The green sanctuary.

A sanctuary is a holy and sacred place. The more time we spend in nature, the more we realize that our sanctuary is all around us. Since starting the work on the land about six years ago we have been working towards creating a place for us, but equally a place where plants and animals can thrive and coexist on fair terms.

Now the place is full of vegetables, berries, fruit, herbs and trees that are of great and immediate benefit to us but at the same time the wildlife and plant-life have increased rapidly and profoundly. We do things to improve productivity and yield but never at the expense of nature. By feeding the birds, creating wildlife ponds and bog gardens, mulching and planting with the pollinators in mind we are now at a stage where the benefits are numerous not just for us, but for all the creatures and plants that share the space with us.

Since the time of the first humans and all over the planet, people have revered beautiful patterns and pleasing compositions. Story-telling, art, music and rhythm have been part of everyday life and often inspiration for these expressions has been found in nature and the shape of plants and animals. Maybe a longing for beauty and composition is part of our subconscious mind and we are forever searching for ways to express it and experience it.

In our garden we have concentrated on very simple forms to create harmony and balance. We have circles, winding paths and crescent moon shaped planting beds. We have never been impressed by straight rows and angles so often seen in modern architecture and garden design.

In nature there are not many straight lines. We are fortunate to live with the natural world right outside the front door and we think it has a profound and very positive effect on our lives. If you spend your days in an urban environment you will surely miss this natural connection. That is why community gardens, city gardens and guerrilla gardening are all so important. It is time to slow down, reconnect with the natural world and find real happiness and peace in the process.

It can’t be a coincidence that in all the home department stores we have visited over the last few years, you can find items like fake potted plants, scented candles called ‘seaside mist’, ‘enchanted forest glade’ and ‘magical summer garden’, electrical mini indoor fountains and thousands of other items all aimed at making the consumer fill the gaping void that the severance from the natural world has created. Paradoxically by creating all these items we are removing ourselves even further from the real cause of our longing, the natural world.

It makes us very sad to see all these items for sale, packaged in plastic and produced from precious resources that we don’t have.

We all need to wake up to these facts and reconnect with the real source of our longing. It is all out there and all we have to do is remove the blinders and let it sooth our tired minds and hearts.

Our green sanctuary in July.

East

South

West

North