Uncategorized – The Chi Gardener

Sowing seeds of compassion

A lot of people are struggling at the moment, and many of the charities that support the most vulnerable in society are also being hit hard. The #TwoPointSixChallenge was set up by organisers of the London Marathon, in support of these charities and the wonderful work they do.

Any organisation that helps those in need is an asset we cannot afford to lose, particularly when those who need it are at greater risk during these challenging times. As these charities witness a downturn in funding, there will be a comparative upturn in the number of people who require the services they provide.

I recently launched ‘Plant a Thought’, on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, in response to the coronavirus outbreak and the compassion that has inspired communities to #ClapForOurCarers. Having had to self-isolate, myself, albeit briefly, I fell back on my own resources, and practiced what I preach, nurturing nature while it nurtured me in return.

It’s this ethos that motivates me to make a change in my life and, hopefully, inspire others to pick up the green baton and plant it in the hands of another. When I look back on this time, I want to remember my creativity, the contribution I made, and the joy I found in the flora, fauna and friends who offset the anxiety.

I’ll continue to sow sunflowers and broadcast their seeds on a benevolent breeze, spreading a little sunshine into the lives of those who find them and grow them on. As each seedling experiences the warmth of both the sun and those who take care of it, it’ll plant a thought in the mind, with the potential to bloom into a lasting legacy of kindness.

It’s often said that those who’ve experienced difficulty are more charitable, because they understand the individual’s struggle and the difference kindness can make to the lives of those who receive it. Covid-19, however, has proved to be a great leveller, bringing together people from all walks of life (observing social-distancing, of course) to congregate on common ground.

Even so, no two people are affected in the same way, and some are more exposed to this virus than others, but when it comes down to our mental health, we are just as susceptible as the next person. There is no PPE that can protect us from our minds, and no vaccine or chance of herd immunity. Being kind is the best medicine we can prescribe for ourselves and others.

We continue the theme of ‘Kindness’ for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, which runs from 18th to 24th May. If you’re able to do so, please make a donation to the Mental Health Foundation, using the link below, so that they can continue to provide much-needed support and carry out research for good mental health.

Please kindly share. Thank you, Darren X

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/plant-a-thought

Zen and the art of self-isolation

Today, I woke up a little out of sorts and thought I was taking a backwards step, but I overcame the restlessness and attributed some of it to a ruse of the mind. After stirring slowly, and witnessing the weather, I was low-spirited and lacking purpose (along with any kind of comfort food).

I wasn’t intending this to become the diary of a self-isolator, but we live in strange times and must do what we can to maintain our momentum and find new ways to power it. The way we live our lives is going to change, for the time being, and the word ‘cancelled’ is becoming commonplace.

As our world shrinks and we become more insular, we must learn to fall back on our own resources, perhaps discovering a newfound sense of self, with unlimited potential for creativity and compassion. This pared-down way of life will bring with it both challenges and opportunities as we are forced to discover new ways in which to serve ourselves and others, while this storm blows over.

So, the self-care starts here, because we can’t pour from an empty cup, and we’re all reliant on each other to control the confinement and carry out our duties to those who are dependent on us. You can have your cake and share it, so learn to live simply and we’ll get through this together.

When a gardener needs to self-isolate!

So, it’s Day #4 of self-isolation and although it’s getting boring, and I’m not feeling my best, I know I’m one of the lucky ones.

I picked this cold frame up from a supermarket, the night before I decided to quarantine myself, and just enough supplies to get me through the week ahead, but have only just felt like building it. Flat pack can be a faff, as I’m not the best at following instructions, and I don’t have the patience of a saint, but somewhere inside me I found the stamina to put the pieces together, and that got me thinking…

A lot of people would already have been feeling isolated and fragile before Covid-19 descended on them, and the panic-buying ensued, potentially making one of their only sociable situations seem more solitary and hostile as they left the store empty-handed and full of fear. Age is no barrier to loneliness, but mobility and confidence does make contact more accessible.

Empty shelves, however, is everyone’s problem and when, suddenly, the things you took for granted disappear, spare a thought for those less fortunate and less able to fend for themselves, and consider ways in which you can make them feel less alone and this societal disease disappear. There has to be a positive to this negative, and you can be a part of that solution. Be kind.

High Line highlight was right on track for Platinum Award

Titled after its namesake, the ‘High Line’ in New York, this collaboration between Dan Ryan and the team at @designitlandscapes_ and Lucy Bravington of @lucybravington_design at Gardeners’ World Live, took its cues from the industrial heritage the High Line is a product of, employing structures and materials evocative of its transport links and theme of travel.

The pale granite paving has been laid on the diagonal to the proposed property, which increases the sense of space in any garden of diminutive dimensions, and also provided a ‘platform’ (no pun intended) for the contrasting corten steel elements, which unified the design and drew the eye through the garden.

A pair of cleverly engineered benches, constructed in such a way as to defy gravity, echoed those at the High Line, and emphasised the diagonal as you travelled from one to the other through the corten steel circle between. The naturalistic planting treatment, inspired by Piet Oudolf’s prairie-style planting, alluded to the ebb and flow of a disused railway.

This is a garden that’s going places!

A Garden of Quiet Contemplation

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I’ve admired the gardens of Peter Dowle, from Howle Hill Nursery since my inaugural visit to RHS Malvern Spring Festival, in 2016, when his garden ‘Reflections of Japan’ won Gold and captured my imagination with its aspirational Acers and expanse of water. In subsequent years, his gardens have continued to inspire me and have even graced the pages of my garden design assignments, in which I’ve referenced his expert use of focal points, water and naturalistic planting. This year was no different.

Under the banner of his new venture, Leaf Creative, his 2019 Gold-award-winning garden, ‘A Garden of Quiet Contemplation’, was more formal than those of late, but his signature style was written all over, featuring the elements that I have come to know and love, and included the beautiful sculpture of ‘Zephyr, mistress of the wind’, by Simon Gudgeon Sculpture, atop a circular infinity pool.

The ‘Kast Dark Grey’ Porcelain, by Mandarin Stone, provided a stylish and non-slip foil to the soft landscaping, and looked beautiful wet or dry. Accessed from multiple angles, and perfectly integrated into the wider landscape, it was easy to see how this garden would form part of a larger space, but delivered the seclusion required to experience this garden in quiet contemplation, as intended, which won it ‘Best in Show’.

Chaos v. Creativity

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Autumn has definitely been in the air, today, and a whole new layer is beginning to reveal itself. I’ve also given myself a moment to sit in my new happy place and respond to the change in weather and pace that is beginning to creep up on us. Long nights and log fires may not be far off, whether we’re ready for them or not.

Part of me is craving for a restful phase and also the opportunity to press pause on that relentless pursuit of perfection, which is always a little out of reach. There is always something to be pruned and preened, which often prevents us time-poor Gardeners from taking a break or appreciating our gardens as they are.

So, instead of berating myself for falling short and failing to find the time to titivate, I’m celebrating NOW and reminding myself that what I’ve created out of chaos was once just a dream. Chaos and creativity can coexist. We, and the universe, are proof of that. Chaos is not our enemy. It’s our opportunity to create!

Growing pains for growing gains

Lilium Acapulco

My pond is fast disappearing under a mass of foliage and duckweed. Even Buddha is beginning to berate me for his dwindling vista.

Neglect is neglect, but before you scold yourself for falling short of your self-imposed perfection, it’s worth remembering the bigger picture and that sometimes we have to take several steps back before moving forward, unabated, minus the nagging voice in your head.

The garden is thriving, in the main, thanks to my dedication during the drought, and a lot of encouragement from the foliage fraternity, who keep me inspired and in good company. So, while I reflect on the diverse plant life, which takes us somewhere between success and failure, I’m reminded that your last mistake is your best lesson.

Perfection is intolerant of mistakes and incapable of accepting flaws, but diversity is the result of flaws that have learnt to adapt into myriad forms. Thank heavens for imperfection!

Perfectionism and the battle for enough

Assignment blog

So, tomorrow, I’m putting this assignment to bed. It’s long overdue, by anyone’s standards, but it’s been a tough 3 months, being all things to all people and working full-time. I’ve learnt a lot, not just about the history of garden design, the characteristics of plants, and the benefits of different materials, but also about myself.

I will always be a perfectionist, which can rob me of time during open deadlines, and while this has its drawbacks, it also has its benefits: I get to see and feel things deeply, not all of which is pleasant, but I also see beauty in glorious technicolour and pick up on details that may pass others by. It’s an inherent part of my makeup, which I’m constantly battling with.

And although my dear mother suffered the same ‘affliction’, she was a deep and beautiful soul, who left too soon, without ever realising her uniqueness, because she compared herself to others, and created that out-of-reach future self, which makes us feel that we’re never enough.

I’ve been and done more than enough, lately, and shown strength where I may have previously faltered. I’m trying to be the best version of me that I can be, even if I go down a few blind alleys and give myself a constant guilt trip about the house that I don’t have time to clean or the strong and inspirational father who I have to miss a weekend with to complete assignments or recover from a long week.

But, tomorrow, I’m having a ME day (after I’ve flicked the duster and brushed things under the sofa) and taking a Yoga for Anxiety workshop with Anna at Empower Yoga Birmingham, when I will be enough, more than enough, for one day at least.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2018

Stress

It’s time to stop, check in with yourself, and notice how you’re responding to your environment and those around you. The truth is, none of us is immune to stress; it can creep up on us as we continue that relentless pursuit to pay our dues, being all things to all people while we neglect our own thoughts and feelings.

If you’re isolated or live alone, it’s even more important to be honest with yourself about how you are reacting to each twist and turn in your daily life, because, without witnesses, you can forget to deploy that OFF button and hurtle headlong into meltdown.

More and more people live alone, due to choice or circumstance, and one would hope that there are people around to support you, and who recognise when you’re taking on too much, or to be a voice of reason when you’ve been running on empty.

Be that friend to yourself, right now, and challenge those thoughts, which are, perhaps, telling you to carry on, regardless, when there is no dashboard to display the point at which you’re about to derail. We all have our limits: observe them, respect them, and respond with kindness.

Mindful moment at Malvern Spring Festival

I’ve been pulled in all directions, lately, that it’s been difficult finding the time to be mindful, and truly present in the moment, but if ever a garden symbolises serenity and inspires self-care, this one does. The Spirit of the Woods, by Peter Dowle of Howle Hill Nursery, is more than a gold award-winning show garden; it’s an experience.

The moment you step onto that jetty, and look across the lake to the meditative mask, created by sculptor Simon Gudgeon, you disconnect from the baying crowds and reconnect with nature. Framed by the naturalistic planting, which blends seamlessly with the landscape beyond, it evokes empathy from the viewer as you become a reflection of the scene and intimately acquainted with it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to get up close and personal with this vision in the valley, such was the demand on its Designer, but it was so wonderful to witness its whispering waters, which spoke to so many, who may have needed it more than I did, from a young boy in his wheelchair, to many more who hugged its shores as I looked on from a distance. A sight to behold.