Body:

2/14/07

Site Description for

Personal Garden

 

1. I am planning on turning my backyard into a beautiful garden of my own. I live in a housing development called Cooper Crest, off of 20^th Ave. on the West side of Olympia.
2. Right now, this area is bare, with earth (soil), a little amount of grass growing on top, and it has some rocks. It is not a very large section of my backyard, and my house is sitting parallel to a large forest. The backdoor leading to my garden is a sliding door, with two steps down made of concrete, and a large flat squared surface of concrete below the steps.
3. a. It is small, it begins on the side of the house, which is rectangular shaped, ranging from about 11 ft, by 30 ft. Then it makes a horseshoe like shape extending out from my house.

b. I mentioned in (a), the side of the house is rectangular, leading to the back of my house, which is shaped like a horse shoe.

c. It is a very flat surface

d. I don’t understand this one.

e. This area unfortunately does not get very much sunlight. I have only lived in this house for the winter though, and I do not know what it will be like in the other seasons. I would say on average the house gets about 2 to 3 hours of sunlight on a good day.

f. The texture is like clay in some areas and hard soil in others. It is mostly a very dark color. It is very firm.

g. The only water features here are a hose, but I plan to put a little birdbath in.

h. There are absolutely no plants living here yet.

i.I have seen a lot of dear come into my back yard from the forest, and when there was snow, we identified tracks of a bobcat. We have also seen dogs from our neighborhood pass through. (I plan on putting up a fence)

j. It is a new home, so there is no history that I know of behind this site yet.

k. I am so excited to get started, to be a mother of my very own little site! I want to be able to grow my own medicinal herbs and flowers. I’m so excited!

 

A Start to my beautiful Garden

 

I want to start my own personal garden for many reasons. Plants provide food for people and animals, shelter and building materials, and medicines to heal illnesses, wounds and diseases. Plants create the oxygen that supports life on Earth, and they breathe the carbon dioxide we exhale as waste. Without green life there would be no human or animal life, no insects, birds, or other living things. Today’s plants are bred for commercial convenience, rather than nutrition, beauty, or variety. They are genetically engineered so that they need chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Fruits and vegetables are picked before they are ripe, so that they will withstand handling and travel without bruising or deterioration. They also may be subject to long storage and chemical treatment before they appear on the table. I am planning on growing the following produce in my garden:

-         Carrots

-         Cucumbers

-         Spinach

-         Salad Greens

-         Tomatoes (many! These are my favorite!)

-         Pea pods

-         Beets

-         Ginger root

-         Echinacea

-         Mint

-         Parsley

-         Basil

-         Ginseng

-         Tea Tree

-         Garlic

-         Trailing blackberry

 

            I have this amazing opportunity to mother and nurture my own organically grown foods as a beautiful method of healing our beautiful Earth. Healing the planet heals all who live on it.

 Crystals:

Before I begin my garden, I am going to perform a crystal ceremony on it. A ceremony acts as a way in which we can express ourselves in a sacred manner. Performing certain rituals with reverence and respect brings purpose and focus to our intentions. My ceremony will be of Thankfulness, a way of honoring my relationship with the divine Source. I will begin asking for guidance on which kind of crystals to use, then I will ask my permission to gather them. I will fill a bowl with fresh water from a nearby creek in the forest by my house, which I will place the crystals in. I am going to mainly use quartz crystals, rose quartz, and amethyst. These crystals will help to amplify my thoughts of thankfulness. I will place the bowl of crystals and fresh healing water in separate corners (shown in my drawings) of my garden for about a week, then I will bury the crystals in these places. In my mind I thank Mother Nature and the plant spirits for the gifts they give so freely. I will use this healing water to feed my plants, giving energy back to Mother Earth and showing thanks for her continued nurturing and support.

 

Quartz:

The most powerful healing and energy amplifier on the planet because of its unique helical spiral crystalline form. It absorbs, stores, releases, and regulates energy and is excellent for unblocking it. Holding crystal in hand doubles the biomagnetic field. It protects against radiation and takes the energy to the most perfect state possible, going back to before the disease sets in. It cleanses and enhances the organs and subtle bodies and acts as a deep soul cleanser, connecting the physical dimension with the mind. At a spiritual level, this crystal raises energy to the highest possible level. Containing every color possible, it works on all levels of being. It has the ability to destroy karmic seeds. It enhances psychic abilities and attunes one to a spiritual purpose. Used in meditation, quartz filters out distractions, and aids in concentration and unlocks memory. It stimulates the immune system and brings the body into balance. It harmonizes all the chakras and aligns the subtle bodies.

            I intend to plant these around my produce plants and herbs.

 

Rose Quartz:

The stone of unconditional love and infinite peace. It is the most important crystal for the heart and heart chakra, teaching the true essence of love. It purifies and opens the heart at all levels, and brings deep inner healing and self-love. It is calming, reassuring, and excellent for use in trauma or crisis. Rose Quartz gently draws off negative energy and replaces it with loving vibes. It strengthens empathy and sensitivity and aids the acceptance of necessary change. It enhances positive affirmations, reminding you of your intention. It is the finest healer, releasing unexpressed emotions and heartache and transmuting emotional conditioning that no longer serves, it soothes internalized pain and heals deprivation. It comforts grief and teaches one how to love oneself. This stone encourages self-forgiveness and acceptance, and invokes self-trust and self-worth. It strengthens the physical heart and circulatory system and releases impurities from body fluids. Good aid for chest and lung problems. Heals the kidneys and adrenals.

            I want to place these stones around my flowers.

 

Amethyst:

An extremely powerful and protective stone with a high spiritual vibration. It guards against psychic attack, transmuting the energy into love. It blocks geopathic stress and negative environment energies. Its serenity enhances higher states of consciousness and meditation. Amethyst has strong healing and cleansing powers, and enhances spiritual awareness. Amethyst opens to another reality. It is extremely beneficial to the mind. When one meditates with them, it turns thoughts away from the mundane into tranquility and deeper understanding. Mentally, it helps us feel less scattered, more focused and in control. It enhances the assimilation of new ideas and connects cause with effect. It facilitates the decision-making process, bringing in common sense and spiritual insights, and putting decisions and insights into practice. Mentally, it calms and synthesizes, and aids the transmission of neural signals through the brain. It is helpful where insomnia is caused by an overactive mind and protects against recurrent nightmares. It enhances memory and improves motivation, making you more able to set realistic goals. Helps to remember and understand dreams and facilitates the visualization process. It is a balancer, alleviating sadness and grief, it supports coming to terms with loss. Amethyst is one of the most spiritual stones, promoting love of the divine, giving insights into its true nature, and encouraging selflessness and spiritual wisdom. It opens intuition and enhances psychic gifts. Amethyst boosts production of hormones, and tunes the endocrine system and metabolism. It strengthens the cleansing eliminating organs and the immune system. An excellent cleanser for the blood, Amethyst relieves physical, emotional, and psychological pain or stress, and blocks geopathic stress. It eases headaches and releases tension. This stone reduces bruising, injuries, and swellings, and treats hearing disorders. Heals diseases of the lungs and respiratory tract, skin conditions, cellular disorders, and diseases of the digestive tract. It is beneficial for the intestines, regulating flora, removing parasites, and encouraging reabsorption of water. Treats insomnia and brings restful sleep.

            I want to plant these crystals near the trees.

           

Flowers:

I want to grow flowers because they are so balancing to the human energy that has become erratic or overloaded by stress, painful emotions, rapid change, negative forms of thought, illness, or through physical, emotional or mental exhaustion. The mental body is the all-creative mind: we are what we think, but flower essences can bring spirit into form, Goddess into the human or animal body. Flowers always bring smiles and delight, and for centuries, people have appreciated them and used them as healers. Flowers that one can see, touch, and experience make far more effective healers than those known only from descriptions on a bottle or in a book. Essence is essential for me because it offers emotional support and emotional/mental/spiritual healing. They stabilize, cleanse, and soothe, promote spiritual growth and core soul healing, and foster positive change and inner peace. So far the flowers I have planned right now are:

-         Lavender

-         St. Johns Wort

-         Sunflowers (my favorite)

-         Roses

-         Perrenials

 

Sunflower: The warmth and Sun of my Garden

Latin Name: Helianthus annuus

Family: Compositae

“I release all limitations and feel the warmth of the sun rising within me.”

In every way the sunflower reflects the nature of its name. The broad-faced flowers gaze lovingly at the sun and follow its passage across the sky. The spirit of the sunflower brings lightness and warmth into the soul. In Greek mythology, Clytie, who adores the sun god Apollo, is turned into a sunflower. The sunflower has an honest, open, and sunny disposition. Its spirit helps the sould to harness the energy of the sun and dispel any darkness. It also absorbs pollutants from the air, making it cleaner for us to breathe.

  

St. Johns Wort:

Latin Name: Hypericum perforatum

Family: Hypericaceae

“I sweep away fears, inspire calm, and illuminate consciousness.”

Like pockets of gold, St. John’s Wort blooms on the fringes of woods and meadows, where its flowers can catch the sun’s gentle rays. Despite its modest appearance, this plant is very versatile and heals on many different levels. The spirit of this plant has a subtly protective and uplifting nature. Inspires lucid dreaming, a means of entering the dreaming world with awareness to gain subconscious insights.

 

Lavender:

Latin Name: Lavandula spp.

Family: Labiatae

“With my essence I refine and balance spiritual sensitivity, integrating it into daily life.”

Lavender has an air of cool purity that soothes and calms sensitive souls. With its silvery leaves and wispy flowers, the spirit of lavender combines sensitivity with stability. The Greeks burned lavender as an incense offering and the Romans added springs to their bath water; in Latin, lavare means to wash. Offering to gods and goddesses of nature.

 

Rose:

Latin Name: Rosa spp.

Family: Rosaceae

“With my blissful perfume I evoke the spirit of love from the heart.”

With perfect buds that unfurl to reveal breathtaking beauty, rose symbolizes the essence of love. Her spirit is pure and divine, an inspiration for all that is true and enduring. Her many petals portray a depth of personality and in the language of flowers different roses signify different characteristics or attributes. She is both innocent and seductive, delicate and strong.

 

Trees:

The life force energies of trees are called dryads. Dryads are wise and ancient, even those connected to young trees. It is important to treat these trees, or beings, with affection and respect, for they will grant me the flowers of my dreams. They are the protectors and guardians of my garden, the parents.

 Compost:

I am going to use organic methods for gardening that enrich the soil, rather than chemicals that deplete the Earth. I am going to start a compost bin by making a square board frame about three feet wide and three feet deep. I’m going to place it on the side of my house. I’m going to use the method I have learned from other students in the class by covering each layer of greens and scraps with a layer of potting soil, wet the bin weekly, and stir it about three weeks. After about three months, I will be able to use the compost. I’m going to dig it into the soil around my plants.

 

Bugs:

I was worried about the little pests taking over my precious garden, so I researched a little about what methods I can use to avoid any problems. I can pick the caterpillars from plants by hand, and drop them into soapy water. I can use pheromone traps and barriers, water and soapy water sprays, diatomaceous Earth, baking soda, and helpful insect predators like ladybugs, lacewings, nematodes, and parasitic wasps for my compost. I can purchase them from organic garden centers or order them.

  

The Pathway:

I am going to have a beautiful pathway, leading to the many beauties and delights of my garden. It is going to be made with big flat rocks, which I will purchase and lay out in between grass… (there is a picture included, that shows a little bit of  an idea).

 Other Items of interest:

- I am going to place a small table with chairs outside

-         I am also going to have a big beautiful bird bath, with trailing blackberry growing up it.

-         I also want to hang a bird feeder in the garden.