With summer finally here and the promise of warm weather, the draw of nature is strong.
Nature can come in grand packages of wilderness, national parks and other wide open spaces, but for many it’s their backyard, townhouse courtyard or inner city balcony that is their daily focus, Here in the Dandenongs, most of us still enjoy the privilege of space that lets us connect with nature and benefit from the positive effects it brings to a person’s physical, emotional and mental state.
Those with limited space to enjoy a garden should read Indira Naidoo’s The Edible Garden where she describes how she has managed to maintain a garden of vegetables and flowers on the balcony of her 13th floor apartment in inner Sydney.
Naidoo says there’s only one thing you need to be able to grow a garden and it has nothing to do with space. Instead, it’s all about sunlight. She recounts how she started with a small selection of plants in pots: tomatoes, coriander and basil. She recalls the excitement of watching seeds germinating and wonders what it was like when people were totally dependent on what they grew. In the age of supermarkets we often forget this and the fact that not that long ago backyards would have had an all year vegie plot, some fruit trees and a few chooks.
But backyards are now a threatened species as Australian Poet Paul Willason laments:
‘Back then,
backyards were big enough
to nurture a growing soul and provide a space
for the earth to play out
its seasons in full rehearsal.
There were wide tracks
of grass, trees to climb,
old sheds to rummage
with their interiors full of tools
and bric-a-brac webbed in history.’
Today the diminished backyard is more likely to have an elaborate barbeque set up, a pool or a hot tub.
Growing food is of course cultural and Indira advises to grow what you most like, in her case a curry tree in a pot on her balcony is indispensable for her cooking curries and flavouring rice etc. For those with limited space it is advisable to start small with herbs, loose leaf lettuces, silverbeet and cherry tomatoes.
Sadly, so often, the elderly are forced to abandon their gardens because it is so hard to get help but even a pot of basil, dill (or whatever is your preferred herb) on the kitchen or bathroom window sill is better than nothing.
While freshly picked vegetables nurture you, flowers too are needed for a healthy garden and also to delight. The sight of flowers can evoke pleasant emotions and contribute to a more positive outlook. No patio or veranda is too small to house an array of seasonal flowers that bring colour into your life. In Victorian times, Floriography, a study of the special symbolism of flowers, was a popular pastime. Poet Kathryn Reigel ‘s garden is full of flowers and vegetables that trigger memories, remind her of the impermanence of all things and also that we share our natural world with other creatures. So many will relate to her tone of resignation about rabbits.
‘so I have something left
to look at when the rabbits come.
They always come. They are
always hungry. And I think I am done
protecting one sweet thing from another.’
Rabbits too have a right to exist even at the expense of our gardens. I’m not so sure about marauding sulphur crested cockatoos who will strip a fruit tree in a matter of hours.
Over recent years we have come to appreciate the subtle beauty of our native flora. There is a greater awareness of the importance of native plants in supporting local ecosystems. Many now incorporate native flora into their gardens to attract local wildlife, such as birds and butterflies. Back as early as the 1930s legendary garden and landscape designer Edna Walling incorporated Australian natives in her free flowing garden designs
Nature and gardening have been muses for poets for centuries and still are today.
Australian poetry has a rich tradition of exploring themes related to gardens and nature. Poets such as Judith Wright have been inspired by our unique landscapes, flora and fauna, and she often expresses a concern for the exploitation of the land and the need for conservation and appreciation of nature.
Whether your garden is a backyard, courtyard, balcony or a few pots of your favourite herbs on a window sill in your kitchen or bathroom (or wherever you can catch the sunlight), the act of tending to plants and seeing them grow can have a calming effect on our minds, helping to reduce stress levels.And there’s also something wonderful in getting your hands dirty (in the physical sense of course) and preferably in soil.
When thinking of a Christmas present for someone who seems to have everything, a gift of a packet or two of seeds of easy to grow plants: vegetable,flower or native, may bring unexpected and long lasting benefits and pleasure to that person.
‘Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.’ Albert Einstein
