Richard Sidy is president of the Gardens for Humanity, a founding member of the Sustainability Alliance and a member of the Verde Valley Food Policy Council. To reach him, email richardvsidy@mac.com.
Last month I was invited to teach students from Sedona Charter School about sustainability at the Sedona Heritage Museum.
Last month I was invited to teach students from Sedona Charter School about sustainability at the Sedona Heritage Museum.
An image that has stuck with me since I was very young is that of a pebble tossed into a pond. I learned that day that even a small pebble could send out circles of waves that will eventually reach a far shore.
Our garden is another chapter in the story of our life at home. When I see birds building nests in our garden, pollinators feeding at our flowers, lizards raising their young, or a toad hibernating beneath damp soil, they become part of our family. They affirm that our garden is a welcoming habitat and a safe home.
Our garden is another chapter in the story of our life at home. When I see birds building nests in our garden, pollinators feeding at our flowers, lizards raising their young, or a toad hibernating beneath damp soil, they become part of our family. They affirm that our garden is a welcoming habitat and a safe home.
When I want to write about the garden, the first thing I do is go outside and walk in it. After so many years we have an intimate relationship.
When we think of a colorful garden we mostly think of sunny bursts of flowers, fresh buds and ripening fruit. The winter garden has a somber and textured mood like the low angle of light of shorter days, glowing silhouettes of plants, longer shadows, golden, rust, and brown litter of leaves.
When our grandchildren visit us they love to work and play in the garden. Actually, what we call “work” will likely turn into “play” in their world!
A gardener’s sense of time is governed by the seasons, and by the life cycles of plants and other garden residents. There is a rhythm to life that a gardener experiences that is a contrast to the strict lock step of days, weeks, and months.
In the month of October we are between the harvest moon of September, and the Thanksgiving celebrations of November. This is a transition time between seasons, when all of our senses are kindled by change.
