Gardeners Tips

Romans were were enthusiastic gardeners (not just for the grapes) but when the empire fell gardening collapsed. Then in around the 9th century AD the gardening skills were revived and every town was encouraged to grow herbs, fruit and nut trees.
The formal gardens of the middle ages had an atmosphere of tranquillity rarely equaled and were thought of as  ‘Heaven on Earth’.

Features of a Christian Garden

• With many features in common with Islamic gardens the Christian monks took inspiration from a revived interest in gardens.
• Boundaries and square structures were the most common with stone walls used in castles and cloisters.  Hedges, wattle fences, palisades, trellis and ditches were also used as boundaries by the less well to do. The effort was made to make them safe as they were a place of retreat and protection from evil.
• Simple paths were used to divide up a rectangular space.
• A medieval garden could be a microcosm of paradise and seen as ‘a recreation of good things’.
• Raised beds of simple geometric shapes accentuated the impression of symbolically clean lines and at the same time helped drainage for herbs.
• Covered walkways and arbors created enclosed spaces within the already enclosed space of the garden.
• Seating was important to facilitate contemplation and prayer.

Monastic gardens

Generally monastic gardens consisted of  several different types of gardens for different and specific purposes. A monastery would typically have a physic garden, plus a secluded garden for contemplation and meditation. There would also be community facilities for separate vegetable and fruit gardens, orchard or cemetery gardens, as well as fishponds and dovecotes.

As recorded on the behalf of St Hildegard Germany’s greatest mystic and God’s companion  ‘The medieval garden, as with any garden, is a work of love. Gardens are instruments of healing, a means to provide sustenance and health, and reminders of our connectivity with the natural world.

Modern tea gardens may seem to be a contradiction but since the 15th century the wabi tea ceremony has influenced the tea gardens purpose and design. Originally when tea plants (Camellia sensi) were introduced into Japan from China in the 6th century they were the prerogative of the ruling classes and used expensive ingredients and equipment.

The  subsequent simplification was started by Zen monk Shuko Murata. It led to the tea-room’s interior being reduced in space to the bare minimum needed for the contemplation of the relationship between people and things.

Key Features of a Zen Tea House

• As a location for the tea ceremony the core attribute is providing a support for humility. ‘We can’t focus on what is important if our egos get in the way’. Thus the entrance to a tea house is generally so low that you must crawl to pass through it.
• The tea house should provide the best views for meditation.
• The objective is to create a hut that emphasises the rustic and humble.
• The approach to the tea house is through the tea garden. To sharpen the mind and senses the path should consist of a series of detailed views.
• Stepping stones help to slow your pace  to a speed suitable for meditation and contemplation.
• Outside the door of the tea room is a stone basin to wash your hands and mouth before the tea ceremony begins.
• There should be a light or lantern to guide you in the dark.

Other Quotes about the Tea Ceremony

• “Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage.” –Katkuzo Okakura
• “The Way of Tea cannot be taught in any book…It is a state of mind. Tea is a living
  tradition.” –Professor Kimiko Gunji,
• “Holding a bowl of tea whisked to a fine froth…
  Such a simple thing: yet filled with a spirit that
  Reaches back more than a thousand years.”–The Urasenke Tradition of Tea
• ‘Show them who wait
  Only for flowers
  There in the mountain villages:
  Grass peeks through the snow,
  And with it, spring.’ Fujiwara no letaka

Nature is both constant and changing in that it is always with us but seldom remains static. In times of stress, poor health and personal pressure aspects of nature are there to fall back on. Meditation and mindfulness have grown in popularity and profile in recent year but the benefits of a garden have been acknowledged for centuries. Gardeners Tips is opening a new category within our pages to look at different types  of garden, our  relationships with nature and a spiritual approach to show how each  constructively helps.

New Venture

• Over the last 10 years G. Tips has provided 2100+ pages of pictures, tips and sometimes idiosyncratic comment. We are not about to change the formula too drastically but hope the themed approach to new posts will be constructive.
• There is a cathartic result for the author when a post is completed, published and even better when it is read. For those who garden or consider nature in almost any form we hope they derive health benefits and peace of mind. So for the next decade we hope G.Tips lives on as do all the precious plants in your gardens.
• Tomorrow the first of our new posts will go back to the beginning and the Garden of Eden.

Just to break the ice and get going here is a short list of publications on the subject of ‘spirit’ that are available via at amazon.

Gardens of the Spirit 2019 Calendar: Japanese Garden Photography

A good photograph can lighten up your day and I have enjoyed various calendars over the years. You do not need to opt for an expensive version you can get as much satisfaction out of a DIY calendar. Do you remember the calendars we used to make at school with a small pad of monthly dates to stick at the bottom of a photograph or picture cut from a magazine. Good pictures and images invoke memory and can boost your spirit.

Contemplation may be at the heart of a spiritually orientated garden. Certainly it will involve landscapes and the ability to look and see. As the blurb on ‘Landscape as Spirit’ sets out:-

‘principles of Oriental and Western garden design to make bold and original statements in his landscapes. Mosko explains how to deploy the materials of the garden so that their arrangement reflects the contemplative mind. The chief paradigm he uses is the mandala, a symbolic picture of the ideal world used in some form in many of the world’s cultures. Rocks, streams, plants, paths, and structures of the garden each take their place in the mandala as one of its five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Space. The means to produce a balance of these elements is the mind conditioned by meditation and a clear understanding of its own nature. Inner harmony is expressed as outer beauty.’

Sanctuary is one of the most basic human emotional need. We all need somewhere to retreat too when the need arises. Jessie Bloom’s book recognises this and adds:-

‘traditional plant wisdom to help readers find a deeper connection to the outdoor space they already have – no matter the size. Equal parts inspirational and practical, this engaging guide includes tips on designing a healing space, plant profiles for 50 sacred plants’ …

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