2009 August — Garden of Native Plants

I miss my garden, I miss time in it, I miss the subtle connection with it and it’s personality. Of course it has one, every garden does and that includes mine as well. But I’ve been swept up in too many obligations that have kept me away from it too long which is never good for me or the garden.

I’ve allowed myself to be too busy and occupied with other matters. You know the important things such as our occupations and such….they are important. But I’d rather be outside in my garden and not be working so hard at my profession. It’s only in our relationship with nature that we can renew ourselves and I learned that many years ago.

It’s a great antidote for whatever struggles you are going through. It certainly never makes judgements on your behaviour and it’s always there, ready to embrace you in it’s mountains, seas, deserts and many other manifestations.

All we need to do, is to slow down and pay attention to our surroundings. And be grateful for those singular moments of connection with the universe and nature.

And it can happen right in your garden….

Gardens have a way of “righting” our life when we are overwhelmed and not paying attention to the simple things that bring us so much pleasure. This evening the garden looks tranquil and peaceful in it’s summer attire.

Sure, it’s not as pretty right now as it was in the Spring. But native gardens are always beautiful in my mind, even when they are looking a bit brown and dried out. Although we are now in the midst of summer, there is still something blooming, such as the Fuchsias and Seaside Daisies.

And there is always the fabulous Island Poppy. This plant is now about 7′ tall and 6′ wide and has a continuous bloom of delicate yellow flowers on it.

Spending a few moments in the garden this evening, has brought perspective back into my life and I am thinking about possibilities.

Possibilities for the garden and for my own life as well.

And there are possibilities for you, too. Go outside and spend some time in your garden or start planning one of your own.

Instead of writing something about my garden, I’m going to share some pictures and comments about my last Forest Service event where we worked on a trail, overlooking the Cuyama Valley at about 7,000 foot elevation. Usually these events are at a lower elevation and typically they involve brush clearance, trimming overhanging branches on the sides of the trail and water bar repairs.

But this event would be different, because we were higher in the mountains that meant less brush to cut and cache and instead we needed to find and clean the trail that was covered in pine duff. There was so much of it, that you couldn’t even see it and needless to say, anyone trying to find it could easily get lost and end up meandering around the mountain, completely confused as to which was to go.

Looking North

It was a beautiful day and we had a good size crew that volunteered to lend a hand with the project. That meant it was going to be an easy day with all of the extra people who would be helping out. I spent most of my time re-working the tread and enjoying the sound of the wind through the Big- Cone Douglas Firs (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa) that covered the mountain top. And I was secretly glad that I wouldn’t be working so hard on this project, unlike many of the others that completely beat you up and do you in!

Big-Cone Douglas Fir Pine Cone

There was one huge tree that had fallen across the trail and needed to be cut in half to open up it up once again. One of my fellow workers is certified to handle a crossbow saw, you know one of those old-fashioned looking ones that the lumber jacks would have used a 100 years ago? We counted the rings on the downed tree and it was well over 150 years old and made you wonder what life was like on the mountain at the time when the tree was a sapling. It’s sad to see them fall but eventually everything dies and when they do, they renew the soil and create an environment for animals to find food and refuge, creating new life in the process and on it goes….

Yours Truly

There was one tree that was so large and magnificent in it’s death that I took several photos of it, trying to capture it’s essence and beauty. Obviously it had lain next to the trail for many, many years. It was bleached out and the bark had long since disappeared from it’s branches and somehow it reminded me of a skeleton of an ancient ship. Spooky and beautiful at the same time with it’s lovely lines and gnarled wood and branches.

End of Life

By the end of the day, we were able to complete most of the work on the trail and I was surprised as to how much we had accomplished, considering the amount of work that needed to be done. But having a larger group of volunteers than we usually have, made the difference. Although there is still a section that leads to a stream that we were unable to get to. But that will be for the next time we work on this trail, possbily in the Fall.

The sky was beautiful and I loved the way it looked when you gazed up into the branches of the trees. Being in the wilderness makes you feel so much more connected to the nature and helps you to forget all of the things that you’re concerned about or nag at you during your day. Being outside, working hard, tends to force you to forget all of the junk that occupies your time and distracts you from enjoying your life.

Branches & Sky

At the end of they day, we loaded up the gear into the trucks and headed back down out of the mountains to Ojai and the Forest Service office. We had a great group of people and it seemed that everyone had a good time and enjoyed their day on the mountain and we all bid goodby to one another and returned to our civilized lives, daily obligations and responsibilites but with a feeling of satisfaction, knowing we had done something positive.