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The giant garden post.
January 19, 2012 I have finally gone through the hard drives and found the necessary photos for the big garden post.
This is what our house looked like on the day we moved in.
This is jumping forward a bit, to the second year we were in the house. This is looking out at the yard from the porch. I can tell it's the second year by the length of Leafy's dreadlocks and the small fence in the front of the yard. When we moved in there were no fences, but gradually, every year when we returned there were more fences, until the seven food stone and concrete fence that keeps us in now.
It started to feel ridiculous to have a fenced in piece of dirt, especially at a meditation center. Back when it was just a piece of the village it was one thing, but now that it was our "yard," well. Well.
So last year I came up with a big garden plan. It included grass. That meant that all the top soil needed to be removed and new soil put in. I drew a plan for a path and some spirals around coconut trees.
These lovely ladies from Karnataka worked on sifting the new soil and mixing it to fill it in. In their off time (a lot of off time, work in India requires a supervisor to encourage everyone to keep working, and I'm not so good at that) they played with YaYa's hair. She would run in and have her hair all up or braided.
They also helped her find tiny shells for her collection.
And this year, when we returned, we found this bit of loveliness.
This is looking out from the front porch. I love this little corner. And unwanted fences are certainly better with climbing flowers on them.
Don't let me forget about the beauty of brown stone and climbers.
Those palms are some of the greenest and easiest things to grow. The bougainvillea, also. Oh I love that color. I want a scarf in exactly that color.
The last plumeria flower until the next time it blooms. I need to get some cow urine to fight the fungus that wants to take this plant over.
No matter where I live, I want growing things around me. Here we fight fungus and ants as well as strange moths that burrow into the ground. (If fighting means occasionally putting neem onto the grass and sighing as I pull away at the grass they've eaten. I've given in a bit. Other than putting DEADLY CHEMICALS into the ground, it seems that my only option is to try a few natural things and then live with them. Jungle garden.)
And there's this guy. He likes to run into the spray of the hose while I'm watering. He's a general pest. An adorable one.
In the vegetable garden, the Bok Choy was really easy to grow. A lot of my vegetables disappeared when the ants carried the seeds away. But we got a lovely giant community salad out of it.
I will rewrite the parable of the seeds and include "some seeds fell in the jungle, and ants carried them away..."
I love that I'm making mistakes and learning. Plants are such beautiful object for meditation. The garden of the soul. It heals me, sitting and working with plants that are eaten or need water or trimming. All these lovely things that need a little help, some care and hydration and guidance.
Every. Single. Day. Just like me.
India Stuff, Wonderful 
Reader Comments (15)
Oh man! It's transformed. How beautiful...Beautiful! So redemptive, such an act of worship. What a beautiful way to nourish your family and community and your own soul. I LOVE IT! Have you noticed more birds and beetles and butterflies? I'm so glad I read this this morning. xoxo
It's so beautiful!
Leaf, I'm glad you asked, I forgot to mention it. One of the best parts of the garden is that we have so many butterflies and way more birds. Even a little lizard for four who sun themselves on the bricks. It's wonderful. Oh, and frogs. Many many frogs.
I miss you. Your garden is lovely and a funny thing happened while reading about the moths while looking at the photo of Leafy.... I thought he was the moth you were referring too. A brown little moth that burrows into the ground. It cracks me up still. You know how kids like to dig.
Spectacular change.
P.S. Are you wearing 3/4 leggings in one of the photos? Was Chinua away that day?
P.P.S. I think of you every day as I look at your calendar.
E x
Your yard is so beautiful and welcoming, and your writing about it is beautiful as well. It is your experience gardening (and as well The Eve Tree's characters' love for farming) which has inspired me to try my hand at growing things. I want to find stability with the seasons, the peace that comes with knowing with a little water, a little sunshine and a little TLC, both me and the plants will be better, God-willing.
Lovely, lovely post! I've been looking forward to this one. What a beautiful garden. Impressed by all the work you've put into it!
Echoing Eleanor's comment about the leggings...?!! :)
Eleanor, How observant of you, my dear. YES they are 3/4 leggings. And Chinua has changed his mind about leggings (on me) ever since he saw me in them. :) He still doesn't like leggings as a rule.
Plus, aren't 3/4 leggings just long, tight shorts?
Tj- Leafy? Do you mean Solo? Because they do look a lot alike. We were watching video of Leafy the other day, and kept freaking out over how similar they are.
Wow, you inherited the growing bug for sure. Of course it is on your grandpa and grandma's side - both sides - and some of them worked wonderful gardens. Remember Uncle Fred's gardens all around that house. That is what your place reminded me of. Amazing, Amazing and you put so much hard work into it. You even feel the healing doing it, see it does not have that effect on me doing it, as I start to itch and scratch and pretty soon, there's no fun in it. Maybe it's time to try again and to wear gloves.
Wow, you inherited the growing bug for sure. Of course it is on your grandpa and grandma's side - both sides - and some of them worked wonderful gardens. Remember Uncle Fred's gardens all around that house. That is what your place reminded me of. Amazing, Amazing and you put so much hard work into it. You even feel the healing doing it, see it does not have that effect on me doing it, as I start to itch and scratch and pretty soon, there's no fun in it. Maybe it's time to try again and to wear gloves.
I am sitting in a snowstorm and the beauty of your jungle garden grabs my heart.
I'm amazed. It looks so inviting. Also, that blue color on the guesthouse is so nice. Did you do that or did they?
Cate, they painted it. It looks much better, doesn't it?
You are beautiful.
blissful sigh...although I am overall doing well with being back in the NW, where we deal with lots of moss and plenty of green, your pics made me miss Mauritania. We transformed our yard of sand into something lush and green and beautiful in that barren land. We had a washing machine from Spain, and we ran a hose off it and used that water for the garden. I do miss bougainvillea, and that's my fav colour of it. It was too dry there for plumeria though, but I love plumeria. Thanks for the pics!