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Invitation by Mary Oliver Oh do you have time
to linger
for just a little while
out of your busy and very important day
for the goldfinches
that have gathered
in a field of thistles for a musical battle,
to see who can sing
the highest note,
or the lowest, or the most expressive of mirth,
or the most tender?
Their strong, blunt beaks
drink the air as they strive
melodiously
not for your sake
and not for mine and not for the sake of winning
but for sheer delight and gratitude—
believe us, they say,
it is a serious thing just to be alive
on this fresh morning
in the broken world.
I beg of you, do not walk by
without pausing
to attend to this
rather ridiculous performance. It could mean something.
It could mean everything.
It could be what Rilke meant, when he wrote:
You must change your life. Hi Friend! I hope you are enjoying the season. Thank you so much for spending a moment with me. In my mind’s eye, we are walking together, shuffling through fallen leaves in Virginia. Outside my studio, the Maple Tree’s leaves are mostly gone, and a few still flutter on bare arms. Birds flit in and out of the scarlet leaves of my Oakleaf Hydrangea. The Oak Trees in the distance are nut brown. There is something magical in the air as Mother Nature is letting go of what’s old and and getting ready to sleep for a time. As October slips into November, I feel like I should be checking off a list for the days ahead. A grocery list for Thanksgiving, gift ideas for Christmas, and home repairs for my old house run like a ticker tape. As the “shoulds” start to creep in, I notice my shoulders around my ears. I turn again and again to Mary Oliver’s invitation to go outside and linger in nature. Poetry pulls me back into presence. I pause and reconnect with my soul. This month I am holding space for this tender part of me that needs to rest, to let go, and let be what will be. How are you doing? If you are feeling wobbly, perhaps you need to hear you can show up as yourself and that is enough. You can shed whatever is no longer making you light up inside and let it go. Like the leaves, it will become compost and the nurture seeds within you. In the midst of making lists for Thanksgiving menus and Christmas shopping, Mother Nature invites us to let go of perfection and embrace the messy debris of life as it is. THANK YOU FAN GARDEN CLUB This month I had an opportunity to speak to a fabulous group of women caring for gardens in the heart of the city. I shared about creating a Living Landscape in our garden, a place that supports both biodiversity and our well-being. I had so much fun hearing meaningful memories of being in nature as children. Memories are seeds that awaken our desire to reconnect with ourselves and with nature. I loved sharing practical ways to create a garden haven at home. I encourage us all to begin with curiosity, a sense of wonder and PLAY to create your own Living Landscape. Here is the book that inspired it all. GARDEN GUIDANCE It’s not to late to dream, to plan, to order, to create, to make space for new thoughts and dreams and plants. The soil is still warm as the days grow colder. You can still transplant perennials, plant deciduous trees, plant evergreens, and plant perennials this month. As long as the soil is workable, you can plant. Be sure to water in afterwards, as we have had a dry spell this Fall. Order bulbs now to plant after Thanksgiving. Brent and Becky’s is my favorite place to order. Make more plants! Now we are nearing the end of the season to divide spring blooming perennials to make more free plants. Here is a great resource if you are unsure how to do it. Here is a great YouTube video. Transplanting works best done in the Fall and Spring. Just Leave it. The leaves are down, and still coming. I’m hopeful you have heard about the magic of leaving your leaves. Leaves are Nature’s love notes to you and nourish the soil beneath your trees. Lawns will not do well with leaves, and must be removed. Thankfully, your garden beds are the perfect place for your leaves to break down and provide a custom made source of nutrition for your soil, as well as a nursery for future pollinators. Leave a 3-5 inch layer and they will be gone by Spring. Some exceptions are: waxy leaves (like Magnolia leaves) that don’t break down or TOO many leaves that are building up in your beds. Maybe you shred some, compost some, or create a leaf pile in a corner to create a habitat. If this practice is new to you, here is a great resource. Maybe start with one bed and see the difference in soil health next year! RVA IMMERSE Please join me in learning about conservation and take a fun field trip. I’m making plans to attend a fantastic conference being held this year in Turning a New Leaf Conference invites you to “…join over 200 professionals for a high-energy day packed with innovation, collaboration, and practical takeaways you can put to work right away. From exciting keynote speaker Ethan Tapper, an internationally recognized forester and bestselling author, to inspiring plenary speaker Amber Ellis of Find Your Nature, you’ll walk away motivated, informed, and connected.” Sign up here. My goodness, please visit Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens as they are simply stunning this year…the Japanese Garden in a living work of art. This is great place to stroll for all ages and mobility. Visit in the evening and enjoy Dominion Energy GardenFest of Lights featuring a million lights, botanical decorations, model trains, festive dinners, warming fire, hot chocolate and s’mores, and more. NATIVE PLANT SPOTLIGHT Here is a new-to-me native tree that I am excited to share as an alternative to planting Maple Trees. I planted this tree at the recommendation of another designer and just loved the resilient fall color. “One of the earliest and most reliable trees for fall color is our gorgeous Black Gum, Nyssa sylvatica. This native deciduous tree reliably ignites into fiery shades of scarlet and occasionally red, orange, even purple in the fall, often by late September. Not only does it color early but its spectacular color often lasts for up to a month or more, outlasting many other trees. Black Gums are often claimed to be the “most fiery of the brilliant trees”, including maples, dogwoods, and sassafras. This vivid fall color acts as a signal to migrating songbirds that nutritious fruit awaits them. Black Gum – Tupelo trees prefer full to part sun and moist, acidic soils but are adaptable and shade tolerant. Once established they are easy to grow and require little maintenance. They are best planted in spring as small trees from deep containers.”
WHAT I AM WORKING ON This month I visited a dear friend’s garden planted several years ago on Seminary Avenue. We created a new walkway, new front foundation garden, and a plant palette to complement existing gardens in the backyard. These clients have created a wonderful fire circle in the backyard, gravel pathways in a Japanese-inspired garden, and continue to shower love on their residence. Maple and the White Oak Trees planted by the homeowners were young saplings, and now they provide a shady canopy over previously sunny beds. Camellias, Grasses, and Oakleaf Hydrangea Shrubs create textures and tones that hold you as you move through the garden. Most of all, I loved reconnecting with a garden as cherished and lovingly cared for as this backyard haven for family and friends. Gardens are nature’s love notes, reminding us to care for ourselves. Please reach out if I can help you create your haven at home. -See you in the Garden, Wendell
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