What to Plant in a Sanctuary Garden to Please Caregiver Souls

The Athena of trees is what will please the caregiver’s soul when planted in a garden sanctuary.

Kicking off National Family Caregiver Month here in the US and wearing my heart on my sleeve.

Make that my favorite tree’s heart-shaped leaf on my sleeve. Come closer as I tell you a tale of 2 Forest Pansy Redbud trees for your Plant Recipes for Sanctuaries consideration. One stood outside the kitchen window to delightfully distract me – to please and dance in the breeze as the storms of responsibility loomed in caring for my aging parent.

One stood outside the would-be nursery, reminding us, fortifying us through infertility that the day would come that we’d become a 3.

These 2 trees with their heart-shapes leaves, hugged our home and formed a halo of hope and love over our needs. Of play. Of comfort. Of a place for Xmas light display.

Hummingbirds perched. Camouflaged in the canopy. Safe haven below for me to go. High branches for hummer’s pre-flight of joy medicine. Forest Pansy Redbud. A dear tree-friend to me.

Cercis canadensis is “her” latin name. Yes, diva female energy for certain, aligned with multidimensional goddess power and wisdom – both soft and intensely strong. I recently described her as Athena of trees. She IS a tree one needs plant close-into a living space to fully learn lessons, and be an immersed self while sitting with her fine, delicate dichotomy: bloom-to-branching architecture AND scrappy survival instincts.

Truth be told, if I were a tree, I be a Forest Pansy Red Bud. I am both a mother and warrior. I’m intensely soft-sensitive-feminine and powerful beyond all measure. Given my experiences with #caregiving / caredoing / caring all my life, I’m not ashamed to claim the title in my life as the most courageous person I KNOW.

Bold you say? Why yes. Bold and beautiful. That’s how I’m growing myself to BE. And I bet you too.

This is why I planted these 2 trees. These 2 trees helped us heal our shame and timidity. This tree grants waiver over our sense of loss and grief. My trees stood by rooted in truth. The truth of personal strength. Tender and tenacious. Yes. You are both, too, too?

I often cast my healing design magic using Forest Pansy when I sense this sort of healing is needed. Stabilization that comes with a hug. Which is a blessing into a garden and into one’s sacred space around and within.

Forest Pansy grows to eave height plus a bit more. Glory is found in the rounded canopy where the “bones” (branches) show in a silvery-cinnamon armor (I know, is that combination even possible?). Just wait for spring and you’ll see just.exactly.why. this tree is known as a spring-time harbinger of hope.

Adorned with bee-laden necklaces upon necklaces of pea-like, little pinky-lavender blooms she snows down on upon the garden floor and garden heart. Native tribes found the blossoms delicious and the wood bow-making worthy. (See the Athena reference again?) This tree is poetry. Shooting straight to my sentimental-intiuitive-sensitive-earth-empath heart. Her wood is known to promote new love, after all.

Especially the canopy – in autumn. A canopy of heart-shaped leaves marbled in burgundy, caramel, green. A crown of color. Royal. Those heart-shaped leaves like gemstones – each unique.

You’re finding that I’m speaking of these trees in past tense, huh? As I gaze out mid-fall carnival onto the Bloodgood Maple standing sentry out my office window, I’m reminiscing over these 2 trees. When we chose to move to our farm, these 2 trees stayed behind to offer their healing to the next family. To be warriors for their healing. To hug them through the seasons.
After all, these trees are as their leaves advertise: love. So, drink it up and hug it up.

Note: do not eat this tree. Consult your eastern (or western) medicine practitioner for appropriate extracts / supplements, ya dig?

Want a sacred space that is more than just another pretty place? One that soothes your senses, digs deep for your wellbeing and helps you set that stress down and instead grow #BeingSanctuary?