CURRENT MOON

Saturday, February 05, 2011

The Garden in Winter




The ground's been covered with snow for the last few weeks, which is actually good for the garden, but difficult for this gardener. It keeps me mostly inside and leaves me longing for a chance to be outside, breathing fresh air and just being with plants. Today I went to the DC Seed Swap, sponsored by Washington Gardener Magazine, at Green Springs Gardens in Alexandria. It's drizzly, grey, and cold here, but it was still wonderful to step into the gardens with their very-well-shoveled walks, to feel the energy of seedlings and seeds (and gardeners!) inside the Horticultural Center, and to begin to feel my enthusiasm building over the opportunity to get things to grow.

There's this thing that happens to me (does this happen to you, too?) when I step outside in a garden, even in Winter, and can let my eyes move over a vista. There's a palpable loosening and expanding of my soul and a brightening in my body in the areas of my yellow and green chakras. It happened the moment I entered the gardens and I'm still feeling it, maybe more strongly than normal because it's been weeks since I've been anywhere except inside, in the city, in my car.

I took seeds of woad, Grandpa Otts' morning glories, dill, black-eyed Susans, and wildflower mix and came home with white narcissus bulbs and black bat plants. And a determination to spend more time with plants, even if we do still have a bit more Winter weather on the way.

/Goes and compulsively checks, yet again, seeds planted just 4 days ago.

Pictures by the author; if you copy, please link back.

4 comments:

VforVirginia said...

I love a garden, but I get that loosening in the woods.

Spring -- it will come!

Anonymous said...

Have you ever been to the herb festival in Richmond at Maymont Park. It's worth the drive from DC. When I lived in Richmond for a little while I went every year. That's the only thing I miss about living there.

Anyway, here's the link. http://www.maymont.org/Page.aspx?pid=450

If you decide it's something you're interested in, get there between 8:30-9 so you can get first dibs on all the rare goodies.

Hecate said...

V,

You were missed tonight!

Dark Mother,

I hadn't heard of it, but thanks so much for the recommendation; I'm now adding it to my list! :)

Hecate said...
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