my garden feeds me
Like many, long have I wished to spread my wings where gardening acumen was concerned. To move from designing space to being informed about the spaces I design (Ode to Thomas Church’s Gardens Are For People). What landscape architect / designer / artist wouldn’t, right? And who doesn’t love school? So, continuing with the Red Bird Design (RBD) 2009 theme (Hope Springs Eternal = HSE), I made a deliberate attempt to figure out how, where, and most importantly, when. Thus OSU Home Horticulture Extension program: Metro Master Gardener Program. Hip, hip hooray – I was accepted! Jazzed about receiving that Sustainable Gardening Handbook too! Imagine what this will do for my own “restorative landscape”, for the micro-climate of my immediate community, and for my Red Bird Design clients? Imagine what this will do in my conversations with landscape contractors! Move over bacon.
Desperately seeking master gardening enlightenment? You are in luck, OSU offers a variety of choices to grow in gardening know-how. And yep, they hold true to research evidenced from therapeutic gardens – we need choices; we crave choice in our natural and built environments – for empowerment and a sense of control. For me, I selected the Metro program given most RBD clients take me to the tri-country areas (not all – shout out to Yamhill and Marion County folks). However, other options are abundant. Interested enthusiasts might check out the Salem area (Marion County) resource. Or perhaps you’ve got a day job and need this fancy pants option of “virtual learning” (new online program, talk with Terron. He’s nice.).
Best of all, I dig the “give back” component: service back to the community in the form of a 66-hour internship. Helping the peoples – yah, always the social servant.
Class begins on Friday, so look for Master Gardener Mondays on the RBD blog – I’ll share the nitty gritty, down-in-the-dirt tidbits with you. (Subscribe to this blog through the little RSS feed at the top of the window. If you are a blog newbie, similar to moi, I promise it doesn’t hurt.)
Here comes a lean, green, compassionate, gardening machine. Reap what you sow, you dig?
Happy New Year!
Red Bird Design is flying in for a wondrous year ahead!
Moment of necessary distraction - anyone home?
Hear me, hear me, the Red Bird Design theme for 2009 is “Hope Springs Eternal!” Let’s break it on down now, shall we? (Full credits & props to A. Pope for original meaning.)
Hope: noun — a feeling that something desirable is likely to, will or possibly happen [bloom]; to likely bring success or relief [repair] ; a feeling of trust [safety]*
Springs: verb — to move rapidly upward or forward in a single movement or in a series of rapid movements [grow]; a time of new growth and regeneration [restorative]; a source of water that flows out of the ground as a small stream or pool [life force]*
Eternal: noun — something that exists everlastingly*
Nothing better than practicing (and learning) this in the landscapes of our lives. Tweet me on Twitter, post a comment on this blog, friend me on Facebook and share how this garden metaphor might springs you. How will your “garden” grow?
Giddily this theme foreshadows great surprises (some known and some unknown) in my work and service of healing gardens in the year ahead. Come find this theme in action at my upcoming restorative garden display at the Spring Home and Garden Show in Portland, Oregon. Check back on details as this little red bird finds her unique way of sharing healing garden goodness for our collective well-being. Nature is the great equalizer!
*Encarta® World English Dictionary © 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
How exciting it is to see a design come to life! Welcome all to the 2008 Portland Home and Garden Show – come on in and “Restore Outdoors” – see our display garden! (C Hall, Space G11.) A delightful collaboration with phenomenal landscape contractors, Earthwork Landscape Inc. Thank you Rod and Brett! Yes, Earthworks installs ponds and water features and so much more… with great care. Particularly touched by their accommodation of my wishes to be accommodating and inclusive of all show attendees that visit and wander through our display. What do I mean? As a designer and a specialist in therapeutic and restorative landscapes, I know how critical applying Universal Design criteria is, so that the least of us and the most of us can interact with the natural world, without barriers. In our case we used a simple ramp into our display (rise of 3″); path widths that accommodate walkers, wheelchairs; bringing plant material to the edge to touch/smell/see; and multi- and all-sensory materials (not just the plants!). How lovely it was to witness a family of seven in our display – the husband taking great care to “share” the garden with his wife who is blind. Deeply touched by him guiding her hand through our “Rain Drape” – to relish the light fall of water and to warm by the “Fire Discs”. Come see, experience and most importantly RESTORE! 
