Copy
Writing, designing, & speaking for native plants.
View this email in your browser
What is a garden? It is one primary way to connect to the world, to lift the veil of our emotions, fears, desires, and hold a dialogue with the environment and species whose language we have forgotten or misplaced. Each garden places us firmly within the context of all life, awakens us to the web, encouragingly humbles us as we become aware of ourselves as a node in that interlinked web. When we touch the soil we touch our ancestors and our children, we know the heartbeats of worms, birds, insects, and mammals with each scrape of the nail and each cut of the skin. The taste of our own flesh is in soil. When we nestle a plant into a newly-dug hole we are reaching out to bees that will gather pollen and frogs that will take shelter in a rainstorm. A garden is our grasping for the world as much as it is a giving to the world – who are we, where have we been, where we will go; a garden is the moment, now, every emotion, every bit of knowing and unknowing coalescing into a timeless equality of mind, body, and spirit. In out best moments we are no less than a garden that serves life, not ourselves.

And this month's pun: Why couldn't the bike stand up on its own? Because it was two tired.
Highlights
Need a drought tolerant, cold tolerant, miracle groundcover? Try prairie smoke.
Too many beneficial plants have the word "weed" in their common name. But what's a weed, really? Here are 6 awesome natives.
Are gardens impositions on nature? How are they part of nature? Are they art only?
My Holiday Book Picks
Maybe you've read them all already, but for me they're tried and true guides -- both practical and spiritual for the garden life. Look for these gems at your local indie bookseller!

Bringing Nature Home, Doug Tallamy -- Why are native plants important? What role do they play in sustainable design? The first book any native plant gardener should read.
 
The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden, Roy Diblik -- An authority on smart and stunning design using natives, Roy shows you how to have a low (know) care garden and provides planting guides to get you started. 

Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden, Jessica Walliser -- A practical how-to guide with organic practices in mind that benefit wildlife, plants, and your pocket book.

The Spell of the Sensuous, David Abram -- We used to speak the same language as plants and animals, and we still can. Abram reconnects us to the world in deep, philosophical prose that awakens.

Dwellings, Linda Hogan -- In the same vein as Abram, but even more digestible and just as lyrical. I've never looked at life the same way after reading her collection of short essays.
 
Environmental Ticker
Garden Photo(s) of the Month
I'm on Instagram, are you? Follow me as I wander the prairie landscape.
Rain chain with Amsonia hubrichtii.
We're looking for 40-80 acres in eastern Nebraska or central Iowa to conserve / restore prairie, start a boutique native plant nursery, have an artist residency program, host educational classes and weddings, and gather local artisans and small business for an annual shindig. If you know of any like-minded land owners, please forward this newsletter along or email us!
Facebook
Facebook
Twitter
Twitter
Instagram
Instagram
Website
Website
Houzz
Houzz
Speaking
Speaking
Email
Email
Native prairie garden consulting, design, & speaking
in eastern Nebraska & online.
Copyright © 2014 Monarch Gardens, All rights reserved.


unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences 

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp
Share
Tweet
Forward
+1