Kiaora, nice to finally meet you!!

After a lot of mucking about there is finally some solid growth and an exiting of the germination stage of this online slice of garden…Solid growth, a wonderful phrase. Nature creates solid growth to form resilience. Recent events have brought to the fore many reasons why we should learn to observe nature more, and take heed of those lessons. Saving, is a massive slice of the method our gardens employ to satisfy resilience, future needs and emergencies. From preserving to cycling to adaption, it all involves an aspect of saving. Seeds encased in hardy shells in seed banks in deeper soils, minerals in rock and hard wood, plant chromosomes for major weather shifts produced and saved in seeds, mycelium hidden below a protective cover fruit when conditions are ripe, energy stored away over periods of inactivity for better days or when calamity strikes. Take the lessons of one of the best travelers nature has produced in the plant world, the Dandelion. Not everyone’s favorite, but surely one of the most well adapted ‘savers’ there is. Able to inhabit and survive some of the worst terrain out, naturally mining minerals that not only help them survive but condition the soil to attract beneficial organisms and produce stabilising factors to allow some proper colonising and integration into the once devoid space. This is a plant who not only travels far and wide but also has the forethought to prepare the way and tidy up for others, itself, and its descendants, whilst still ensuring that there is enough variation in reproduction that it will be able to compete in any situation thrown at it. It is a beautiful plant, face it, this plant shines in permanence or pilgrimage. Establishing a hold on a territory, it quickly establishes a position in the community by showing off its green locks in the fashion of the surroundings, almost instantly it is adorned with gold and attracting the most attention, feeding the most visitors, nourishing surroundings with profits of its own labors. Perhaps we have something else to gain from the most astute travelers besides the opportunity to enhance our immune systems and appropriate slang. Perhaps we also have something to learn from the least travelled survivors also, an integrated lesson in preparation, future proofing and community. Not only do we need to make quick everyday savings where we can in our everyday or less predictable ‘small things’, but we also need to make savings for the big unknowns. How do we save for something unknown, a nameless spirit ready to cast its prescence on us from who knows where? We start with establishing the ground or the basis for our community, our friends, our families, in a way that positively grows and regulates each individual as well as the communication with neighboring communities and the wider environment with which we share resources. As the forest feeds the grassland, so too should the footprints of those passing through, and as the river passes through each of us on its way to the sea, only to become a cloud, return to the mountains and start the journey over, so we should remember that what we share with others will one day come back to us. In this way we can first identify barriers and create solutions, overcome them and form working strategies creating a most resilient community of peoples and creatures with the least amount of harm to our environment. ..