From "Minnesota" 1980 by Joan Mitchell An ornamental garden is not always what it appears to be The call to action appeared in my inbox: “are we gardening while the world burns?” Yes, I got the easy reference to Nero, Rome and all that, which is, historically, a fairly complicated story in itself. And yes, ornamental—as distinguished from food—gardening, could be considered an oblivious, even oppressive activity, especially if conducted with plenty of staff in the pursuit of displaying wealth using plants and techniques that harm ecosystems. But rebelliousness rose in me. As a serious modern gardener, I wondered, does this person not understand where gardening is situated in the history of our species and how it can be used to make a fierce statement about possible futures? And I’m not talking about utopian ideas of getting back to the Garden of Eden, either. Nettled, I did look around the internet and found that the phrase seems to have come from an essay in which the write ...
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Comments
Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the podcast and that I agree with you and respect your choice to provide food and housing for the local (and international) birds and insects.
Your observation about the application of the permaculture principles rather than the replication of an equivalent model was very astute.
Books are everything too! I've never taken a course, but rather pick, test and chose what works here and most of that information comes by way of the art of reading.
Plus, I appreciated hearing of your spiritual beliefs and how they apply to your work in the ecosystem. I respect the Quakers.
Thanks
Chris
Thank you for saying that and also for the excellent quote. Allies is a great way to put it.
Cheers
Chris