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Articles by Linda
Articles
by Linda In 2005 she was
asked to write a column for Gateway Gardener,
a monthly gardening publication in St.
Louis. Her column “For the Love
of Gardens” also shares the “big
picture” of a garden’s greatness. The following articles were written by Linda Wiggen Kraft and published by The Healthy Planet and Gateway Gardener. The Practice of a Garden - When I was growing up the word practice meant music or sports done in repetitious and boring ways in order to be a better performer in the future. I didn’t like to practice and vowed never to have it be a part of my grownup life.In my twenties I discovered a whole new meaning to the word practice. I began to meditate. With meditation I didn’t just practice something, I had a practice. My practice wasn’t about future performances, it was about my perfection in the now. Although it was a daily occurrence, it wasn't boring or repetitious. It was, and is, my most cherished time of connecting with my essence and the essence of all life. My daily practice still includes meditation. It has grown over the decades to include other ways to center myself, tap into life's source, and creatively express that source in my life and work. Part of my practice is the garden, not just the act of gardening, but the garden experience. This experience is the framework upon which I build my life. more... Mandalas - Art for the Soul- Creating a mandala is exercise for the soul. Mandalas are patterned images surrounded by a circle that have a deep and lasting impact on people’s lives. They are symbols of wholeness and centeredness, and are used in many cultures, spiritual traditions and healing modalities to bring beauty, healing, inspiration and peace to those who create and view them. more... A Garden for Lovers - A red rose is the symbol of eternal love. We give red roses on February’s Valentine’s Day to honor the lover that cupid’s arrow have chosen for us. The red rose and cupid are not the symbols of St. Valentine. They are the symbols of Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of love and divine beauty. Aphrodite, who later became the Roman Goddess Venus, tempted men and gods alike to her bed of roses. Here she made love to her many lovers. Cupids were at her command to travel to the world of humans and to pierce their hearts with blind love's arrows. In ancient Greece Aphrodite's power was summoned by envisioning oneself in her mirror of transformation, which was adorned with red, red roses. We too can have a bed of roses in a garden dedicated to love. This can be a place where our sensual and passionate love can be shared with our lover. A garden for lovers honors Aphrodite's essence. It is a garden that arouses the senses, and is dedicated to divine beauty and eternal love. more… Dreams of a Summer Garden - The weather outside may be cold and frightful, but inside I’m taking part in my annual ritual of dreams for a summer garden. I choose one of the coldest days of winter. I make a cup of tea and sit down with the foot tall pile of catalogs and the lists I have compiled through the years of all the things I would love in my garden. The catalogs have been arriving in the mail for at least a month. The lists are from trips to friend's gardens, public gardens and those I see as I peek over the gate. I make lists with my friends as we talk about all those flowers we love. My longest list is the one I have been compiling with Cheryl who owns my favorite flower shop. Since early last year we have making a list of flowers we want to grow. Each week I stop in her shop and she shows me new amazing flowers, twigs and branches that her discerning eye finds in the wholesale markets. Some of these amazing plants grow locally in our crazy mid western climate, others are from the far reaches of the earth. But we don't care where they come from we just know we want them all in our gardens. more… For the Love of Gardening - A Call and Attunement to Beauty As a garden designer I live and breathe plants and flowers. I am fortunate to be part of a community of like minded souls who let flowers run their lives. Although those of us who are professional plant people have a grander case of floweritis, I think all gardeners let their passion for flowers and plants greatly influence their lives. Yet I often wonder why we are all so smitten. On the surface we appear to garden for different reasons. We have flower, vegetable, herb, native, exotic and other types of gardens. Some of us garden for hours on end and others for a few minutes. Some of us spend leisurely time in the garden, others attack through hard gardening chores. I have friends who hardly get dirty as they toil, but others like me are soil magnets who live with dirt stains on clothes and skin almost all year round. Yet despite the differences of our gardens and how we garden, we all garden for one universal reason. more….
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