Spring Renewal and Rejuvenation

Mar 2

Written By Lisa Miller

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Create - Enhance - Restore

Issue 3-2023
Seasonal Greeting
Permaculture Principles
Moon Gardening
Monthly Tips
Offers

Eco-Restore provides consultation services and designs sustainable, regenerative and healthy gardens. Incorporating native, edible, and medicinal plants to enhance habitats for the benefit of people and the planet.

Hello friends,

Each day, rapidly before our eyes, this month we can expect to see a dramatic transformation in the gardens. As the length of day increases, as the soil temperatures rise and the insects emerge from the leaf litter our senses and gardens have an energy of renewal. If we slow our pace while walking down the street (and look up from the phone), or through the park, or the landscaped edges of a parking lot we will notice the tiny buds & new leaves beginning to appear. Pause to see and hear the return of the songbirds in the shrubs too!

While we humans have been resting and rejuvenating on the dark and cold days of winter, so have the plants and animals - preparing for another year. As we turn the calendar to March and the garden chores pick up the pace we head outside a little more often to prepare, sow and cultivate for the upcoming season.

Together we shift into the season of growing wonderful gardens and healthy landscapes.

Stay healthy, happy and keep your hands in the soil.
~ Lisa

Each month this email is sent as a newsletter and posted to The Bee’s Knees Blog where you will find the following:

~ A seasonal greeting message of a pertinent theme or energy for that month, followed by available consultations and other news.

~ An introduction or refresh of one Permaculture Principle. Conveniently, there are 12 so it works out perfectly as we follow the Gregorian Calendar

~ Moon Gardening; exploring cycles and themes of the moon and other celestial bodies, and of course noteworthy plants of the month.

~ Tips of the month to help you grow your best garden yet!!

~ Monthly or seasonal offer of service

If there is a topic you would like to learn more about or share please send us a message or give a call!!

Consultations Available: March - 6

Permaculture is the application of a set of ethics & principles to care for the whole Earth and all of its inhabitants. Originally from the term 'permanent agriculture,' now has expanded for applications to all landscape scales and other areas of life.

The three core tenants are the foundational ethics that guide each principle. Those ethics are
Earth Care ~ People Care ~ Fair Share

Principles may be listed numerically in text for the sake of organization, however, in reality they are cyclical, can be applied in any order and are all linked to each together in a web. Start wherever you are!

Obtain a Yield

While this may seem obvious to those planting fruit and veggie gardens - there can be bountiful harvests from pollinator gardens, natural fiber and dye gardens, medicinal herb gardens and children’s gardens. Where can you build in yields that also give instant or almost instant gratification? Plant mass producing berries or other foods around the garden so you can snack along the way.

Two favorite examples are:

“Snack Alley” between neighbors
Herb Spiral Gardens (samples below)

“You can't work on an empty stomach”

The icon for this design principle shows a vegetable with a bite out of it, representing an element of competition in obtaining a yield, whilst the proverb “You can’t work on an empty stomach” reminds us that we must get immediate rewards to sustain ourselves (and have fun)!

Image credits: Permacultureprinciples.com

Moon Gardening

Since time immemorial our ancestors have lived, told time, fell in love, passed down stories and tended the gardens by the light of the moon. I would like to offer the opportunity to learn and engage with our only true and beloved satellite while digging in the soil and while walking other paths of our lives.

How does it work - different phases of the moon provide different energies for working in the garden (and all aspects of our lives) to support a specific task or goal.

This is related to but not exactly the same as planting by Astrological days. There is some overlap and you can do both concurrently or choose only one. In these posts I will focus on where the moon is in the sky and what energies that may bring you and your gardens.

The Moon, as you all know, directly affects our gravity and the tides. Did you realize it affects gravity on everything - all water on Earth; in our bodies and down to the water in single cells of plants and animals.

Where are we now?

Waxing / Half Moon / First Quarter

While the actual day of the half moon was on the 27th, the waxing phase is half of the lunar cycle, thus deserving a little more attention.

The transition from new to full is a time of transformation, growth, abundance and action. This is a great time to launch something new or refresh an old project.

On March 1 Venus and Jupiter come together in Aries. This is a time when there is a new spark or a quick burning match to start something new. However this is just the spark, remember the match is not what warms the hearth - the work comes by feeding and stoking the fire continually.

Note on March 2 - there is a shift and the things you start will have a long lasting effect. SO be aware of what you say Yes or No to.

Final Note - this is the last of Saturn leaving Aquarius after 2+ years - what lessons were learned about “commitment, integrity, boundaries?” Don’t let those lessons be forgotten as you shift into the new and exciting energy.

How can this apply to the garden?

Have you been getting emails, live videos, news feeds of all of the exciting gardens to come? Take that energy and make a simple plan of what you want to grow next. Don't get lost in the hype, just take small steps to start where you are now.
New to gardening or have a small space? There are dozens of lettuce and herb varieties to grow to start off successfully.
>> I have a new resource to share if you need help getting started - contact me today <<

Moon Garden Plant of the Month

Spring Crocus (Crocus spp.)
Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana)

Sources and Resources:

Coloring Book of Shadows (my favorite day planner)
The Moon Book by Sarah Gottesdiener
The Herbal Academy
Time Passages app
The Complete Book of Herbs by Lesley Bremness

Shop local, Shop small businesses!

While you are learning more about the moon’s seasons, energy, power and spirit I ask that each of you also consider how you can help protect her - right now (and for some time really) there has been an assault on the moon. To regard this beautiful being in our solar system only as a resource, a trophy, a commodity to exploit for our benefit is beyond unfortunate and will only do us harm in the long run.

Please join me in honoring the moon by accepting and celebrating what she has to offer. I look forward to learning more with all of you.

Moon Phases and their associations.

There are four primary phases, in some resources you may see as many as 9. Here I am introducing the most commonly seen. Please note this list of associations or attributes is not exhaustive, only a foundation to get us started on this journey together. Remember these apply to all aspects of life not just in the landscape.

New - Set New Intentions, Start Projects, Renew and Regenerate

First Quarter - Take Action, Increase Energy, Let things In

Full - Culmination, Complete and Fulfill

Last Quarter - Banishing, Let things Go

In addition to the phases there are periods of transition.

Waxing is the time between new & full; the first quarter

Waning is the time between full & new; the last quarter

Want to plan and build your own Moon Garden?
Reach out today - Click HERE

Share with a friend to Grow Together!

March Pro-TIPS

Get your hands dirty with past posts & tips by visiting the blog:
The Bee's Knees - News You Can Use

~ Time for dormant season pruning of your larger trees and shrubs. There will be more growing season pruning to come, but now is a good time to see all the branches to ensure a healthy and proper framework. Examples are apples, plums, blueberries, fig, walnut

~ If you started seeds last month they should be sprouting now! Sow another succession and prepare to harden off before moving outside.

~ Adding more edibles or natives? Now is this time to plan and purchase bare root stock from your local nursery. Ask where they are grown - the closer the better. Check your local native plant society chapter and Conservation District

Have a specific question? Hire an Eco-Restore Garden Coach for seasonal troubleshooting!

Start Here Today !

Eco - Restore Ecological Consulting & Design LLC provides services in Western Washington to Create healthy habitats to nurture and invite native pollinators, birds and wildlife to visit your yard. Enhance soil health and improve water quality by eliminating chemicals and minimizing runoff. Restore degraded sites such as urban lots with compacted lawns and restore native plant communities with low impact restoration techniques.

Helping transform your green space into a sustainable, low-maintenance, and thriving landscape by the use of permaculture ethics and principles. Whether you rent or own, have a large yard, or a small patio; you can grow food, save water, create wildlife habitat & much more.

Our current services include:

Design Packages - For a new landscaping project

Maintenance - Tending landscapes designed and installed by Eco-Restore

Specialty Gardens - Great options for smaller spaces

Coaching - Sessions to help gardeners learn and care for their existing landscape

*Be on the lookout for a few different services and products launching throughout the year.

Consultations Available: March - 6