ri-ˈstȯr-ə-tiv Magazine - Fall 2018 by Red Bird Restorative Gardens

FALL 2018 | ISSUE NO.1

RED

ri-ˈstȯr-ə-tiv

BIRD

SEASONAL

#HEALINGGARDENHAPPY

#INNERVIEWS

#SIPOFSANCTUARY

PLACE

INNER BEAUTY PODCAST

Reap the healing

Get the most out of

Healing nature and

elements of the season

your garden's comfort

inner beauty

Contents

ri-ˈstȯr-ə-tiv is a Red Bird publication and is not a

03 05 06 07 09 13 14 15

#GardenHeart

#RestorativeRecess Workshops : Events

#PlantsHaveYourBack The Flower Bulb is a Fall Light Bulb

#EatYourYard What's in a Walnut?

#HealingGardenHappyPlace A Garden's Comfort

#FeelGoodFurnishings Seasonal Take Good Care Kit

#InnerViews :: Inner Beauty School

#SoulSoil

replacement or substitute for professional services in any field, including, but not limited to design, construction, building code and inspection, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, medical, financial, or legal matters. In particular, please consult a licensed architect, engineer or contractor on all matters relating to construction and a licensed health and/or mental health professional relating to matters of well-being that may require diagnosis, medical attention or treatment. This publication may contain commissioned links. Copyright © 2018 Red Bird Restorative Gardens & Design, a division of Acer Institute LLC. All rights reserved.

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From the #GardenHeart In my 20 years of being a healing garden & sanctuary space "ambassadress", I've come to know one thing in my [garden] heart that all else rests on: the space around us reflects what's in us. Through my creating and championing empowering, restorative, nature-infused environments, my constant is a search to connect dots: what's around you, reflects (and reveals!) the beauty within you - the good nature of your soul and this soul needs good "soil" to grow and BE.

We keepers-of-all-moving parts are a RENEWABLE resource like that of a precious landscape or beautiful, complex (and stylish!) garden. We seek to be our own mystic on the inside while making it all happen for others on the outside. This metaphoric alignment is not lost on me - this notion of "carrying capacity" of and what can be cultivated from "land".

So how do we design renewal of our carrying capacity and nurture our best nature around and within? I wanted a means to explore design beyond the outward physical space into an intimate realm. For me, this reveals as a seasonal restorative lifestyle to be of good care and this publication makes way for doing that, for us.

"by definition, restorative means: something, that restores health, strength, or well-being." As you find your way around, you'll note the "Red Bird speak" - my near-famous double entendre hashtags for our sections. Consider these the science, style, soul pillars of designing our restorative adventure. May these pages nurture you, restoring the "ecosystem" of you, my beautiful Red Bird. Happy Fall!

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There's a seasonal dialogue shared within a garden comfort zone that only nature and the tender need know. P. ANNIE KIRK

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#RestorativeRecess :: Upcoming Virtual Workshop! SEASONAL #SIPOFSANCTUARY

The virtual workshop will be based in #TheRedBirdClub, a private Facebook Group.

Why not set up a playdate with fellow Red Birds to get into the season's groove and build

Click here to join the event - it's that easy!

resiliency for the holiday season coming fast? Together let's get grounded in the sights and Call it a micro retreat. Call it a Fall Fling. Call

soothing sips of sanctuary in our everyday

it a flash mob of seasonal healing nature that

healing nature! And the storybook ending of

we do together, yet remotely during this 5-

our 5 day recess time together? A little

day, 5 minutes a day seasonal restorative

reflection, receiving, recouping, resiliency,

nature workshop.

and releasing. Perfect slice of self-care spice with nature at our sides - just in time for the holidays ahead.

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#PlantsHaveYourBack :: The Flower Bulb is a Fall Light Bulb, ya dig?

Over the years and many, many landscape installations of spring bulbs, I've developed a method to the gladness of planning bulb displays well: maps, codes, flags, giggles, teamwork, reliable supplier, more giggles.

Working quietly underground, bulbs are like

Designer's Tip: Make

Light-ening rods of hope. You are planting

plan (or map) yearly to chronicle a bulb name

your de-light bulbs this season, yes?

code and respective locations. This will help you

a copy of your landscape

remember the where and "outfits" of your bulb If there ever was a plant more suited for life

babies. I do this process in tandem with ordering

cycle lessons, it would be the flower bulb.

while preparing my coded flags.

Metaphors aplenty, the flower bulb is THE biggest ROI - a harbinger of hope and promise

Colorblends is

of seasonal transition while being the easiest to

Ordering online is made easy and the bulb stock

grow. Designing and planting bulbs is an act of

exemplary. Use the note field to include your

rebellion against the weight of anxiety and

code AND keep order history so you know what

heaviness that can freak and fraught the mind.

you bought and planting code. Even bulbly

And it is not just the visible beauty that soothes.

better is their outstanding customer service

Knowing those positivity warriors are out there

which goes a long way when making outdoor

standing by for their perfect timing to bloom for

spaces that help people feel good inside.

our garden hearts' revival, feels good.

So, what spring de-lights are you planting?

my go-to supplier for bulbs.

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#EatYourYard :: What's in Your Walnut? "Walnut is useful at all the transition points in life... it helps break links with the past so that we can move forward more easily." - The Bach Centre, home of Dr. Edward Bach and the Bach Flower Remedy

I hoard

lore of plants

- their amazing mystical,

healing properties (read: nurturing wellbeing). I thread this restorative intel into

every design

(and nearly all conversations, TBH). This season's stand out: the Walnut tree. Some may say a messy tree; I say majestic (right plant, right place, people). On our farm, the 50+year-old English Walnut is dropping gems (nuts) of transformation in abundance. I'm listening and moving forward.

Factoid:

Walnuts are the

only nuts that contain high amounts of omega3s that support heart health and lower blood pressure. What's in walnut is pretty darn good!

On my walnut recipe hunt, I asked wellbeing

Jenny Peterson of Austin, TX designer, author , and wellness

compatriot garden

(fella

advocate) for a "walnut-forward" smoothie recipe. (You know I'm a smoothie sipper.) Jenny cracked that nut with a delish recipe as featured in above photo. Download, blend and enjoy more from her

Herb Lover's Smoothie

Book. Follow her Wellness Tips of the Day on Facebook @ Jenny Nybro Peterson for more smoothie recipes and ideas for healthy living.

Carrot Cake Smoothie a la Jenny Nybro Peterson 1 cup Plant-based Milk of your choice 1 Banana 1 1/2 Carrots, chopped 1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce OR 1/2 Apple 3 tablespoons Walnuts 1 teaspoon Cinnamon 1 scoop Plant-based Vanilla Protein Powder Handful of Ice (I rely on a frozen banana) P A G E 7 |

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Sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again. JOSEPH CAMPBELL

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#HealingGardenHappyPlace :: A Garden's Comfort Comfort is not a luxury. Comfort is a necessity.

with sequential rounds of trial medications, yet nothing can eradicate the progression,

My name is Annie. I’m my mother’s caregiver

eruption, and encroachment of the disease. I

ambassadress, a card-carrying member of the

am once again “asked” to accept and carry on.

sandwich generation, and I have miles saved

And so I do.

up on anxiety airlines. Nature is my safe place.

Instinct tells me I’m in for a bumpy ride, yet before I call the night staff to request two-hour

It’s 9:40 pm on a Friday evening. I’ve just

observation “check and charts” I weed that

come in from weeding the front garden by

corner of my safe place. I take five. I take ten. I

streetlight while the glow of the lamps

take thirty and get dirty. I meet Mom here in the

washed across my terrain like a cozy blanket.

garden and nature helps me fall into the sweet

Bugs were minimal thanks to the cold winter

meadows of memory. I weed, prune, and clear

and spring—the temperature requires only an

while I run the movie reel of us and how we

old sweatshirt. The street noise is quiet thanks

used to be, together. Gardening. Side by side.

to small-town living. With each weed I root from soil, I feel Time warped. While I was busy in my

completion, calm, and coherency. It worked

caregiver’s world managing Mom’s

again. Comfort found. With renewed resilience,

decompensating cognitive functioning,

I prevail. According to the 2012 Annual Report

dandelions and thistles invaded the rose

of the American Psychological Association,

garden. My heart is wrenched by her attempts

caregivers—specifically family members—are

to logically explain her recent elopement from

among the most stressed. Those of us who have

the caregiving facility and a two-mile sojourn

a loved one with dementia are in a unique

that left her with a severe sunburn on her

stress group as we witness, advocate for, and

forehead, arms, and hands. Weedy thoughts

care for a parent who was once our secure

inhabit the garden of her brain.

base but is now in decline. Hypervigilance persists 24/7, as do the weeds of exhaustion,

I’ll be honest, it spooks me.

anger, rage, and guilt. Self-care is so far down

I saddle up again to ride into this latest

the list it might not even be on the list. And we

landscape of our relationship, in this new

often have kids. We have a marriage or

season of aging. The dementia weeds grow

partnership to tend and work or a business to

taller and wider and pricklier along the fence

run. We have friends. And we need to do our

line of Mom’s personality, making her more

laundry.

obscure to me. I dig deeper to stoke my memory of her. The treatment team I’ve assembled prune a bit at this weedy illness P A G E 9 |

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In my work as a garden designer, I help people—

Create Your Own Garden Comfort Zone

many of them caregivers—to create what I call

Begin by identifying a place for your garden that

Garden Comfort Zone

(GCZ). These gardens

is nearby, easy to access, and visible from

are intentional, uniquely personal and

indoors. You’ll want to be able to easily slip into

meaningful, and they connect mind, body, and

your escape hatch when the moment allows, but

soul with the healing aspects of nature. They

even just seeing that special spot in your

offer space for consolation.

peripheral vision throughout the day supports your mind and spirit.

GCZs are restorative as both a space and a tonic activity that builds emotional strength and

When scouting your location, set your sights on a

resilience, reduces the negative impacts of

spot that is intimate, cozy, and small. We

stress, and helps boost relaxation, mood, and

keepers-of-all-moving-parts don’t need anything

mental functioning. They are a safe place for

else to take care of. These zones are just a slip

feelings and self-care; a place to reboot and

of space, likely not more than a corner, enough

find ease from pain, grief, and stress. A place

for one comfy chair. My GCZ is a corner of our

where, even if only momentarily, we reattach to

back deck, perched under the eaves, accessible

who we are.

from indoors, both physically and visually, via French doors. My space is just large enough for

We may do absolutely nothing when in our GCZ

me, the dog Maverick, and the cat Queen. This is

but simply be still and rest—passive healing—or

intentional.

we may take part in an active task like planting or other healing arts.

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Devotion and caregiving is an all-season, all-weather endeavor. Ideally, your GCZ should be a spot that you can dwell in any time, any day, any season, and in nearly any weather. Select a spot with some overhead cover like an eave, pergola, tree canopy, or umbrella. I have been known to get into rain gear, thermals, cap, and a blanket to get a dose of nature’s comfort in my GCZ. You may want to add an outdoor heater, chiminea, or fire bowl as well. When tapping into a soulful connection with healing nature, we instinctively create space in which to burrow. This simple act is rooted so deeply in our primitive brains that when we create a personal and meaningful intimate haven, we reconnect with the oldest, most simple, most pure sense of our being.

Plants provide a feast for our eyes, ears, fingers, feet, noses, and appetite. Even better, research over the last decade or so has shown that beneficial soil-dwelling microbes and bacteria are natural antidepressants and can help boost our immune systems and make us happier and healthier.

When we feel safe, healing can begin. When we combine a safe space with the salutary, sensory-based benefits of nature up close and consumed daily, we double down on building reserves and boosting resilience. Stay in your comfort zone—frequently and for as long as you possibly can. Open your senses that have likely been dulled by chronic stress, and nurture your lively curiosity to offset the constant problem solving and anticipation you’re used to. Your senses need Vitamin N—Nature—so you can make sense for others. P PA AG GE E 1X 1 |

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Renewed I finish cleaning up the front garden. Standing back, I give it a measured look and find sweet, satisfying moments of comfort. The job is finished and I can rest, if only for a few brief moments. There is no crisis. This garden, this zone of renewal, is wide enough and tall enough and deep enough that I, the keeper-of-all-moving-parts, can breathe.

And so I do, deeply breathe all that green, all that serenity, all that comfort. I’m ready to tackle the next couple of hours of calls back and forth with the care staff at the assisted living facility where Mom lives. Ready to lean into the next sheet of grief that lies over my heart. Like any good mother would, Mother Nature has my back. She holds a place for my mom and me and allows me the opportunity, and the endurance, to still be a daughter. Not a wannabe daughter, nor a former daughter, but a daughter, still. The intimate conversation once sparked by Mom and me is still heard. I take in wisdom and life lessons. No need to feel estranged nor orphaned. I find comfort here. Originally published in the Fall 2017 Issue of Pacific Horticulture Magazine. All rights reserved.

#NatureRx :: Get the Most from Your GCZ

Leave electronic baggage at the door. > Create a no beep, ding, ping, alert, buzz buffer. Mantra must. > Tie a repetitive task (weeding or raking) with a simple positive phrase to relax & focus on just one thing. It’s all about the breath. > Drop the mind chatter. Focus on your breathing. Boost your sense of accomplishment. > Just a 5-minute session in the garden has been shown to boost a sense of productivity and creativity. PP AA GG EE 1 2 X |

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#FeelGoodFurnishings :: Fall In(to) Your GCZ with this Seasonal Kit

I agree - autumn is the real new year. There is an overt, active display in our gardens that speak to conclusion and readying for the quiet of winter; readying for the next 'us'. Fall is the mark of a new cycle - a time for reflection, rest, and real resolutions about where we've been and where we are growing. Nature's own rituals play out around us. And with great relief, this is a season in which we have little commerce about production and consumption - its more

harvest and preserve. With that there is an ease; an in-folding sparked.

I've curated 5 fav things for the fall. Let's call it a preservation pack. A feel-good care kit of parts - take one, take all - for your [garden] heart this season while savoring time in your Garden Comfort Zone. Get

cozy, tune in while out and set those sights on serene green scenes now and in the future.

(If you are new to smudge sticks or just plain curious, check out this

backed article

science-

of why, when and how to

smudge.) PPAAG 3 | GEE 1 X

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#InnerViews :: Inner Beauty School Podcast Recently, I had the honor and goosebumps giggle pleasure to sit down for a podcast interview by

Sara Drury.

Ms.

Sara is a

transformational coach, an author, the creator of the 21 Days to Self-Love and the “Inner Beauty School” podcast. She spends her time helping people remember that they are magic and helps them rewrite their stories to create the life of their dreams. She’s obsessed with BEing the best and highest version of herself so she can help others do the same.

Well, you can imagine... we talked about healing nature, transformations, and growing your best nature from the inside out. Listen for the 3 part healing garden recipe mentioned in show notes. *Warning*: Some delish tips, woo and innerview talk shared. (Yum!)

Click image for a listen follow Ms. Sara. She's

and

blooming with positivity. She is a beautiful Red Bird.

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#SoulSoil ::

Instead of being lost in thought, try being found in nature. P. ANNIE KIRK

RED

BIRD

RESTORATIVE

GARDENS