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#FridayPlantHappyHour

Eat your vegetables and your dahlias? The ancients dined on the sacredness of this Queen of the Autumn Garden

Eat your vegetables. Eat your dahlias? Originally classified as a veggie, dahlia’s edible tuber fed a great many during France’s potato crop devastation in the mid-1800’s. France? Interesting, I know, because this solar radiant reminiscent symbolic flower (say that 10x fast) finds its roots (ha!) in Central America known for donning the royal garb of the ancient Toltecs and Aztecs; and balancing blood sugar levels (tuber), and treating skin infections (petals) by native Mexican tribes in the pre-Spanish era. It was the Spanish “explorers” who brought this flower’s beauty and benefit to Europe. This is a plant with quite the passport over the centuries. She sure has traveled.


And she helps us as we travel to the edge of summer. Revered as the most popular flower for summer – perfect for bouquets set upon your altar, shrine, nature table – Dahlia helps move us gracefully from summer into the next season as the “Queen of the Autumn Garden”. She helps with transformation. No wonder butterflies feed on this flower.
I like to use dahlia outside for the inside. She holds many symbolic messages liken to creativity, inner strength and stands tall representing integrity, intention, commitment to one’s sacred values.
As her petals start to fade, I bring them in to dress our salads. An ode to the Fire symbol of Summer, she reminds me of my radiance, strength and sanctity.


Thru Dahlia, I reconnect to the ancients and I feel grace.
That’s a perfect aperitif for nurturing the Sanctuary of me across all the places and spaces I BE and go. A worthy plant in recipes for sanctuaries.
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 to #BeYourOwnSanctuary?

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Creative credit for

image: Annie Spratt

Use Cordyline for More Than Just a Pretty in Your Sanctuary Space

Story goes that ancient Hawaiian culture believes that when you think of something you connect energetically with that person, place, or thing. Think of that web!  No wonder the idioms “clear the cobwebs in your mind”, huh?
So many cords going out AND coming in from all directions. Makes you want to pump up your energetic hygiene routine, doesn’t it?


Luckily there’s a plant to help us with that! The Ti plant, known in Latin as Cordyline terminalis is the cord line termination plant. Its flower essence is used for space clearing of any dark, heavy, ungrounded, untethered energies and it brings light (POWER!) into your space.  It’s said to break any magic that’s not good for you coming towards you.


Designerly speaking, as I curate container gardens, I love using this plant as a sentinel near the back or most commonly used door of the house. Very easy to grow, (though sadly can’t hang with our prolonged ice-rain-snow winter scenario in the PACNW, but who can, I mean, really?)
My instinct and intention in its selection as pottery “jewelry” is to work the angle of focal point, yes, AND as a plant for the recipe of sanctuary making to be the energetic postal worker: “nah, nah negative vibe, we are returning your negative cord back to sender”.


And here’s a bonus! In our enviro, this plant will over-winter so long it doesn’t stay too cold/too wet AND it works well as a bridge plant from spring into fall. Just know, colorations vary but steadfast in helping keep that sticky energy web off ya. Oh yes, much more than just a pretty face Cordyline is.

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Friday Plant Happy Hour – Drape me in Crape

Few things make me dizzy with delight. Okay, more than a few, especially my plant babies. At this time of the year in North America we’re warm – make that, hot, which has its own dizzy-making properties. I prepare for the summer dormancy in the garden and a sort of quietness floats through the air. We, plant and me, are doing our best to rest and hydrate during the heat waves. Except for Ms. Alrighty-You-Be-So-Mighty Crape Myrtle.

She arrives on the scene late (into the season) – like any diva might. And she comes out swinging in all her tissue-crepe paper-blossom glory. All about #BeARedBird, she is. I rest assure there is brilliant bloom to delight my eyes (with blossom flavors in a variety of colors, so pick your crape dress). Best yet, she’s no wuss with the heat, no sir. Give me more, she says.

My senses sip on this #restorativegarden beauty on this fine #FridayPlantHappyHour. So aware of her ease. The call-of-the-wild goes out to the birds and bees. We all want to be draped in the crape, finding respite in her candelabra-like presence.

[bctt tweet=”Draping your landscape with #BeautyandBenefitPlants is a styling must for your soul. Your senses will thank you. “]

And fear not, come fall, she’ll go out with a bang. Fiery, fierce and simply elegant fall #PlantFashion reminding that it is in our nature to thrive, no matter the temps of our days.

Get help selecting plants that make you dizzy with delight. Drop a question in the comments below or be in touch for Planting Design services sure to help you #GetYourBloomOn!

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