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| (Not my lawn) |
While farmers are out in their fields making hay, I’m in my garden mowing mine.
Where theirs is grass and clover (and thistles, experience has taught me!) mine’s a fragrant mix of aromatic herbs, broad-leafed weeds, runaway raspberry canes, scrambling vetches and self-sown annual flowers and vegetables.
It all makes great hay and I leave it lying right where I cut it – on my paths where it was growing.
Those paths are too narrow by far for a combine harvester, so I use a sickle to cut a swathe.
As I wave it about, snicking through pliant stalks and hollow stems with a juicy ‘toik!’ the air fills with the fragrance of lemon balm, sweet cicely and fennel. It’s more aroma therapy than work. As I go, ‘snick, snick, snick I leave behind me a strewn herbal mattress you could sleep on, if you chose, and there’s even hop vines hopvines to help you sleep and valerian to soothe your nerves on some sections of the paths.
I often hear people say how much they love the smell of new-mown grass.
They’d love my hay-strewn paths!
4 comments:
I have had the: "earth users guide to permaculture" for about a week now.
It really is an interesting read, and far less 'mystical' than I thought it would be, in fact it is probably one of the most logical 'how to' books I have picked up in a long time.
This is good Shunda.
I'll post your test papers through tonight.
I love that book! And agree it's a brilliant how to book.
I'm so envious of your garden Robert :-D
Are you reading the Archdruid Shunda?
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