Philip’s Garden Blog

Wa (Harmony)

After leaves have fallen from branches and late flowers have gone to seed, the garden in winter exists in a time apart; a time of pine, moss, stone, twig and branch. Thin light from a low sun reveals immutable forms; the winter garden is ascetic, chaste and austere. Wistful recollections of summer’s past and yearnings for the promise of spring is what often informs us during this season, but the quiet beauty of a garden in winter has its own truth. On a hushed day flanked by storms past and expected, one’s eyes can be opened to this beauty, the mind in concert with the moment.

Kei (respect)

The traditional Japanese garden has many forms, and for me the Japanese Tea Garden, Chaniwa, expresses the qualities of the garden in winter. This type of garden, intimately incorporated into the Japanese tea ceremony itself, is a unique intersection of a highly developed aesthetic philosophy and a spiritual ritual.  There are those who have spent a lifetime studying The Way of Tea, or Chado, and I will only attempt to touch lightly here on the gardens, the Roji, that are attached to the teahouse and their role in the tea ceremony.

Sen Rikyu (1522-1591) had a profound influence on the tea ceremony and the surroundings in which the ceremony was held. Eschewing elaborate imported Chinese porcelains and the like, Rikyu incorporated into the ceremony both the spiritual practice of Zen Buddhism, with an emphasis on the immediate and non-duality, and a highly considered appreciation of the rustic, the irregular and the asymmetric softened by the patina of age.  The progression of the ceremony became a kind of ritualized set choreography of prescribed gestures and deportment;  participants cleared the mind of irrelevancies, the past and future, and allowed the mind and body to be in the moment.

Guests assemble in the outer garden, resting in a shelter called a machiai as they await their turn to proceed to the teahouse to participate in the tea ceremony.

Sei (Purity)   

As the guests are summoned to the teahouse, they proceed to the inner garden, uchiroji, on a meandering path. Carefully placed to direct and slow the guest, these stones should be placed naturally as if one were proceeding down a mountain path. The word roji can be translated to “dewy path” and walking on this path of simple stone and moss prepares the participant to open their “beginner’s mind”, passing from the mundane world to the heightened experience of the rustic tearoom.  A low water basin is provided, as washing the hands and mouth before tea literally and spiritually removes the “dust of the world.”

Rikyu stressed the purity of the roji, the inner and outer parts of the garden divided by a bamboo wicket or sarudo so that it “appears as if a hermit lives in a hut in an old thicket.”

 
Jaku (Tranquility) 

An aesthetic sesibility that Rikyu refined was the concept of wabi; the style of the tea ceremony as practiced by Rikyu came to be known as wabi-cha, or literally “poor tea”.
Words such as “poor”, “rustic”, “desolation”,  and “imperfection” have different shades of meaning in the West. The concepts that these words express take on an exaltation of taste in the concept of wabi: free of avarice, competition and the ways of the world, the hermit in his solitude, observant of nature and sheltered in his hut on an inhospitable mountain found contentment and spiritual clarity.

The tea garden is informed by nature, but is not a “natural” garden. Natural elements are carefully considered for volume, form and balance. Within this construct is the lack of ostentation, and the quality of restraint; truth is found in the natural world, and in its bittersweet imperfections.

Neither blossoms nor tinted foliage are seen around a rush thatched hut that stands alone by the sea strand, twilight of autumn.
—Fujiwari Teika (1162-1241)

The term wabi is often conjoined with another philosphical concept, sabi. The effects of time such as the weathering of wood, the corrosion of metal, the patina of age, the cycles of nature, indeed our own mortality is inherant in the concept of sabi, and the fusion of the words wabi-sabi is a rich poetic idea that expresses both the tea garden, and the human condition in all seasons.

It is in us that God meets with Nature, and yesterday parts from tomorrow. The present is the moving Infinity, the legitimate sphere of the relative. Relativity seeks adjustment; adjustment is art.“
— Kakuzo Okakura, the Book of Tea (1906)

The gardener who has seen many seasons and harvests may ponder what is the beginning and what is the end? What is completion? Is it the plant in flower and in fruit? The plant gone to seed or with dormant roots? The tender sprouts of spring?  The garden in winter, and the tea garden shows that nature is constantly devolving toward, or evolving from that which is.

Rikyu loved to quote an old poem which says:  To those who long only for flowers, fain would I show the full-blown spring which abides in the toiling buds of snow-covered hills.
—Kakuzo Okakura, The Book of Tea

 

 

In the Moment, Rick Carpenter 2002

This is a garden about garbage.

This is a garden about art made from garbage.

This is a garden about recycling garbage that may save our planet. 

When I first heard that there was not only a garden at the dump, but that the city of San Francisco also sponsored an “Artist in Residency” program there, I knew that this was something I had to see.  The reaction from other people when I said I planned to visit a ”dump garden” was mixed. Some people said, “Cool” and other people wrinkled their noses, asking, “Will it smell?”  I set out on the third Thursday of the month when tours are given of the facility, the artist’s studios, and the sculpture garden to find out for myself. Would I be the only person there? I met with a good sized group that had gathered for the tour.

San Francisco is considered one of  America’s greenest cities and Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors have enacted a plan to cut greenhouse gases in the city to 20% below the 1990 level by 2012. All kinds of people have come together in San Francisco to make practical changes towards sustainability in their personal lives, and in the community. Recycling garbage is certainly a way where an individual or a family can do something “hands on” to make a difference.

After a discussion of ecological concerns and about the work done at the SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc.’s Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center (affectionately known to those in the know as “The Dump”), we donned orange vests, protective glasses and hard hats (the explanation for the wearing of the hats was to prevent us from getting seagull poop in our hair. OK. Sounds good to me!).  On the way to the garden we headed into the garbage facility itself.

Standing in the garbage shed was my perfect idea of Hell. Odd bits of refuse continuously banged through a chute placed high up the wall adding to the pile, and yes, it stank. In a way, there was a kind perverse humor for me in this experience. I am known in my family as someone who will go to great lengths to avoid unpleasant things, and for the most part, my experience with trash is a tidy affair. We sort discarded things neatly in their color-coded bins and then it is taken away. Where this trash goes is rarely considered; refuse goes “out there”, to a landfill perhaps; a nether place far away.  In the presentation that commenced the tour, we discussed some pressing ecological “time bombs”. By becoming aware of the ”Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, I now know that garbage is in everyone’s face.

Eco Bomb, Francisco Perez Cardona 1991

Crossing the Pacific Ocean in 1997 after competing in a trans-Pacific yacht race, Captain Charles Moore discovered “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch”, a floating debris field two times the size of Texas. Formed by circular currents called Gyres, debris from the of the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean (garbage from the US, Japan and other nations) is drawn to the still waters of the center. This monstrous accumulation of trash chokes not only the surface of the Pacific, but hundreds of feet into the ocean’s depth.

Particles Dancing, Linda Raynsford 2000

“I want to say one word to you.  Just one word…plastics.”  This line from the 1967 film, The Graduate is to me like one of those prophecy twists from the ancient Greeks. Yes, there is a future in plastics because it never goes away: plastic stays around forever, becoming smaller and smaller, and ever more deadly.

Unlike natural debris which eventually degrades, plastic remains a polymer even at the molecular level. In the Great Pacific Garbage Patch photodegraded plastic particulates choke the upper water column. Fish ingest the plastic particulate, birds feed this to their chicks, and the plastic enters the food chain.

There is no consensus on how to clean up the massive Great Pacific Garbage Patch, but hopefully we can prevent it from from expanding. San Francisco has banned plastic bags from large stores such as supermarkets. This translates into 5 million fewer plastic bags every month. Other cities, nations have followed suit, or are considering a ban. In my house we now have a collection of re-usable canvas bags that we take with us every time we go shopping. It is actually quite easy to do, something practical in a small way that when done with others has a big impact.

Deborah Munk who led the tour pointed out this bale of paper collected for recycling. Deborah explained that a ton of paper like the one showed here was the equivalent of 17 to 24 trees.

I thought is was so fitting than an envelope from the Sierra Club was found in this bale.  One of the oldest grassroots environmental organizations in the United States, the Sierra Club was founded by the preservationist, John Muir.  Looking at the image of this paper bale after my visit, I had to call Deborah Munk again to confirm how many trees a bale like this would preserve. I imagined John Muir with his lanky, upright figure and grizzled beard standing before a grove swaying in the breeze; a grove of about seventeen to twenty-four trees.

Conehead Chairs, Norma Yorba 1995

San Francisco recycles an impressive 70% of its garbage. This can be compared to the city of Dallas, Texas which only recycles 2%.  In many places change and awareness of environmental concerns is begun by just one person. In San Francisco in the 1970’s the artist Jo Hansen began to sweep the litter strewn sidewalk outside her house and compiled journals of urban detritus. Her personal act of sweeping one sidewalk grew into a celebrated public art practice and citywide anti-litter campaign. As a vocal SF Arts Commissioner, Hanson suggested to Norcal Waste Systems, Inc. and the City of San Francisco that they develop an artist in residence program at the city dump, offering a studio and stipend for artists to create artwork from the waste stream to raise public awareness.

Deborah Munk explained that the artists in the program can only use items from the dump. Shopping carts are used by the artists to gather the materials that they will need assemble and create works of art. As the artists sift through the trash with their carts in tow, they say they are “going shopping”.

Stanley, Dana Albany 2003

A collection of sculptures created by the artists are displayed in the sculpture garden. Placed on the hill above the dump, the garden incorporates some plants rescued from the trash, and the paths were constructed from salvaged concrete from the old Embarcadero freeway that had been torn down after being damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.  A show featuring the work of the current artists in residence, David King and Christine Lee is being held this January 23 & 24, 2009.

There are many gardeners that would say that a garden is strictly about plants. I have to admit I am entranced by flowers, striking plant combinations, edible plants, native plants and the like, and I relish and honor the horticultural expertise of the plantsperson.  I would argue that gardens have also been about The Idea: the yearnings of the collective unconscious.

The great Mannerist and Baroque gardens were expressions of temporal power; the sublimation of nature manifested as a triumph of civilization.  The landscape parks of the 19th century, as well as the “natural” gardens of Robinson and Jekyll can be seen as a reaction to the despoiling of the landscape during the industrial revolution:  an expression of the Arcadian ideal.  An art garden at a dump speaks to us now: with a planet in peril, each person, each family, every gardener can make a difference to save the Earth we love.

For further information and to visit the garden go to: www.sunsetscavenger.com

Garden tours are held for adults on the third Saturday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The tours are geared to those interested in knowing more about the AIR Program, and for those interested in applying to be one of  the artists. Tours also include an overview of the company and the garbage and recycling operations in San Francisco. For safety reasons, the tour is not appropriate for children under 8 years of age. To make a reservation for a Saturday tour, please call Deborah Munk at (415) 330-1415.

Every year there are a few gardens that I have to visit. These are “destination” gardens: gardens worthy of a dedicated outing. The Green Gulch farm and garden in the Marin headlands is of that category. Usually we visit this garden in the summer, when parts of the garden are filled with the heady fragrance of rose, nicotiana and lavender. Recently we came here on a foggy, winter morning, and we found that these gardens and the farm had a special quality in every season.

Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, also known as Green Dragon Temple (Soryu-ji), is a Buddhist practice center in the Japanese Soto Zen tradition.

The public is welcome to the gardens and plant nursery, and to participate in their upcoming garden programs. On Sunday, March 15, 2009,  head gardener Carolyn Cavanagh along with Sukey Parmelee lead an edible native plant walk through the surrounding hillsides.

I had the pleasure of talking with the head gardener Carolyn Cavanagh about the gardens and farm. The most formal of the gardens was influenced by the horticulturist Alan Chadwick who contributed not only a sensibility for gardens in the English manner, but also introduced biodynamic techniques to the farm. The plantings were carried out by Wendy Johnson. A circular yew hedge (Taxus baccata) surrounds the garden punctuated by flowering arbors on the four directional entrances. Carolyn commented that the yew hedge is rigorously pruned to keep it at its current height. Centering the garden is a Japanese snowbell (Styrax japonica) surrounded by low clipped hedges.

The garden lies in a gently sloping valley which decends west to the Pacific ocean. The surrounding coastal hillsides are protected land, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

The flower borders maintain winter interest with foliage contrasts of russet, light green and gold.

In the orchard, espalliered fruit trees are interplanted with rows of currants and raspberries.

The orchard encompasses 28 varieties of fruit trees.

Carolyn explained that many of the trees have a dwarf root stalk to keep harvesting manageable. High density or angle plantings are incorporated; the entire orchard is highly pruned.

A sculptural manzanita, Arctostaphylos sp.,  stands at the entrance to the Garden of Peace.

A Tibetan cherry tree, prunus serrula, is festooned with mementos as a path for healing.

A highlight for me during a visit to these gardens is the plant nursery. Certified by California Organic Farmers (CCOF), I have purchased many plant treasures here such as the California native flowering current, Ribes sanguineum. This plant delighted me with long racemes of pendulous pink flowers, and I was excited to see what I would discover here today.

Abutilon sp with Penstemon barbatus blooms profusely in the nursery garden even in winter. I noted that these are plants to consider for color in the garden this time of year.

Many of the plants featured at the nursery are also grown in the surrounding gardens. I find this helpful as many plants are semi-dormant this time of year, and it can be difficult to envision what a plant will look like when mature. Some plants can be glorious when left to grow a few seasons in the garden, but can look rather twiggy and hapless when constrained in a pot. I purchased a one gallon plant that I have wanted for years, Angelica archangelica. The small, celery like leaves in its container gives little hint to the tall and wild display I hope to see from this plant in my garden this summer.

Libertia peregrinans does give you a sense of its habit when potted. With its striking orange-brown foliage, Libertia planted in the adjacent garden was an effective contrast to the yellow-green foliage of feverfew, Chrysanthemum parthenium.

With its deep overhanging roof, the potting shed overlooks the nursery garden, now mulched for winter.

Made partly of straw bale construction, the shed was built by the community.

A series of alcoves are incorporated into the thick north wall.
Volunteers are welcome to work in the garden on Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. until noon. Volunteers are invited to stay for lunch.

The nursery is open every day, year round from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The nursery features organically grown plants which flourish in the coastal climate: flowering perennials, natives, culinary and medicinal herbs, shrubs, bamboo and fruit plants. Plants are for sale throughout the day.

Progressing through the valley as it gently descends to the sea, the series of ornamental garden rooms opens to cultivated land. Late blooming Calendula flowers thrive amongst rows of asparagus and a stately cardoon, Cynara cardunculus. On the morning of our visit, windbreaks of Monterey cypress, Cupressus macrocarpa held back the coastal fog.

Begun over 30 years ago by gardener emeritus Wendy Johnson, the Green Gulch farm was a pioneer and leading voice in the employment of organic farming methods in the United States. Today the farm is a living model for sustainable agricultural practices and land stewardship.

A summer residential apprenticeship program is offered in organic gardening and farming. The apprenticeship emphasizes meditation practice and hands-on work experience and instruction in organic farming methods. Former apprentices have gone on to establish organic farms, bakeries and promote positive growth in their communities in numerous ways. Jeremy Rourke, a public school teacher, works with elementary school children teaching computer science and chess and mentors at-risk youth:  “I found out a lot about myself at Zen Center….On the farm time slows down….You see the lifecycle of plants; it’s going at its own speed. Giving up my time expectations of life helps with patience in working with the kids.”

Led by Alan Hawkins, workshops in beginning beekeeping are offered.
Now that it is winter the bees are cold and in their hives. We wish them well.
–Carolyn Cavanagh, Head Gardener at Green Gulch Farm

From May to November the farm provides its organic produce to the San Francisco vegetarian restaurant, Greens. Located at Fort Mason, the restaurant’s large windows command spectacular views of the Golden Gate and the Marin Headlands. Chef Annie Sommerville, with produce from Green Gulch Farm, has elevated vegetarian cuisine to influence and inspire chefs nationally.
Today we are surprised if a good restaurant does NOT have vegetarian options. Greens helped pave the way for this acceptance.
http://www.greensrestaurant.com

On Saturdays from June to October you can buy Green Gulch produce at San Franciso’s Ferry Market Plaza. Located on the Embarcadero by the bay, this market is a happening place with regional growers of certified organic produce, artisanal breads and cheeses.
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com

For more information and to visit Green Gulch Farm and Gardens:
http://www.sfzc.org

The website includes many excellent public transportation and rideshare options.

Directions by car:
Take Highway 101 to the Highway 1/Stinson Beach exit. Turn left onto Highway 1 (Shoreline Highway). Follow the green signs for Highway 1/Stinson Beach. After 2.5 miles the road forks - bear left towards Muir Beach. Go 2 more miles and you’ll see a eucalyptus grove and large sign on the left indicating the driveway, “Zen Center/Green Gulch Farm/Wheelwright Center.”

The basis of farming is actually awareness…. Understanding interconnectedness, understanding impermanence, birth and death: it’s all right there on the farm.

 –Sara Tashker, Green Gulch Farm