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April 22nd
Posted by Old City Green
under Blog on Fri 22 Jan 2010
“In my moments of rest I dream of things to come. Spring bulbs and blooming branches. For now I am content with the naked trees and I revel in my amorous thoughts toward their gnarled branches. Spring is coming and winter is a blessing.”
-FLA, January 22nd, 2010
“January is the quietest month in the garden. … But just because it looks quiet doesn’t mean that nothing
is happening. The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under
fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants. The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating
the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come.”
- Rosalie Muller Wright
“There are two seasonal diversions that can ease the bite of any winter.
One is the January thaw. The other is the seed catalogues.”
- Hal Borland
A Winter Wonderland
All was quiet across the glistening blankets of snow. The mighty fraser and balsam trees stood tall, standing watch across Old City green, patiently waiting for a warm home to spend the holidays.
As the handsome clerk opened the green gates, and the sweet smell of cider crept through the Shaw neighborhood, a bird began her afternoon song. But this time her song was different…
“Today, December 24th, all tree’s and wreaths 50% off!” the bird proclaimed with a happy chirp.
People from all over the neighborhood followed the beautiful bird’s call, and were in a joyful spirit at the sight of fresh trees and wreaths, standing tall in an OCg winter wonderland…They danced home carrying their goods just in time for the holiday..The trees were happy too!
Be strong!
Be happy!
Have a wonderful and merry, Holiday!
- Frank and the OCg team
Greetings plant enthusiasts,
I sat down to contemplate a new blog post for today, but as soon as I began, the words were taken right out of my mouth. So to speak.
Take a look: www.renewshaw.com
Stay dry and have a warm weekend!
Below we’ve added a poem for your thoughts.
- Frank & the OCg Team
A Poison Tree
By William Blake
I was angry with my friend;
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears:
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine,
And he knew that it was mine.
And into my garden stole.
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see,
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
In the old days they dreamed of rivers of HONEY and streets of GOLD.
Today, I dream of rivers flowing with clean water and fish swimming in
flooded fields, jumping up to get caught.
Today, I dream of streets with no guns, needles, empty bottles and such.
I dream of tree boxes filled with flowers and tended to by neighbors and
folks helping each other get on in this world.
Paradise in yesteryear was a place in the clouds that excluded.
For me, today, paradise is a place where nature is tended to and ALL people
have an intention to help one another.
In a time not too long ago, if one followed the beat of a different drummer,
there was great risk of loss.
Today, I want the drummers to step up their music.
DRUM LOUD so folks can here the intricacies of rhythms and beats playing
together…In sync and sometimes not…
Just yesterday I failed…I may have lost a friend.
Today, I start again. My true friends mirror compassion. They offer love.
This teaches me to move through paradise in renewal.
Today, paradise is HERE,NOW….A place to revisit again and again..
This day, this morning, go out..begin tending to paradise…
Some of us have been standing outside the gate for too long now.
Today is a day to let dreams flood in….
Reach your hand out and catch one.
Or, get down on your knees and tend to the earth and let nature takes its
course…..Paradise will move through you in ways unimagined.
…We love all of them!
Some such as thyme are fragrant and edible. Tell us what kind of garden you
have and we’ll be happy to suggest a few for you. All of them are hardy and
tough, and they really can get walked all over and still bounce back. These
plants roll with the punches the way we’re all trying to these days.
Do you ever feel like the universe is bumping up against you so hard that
all you can do is roll with the punches??
My first thought is “FIGHT CLUB!”
Yes, Fight Club is right behind my house. I can go sit on my back porch and
watch teenagers and adults alike ride their skateboards up, down, back and forth on these tunnel wave kind of things…Yes, I am showing my age here….(Yes, one day I was informed of their real name: Half Pipes.) Think 2 big half pipes and a smaller one with 6-12 people on each one skating up, down, back and forth for 3-4 hours, till 11:00 pm sometimes!!
The delightful thing is that all of those folks know how to fall…they really know how to roll with the punches. It is basic actor training…Go limp….relax when you fall, and try to fall on some cushion…
Sometimes, like a cat, these acrobats even spin in the air, somersault and
BAM!- they’re standing straight up while their skateboards fly off into the back of my fence.
I get to witness this combination of athletic prowess and childlike focus!
I am in awe…This 52 year old is old enough to know:”Don’t’ try this at
home”…
However, I do get to try my own dance with the universe in starting up a
business in the middle of this fearful economy…
OLD CITY green….As strong as a sapling, as athletic as an avid
skateboarder and with lots of experience in falling and getting back up again…..
We’ve got some HARDY native perennials in…they’ll be sure to roll with
the punches, as I am sure you do!
Come on by and say hi!!!
Getting ready to plant?
Consider OLD CITY green..
We’ve got Organic Compost…
After you have trimmed your perennials from the winter blahs, douse them
with some compost to nourish them for their renewal.
We’ve got Topsoil you can bag yourself.
Shredded Pine Bark mulch for that fresh, fecund look. Or, Hardwood Mulch for
that deep, dark, forest floor feel..
We have an abundance of native perennial plants for the sun or shade.
Bee Balm, Cat Mint, Hyssop, Hellebores, Creeping Phlox..they are all ready
for you to take them home.
Right now we’ve got lots of blooming shrubs about ready to burst with color.
Forsythia, Azaleas, Camellias and many more…They’ve got your name on
them!!
Buy any plants from us, return the pots and you can enter a raffle to win a flat of pansies on April 11th….Besides, the returns get reused by a local
farmer for seedlings we’ll be selling later in the spring…What goes around
comes around!
OLD CITY green: Plants, People and the Planet!!
Old City Green Guests on Go Green Sangha Radio
Posted by Old City Green
under Blog on Fri 27 Mar 2009
Old City Green was recently featured on the March 8th episode of Go Green Sangha Radio. Click here to listen to the show:
I was wondering: What would happen if we started showing our urban children the beauty of nature?
Most children in the city don’t get the chance to play in the dirt. How many of them get the time to sit in a field for hours with a worm or caterpillar crawling in their hand?
You grown ups out there: Did you grow up in the city, the burbs, the country?
What part of your childhood do you bring to the present moment?
Is there serenity? Is nature a fond memory for you? When was the last time you made a snow angel?
Spring is coming…Unless of course, something happens in the universe or nature decides to fool us or one of us doesn’t make it till this weekend….
Regardless, if we aren’t here, most likely spring will be… (That could get really deep, but I’ll move forward.)
I invite you to take yourself and the kids (if you have them)..Or, take the kid that is inside of you and visit the Arboretum, Brookside Gardens, Dumbarton Oaks…. Or sit in the park and silently watch the life of spring unfold….
You could even stop by Old City Green….
We are planning on having a special place for kids to plant seeds, maybe even have a sand box for the younger ones……..
Soon we’ll be offering workshops on planting herbs and vegetables.
Let yourself play in the dirt..Let your kids get really dirty…You’ll be amazed at how tired they are at the end of the day..
What a quiet afternoon or evening that could be!! Listen: ..Spring is about to sing and the orchestra has started!
We all have those moments when we ask ourselves;”How did I get here”?
Now is one of those moments.
I am extremely happy and grateful that Old City Green is about to open for Spring of 2009…
How did I get here?
First, my network of friends!..I am not just talking about my “peeps” here. I am referring to the men and women who have helped shape this business… Who have offered either a word of support/advice, money and or services, or whohave suggested my name to someone else who could offer support in this dream.
Old City Green is truly a co-creation!!
Let me add that my network is remarkable!
I have owned a gardening/landscaping business with the word “fairy” in it for 9 years. I started out cleaning up dog poop and pulling out weeds in tree boxes… I took a Master Gardening Class and became a certified Master Gardener.
In reflecting on the wonderful responses to that ‘f’ word, and in remembering the fearful concern and rude innuendos, I am here now with my posse ready to embark on something as magical as the fairies themselves.
Perhaps even the fairies have a play in Old City Green…
