creek. I often see red tailed hawks and eagles and, seasonally, egrets and herons. I love watching the weeping willows on one bank of Lake Nokomis as they change through the seasons.
"Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life cycle events and how these are influenced by seasonal and interannual variations in climate, as well as habitat factors. Examples include the date of emergence of leaves and flowers, the first flight of butterflies and the first appearance of migratory birds, the date of leaf colouring and fall in deciduous trees."
So, its the observation of nature and its changes over time. Gardening taps into that, of course. But a conversation that is only about gardening is an Entwife conversation. A conversation about all of nature and how its changing - in your backyard or neighborhood - is for all Ents. :-)
LOTR soundtrack website ~ magpie avatar gallery
TORn History Mathom-house ~ Torn Image Posting Guide
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 7 2013, 5:07pm
Post #17 of 41
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What a great activity for the kids! When your community has suffered so much, every little bit of sunshine helps.
Transplanting the plants from gardens that can no longer be used is like when bricks and stones and other pieces of a building that has been torn down are used in the construction of other buildings: a piece of the original is preserved. And that is a wonderful thing to do.
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 7 2013, 5:10pm
Post #18 of 41
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But better double-check it, just to make sure I got it right...
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 9:09pm
Post #20 of 41
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I love to talk about gardening, but I'm always interested in the observations people make about the natural world around them, wherever they live. It certainly doesn't have to be just about gardening. I'm pretty keen on birds, so I would love to get into a few conversations about the birds that people observe around them - I would imagine between all of us there would be a great deal of variety.
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 9:10pm
Post #21 of 41
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are of great value. 
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 9:12pm
Post #22 of 41
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The Texas Rose Rustlers is such a cool thing.
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Starling
Gondolin
Jan 7 2013, 9:14pm
Post #23 of 41
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although they weren't too keen on the odour of the mushroom compost.
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dernwyn
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Jan 7 2013, 10:01pm
Post #24 of 41
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How hobbity!
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"I desired dragons with a profound desire"
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alienorchid
Menegroth
Jan 7 2013, 10:06pm
Post #25 of 41
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but this was one by 'Yikes', a guy I went to art school with. It's such a great opportunity for graffiti artists to do their thing without stepping on anyone's toes. He was always looking out for legal opportunities to show his work, and now I see his work in all kinds of places all over town.
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