Winter Work in the Permaculture Gardens

Saturday morning at Bealtaine Cottage and the cold winter has set in…

The Goddess Gardens are in the midst of an early winter tidy-up.

This is a way of preparing the earth for the Spring to follow, and, it’s not that far away either.

As we descend towards Midwinter, those involved in caring for the land are all too aware of the time available to prepare for Spring…and that comes in early here in the west of Ireland, with Imbolc on the first day of February!

Due to the good Autumn we’ve had, the Winter seems shorter, indeed not all the trees have shed their leaves!

Work in the new Lughnasadh Garden continues, as I move many of the perennial flowers from the Potager Beds, near the back of the cottage, over to the new beds prepared for them.

I dearly hope to have all the work completed before the Spring, so time outdoors is precious! Mahonia is in full bloom by the bench. This is still in a big pot, but will be planted out if I get the time…another job on the long list!

The leaf fall this year has been tremendous and will add considerably to the building fertility here in the Goddess Gardens.

From a barren land to abundant growth in twelve years…I continue to pinch myself!

As I type, the sun shines in that ethereal way that only descent into Midwinter can do!

The smell of beans, toast and vegan bacon emanates from the kitchen…a hearty meal before I step out to work on the land.

I will burn Bay Leaves in my incense pot this morning and the cottage will be infused with sweetness.

The Bay leaf is known to contain a substance called Linalool which helps to decrease anxiety in humans and create a calm atmosphere in the home.

I make my own blend of home grown organic incense, using blends that either calm, invigorate or cleanse.

6 comments

Thanks so much for answering my request!! Can’t wait to try it!! As always, thanks so much for all you do!!

I’ve been making my own incense too so it is nice to hear about an ingredient that I have an abundance of. Thanks Colette. xx

Great tip re bay leaves thanks. I’m thinking that might be just what I (and many others) need as aftershocks from the 7.8 quake continue to rumble through. The earth quivered gently as I was reading your post, lol, as if Mother Nature was trying to emphasise the point that help is always available if we remain aware. I understand that the earth has to release built up stress as part of her self-balancing but my blood pressure still spikes each time. We are all receiving a collective lesson in dealing with acute stress at present. Given the scale of the release it is extraordinary beyond belief that only two lives were lost. We really dodged a bullet. Bring on the bay leaves.