Hands in Earth

[kiya]

I am slowly converting my yard.

Last year I planted phlox and lilies around the great boulder in the backyard. And the phlox came up twice as big this year, as phlox will do.

I sowed clover and wildflowers over the weak, frail, and water-devouring lawn.

I took the stones I dug out of the yard last year planting phlox and grapes and hyssop and started the base of a spiral with them, laying out the line with the charcoal from last year's Beltaine fire, and built that up with more stone from lover and friends, and laid in stone and earth and now it's an herb spiral, filled up with parsley and basil and sage and other good things, good dirt coiled with life and flavor. I have talked with the neighbor who seems mildly disapproving of my wild, wild yard but who loves her strawberry pot (and it is a lovely strawberry pot), and with the grizzled fellow next door who was trying to figure out what the heck I was building with all those rocks, but who thought the water-draining permaculture trick of the spiral was clever.

And the spiral's a little uneven, and so when I have my studio I will perhaps make an icon of Nefertem to sit in its belly, Nefertem who loves the flowering and the scented growing things.

I've encouraged the grapevines back towards their trellis, and tucked in some morning glories, and accidentally sat on one of the hyssop plants there, but it seems recovering.

I weeded out the right-hand planting box, and have mint and mint and mint to give to friends tonight. I have planted heirloom tomatoes where that was. I have decided not to transplant the spreading strawberries, because they already have fruit, and I would rather the fruit than the space; the leeks can go in the other box when I clean that out.

I have planted two raspberry bushes between the boulder and the herb spiral, in amongst the violets.

I have leeks yet to plant, and sacred tobacco, and need chives and chamomile to round out the spiral, and will have to get the beans and snap peas for the other box. And I should plant catnip, to entrance Fox and encourage away the mosquitoes.

I need a garden icon. And to photograph the spiral.

... I'll swap the music. Not the Stan Rogers I was listening to at the time I wrote this, but!

Comments

[aquaeri.livejournal.com]

I'd love to see your spiral.