Revised: April 2024
Take nature with you to plant sales!
This is for everyone tempted by all of those beautiful plants on display at your local garden centers, farmers markets and roadside stands — whether it's the enticing array of spring flowers or the warmth of autumn greenery.
Before you end up with a carload of trees, shrubs, flowers, vegetables and herbs, we want to remind you to first consult the expert. No, not the kid at the nursery and not your local club's "master gardener" either, even if that's you.
Ask nature! That's your expert consultant.
You don't have to be experienced in co-creative gardening, or any kind of gardening, to figure out which plants are going to bring balance to your home, yard, porch or garden this season.
In five simple steps you can take nature plant shopping with you and end up with a garden, yard, window box or just one pot that will benefit you and your environment.
GUT GARDENING
Jumping in Fast and Easy with Co-Creative Gardening
(Excerpted from The Perelandra Garden Workbook, Chapter 2)
You'll be using your guts to forge a partnership and to work consciously with nature in your garden. This is easy. No PKTT (muscle testing) to learn and no testing to do. It's just you, your gut and nature. You may begin gut gardening with your already existing garden or start a new garden from scratch. If you don't have a plot of land, you may apply gut gardening to houseplants or potted deck plants or anything else you have growing in soil. All you have to do is activate your gut garden by doing this simple process, then get on with your adventure!
Activating a Gut Garden
Step 1.
Write down the description and goals. That is, what kind of garden do you want?
Some examples:
A kitchen garden with vegetables and herbs that can provide fresh produce from late spring through early fall for my family of four (two adults and two children ages eight and twelve). These are the vegetables my family won't eat and these are the vegetables my family loves: (write down each list of vegetables).
OR
Potted deck plants filled with flowers that I will be able to maintain easily with my hectic schedule that includes working full time, taking care of our two kids and volunteering once a week at the food bank. I'd like my deck and these flowers to give me a quiet place to rejuvenate and regain my balance.
OR
I'd like to fill the space along the walkway to our front door with flowers, herbs and plants that make our family and visitors feel welcome when arriving at our home.
These are examples to give you an idea of what to include as you describe your "garden" and its goals. You're giving nature the definition, direction and purpose of your garden. This is what nature will be using when giving you the information needed to choose the plants for your garden in balance.
Step 2.
Find a quiet spot, get comfortable and say the following aloud:
"I want to activate a Perelandra Gut Garden for working consciously with nature and I want the following goals to be the focus of the partnership. [Read aloud what you wrote down in step 1.] I ask that all relevant input from nature be given to me through my intuition, gut instinct or any other manner that is consistent with a Perelandra Gut Garden."
You now have an activated co-creative garden and an eager partner who is looking forward to working with you. Congratulations!
Step 3.
You are ready to head out to the local garden center. Once you have the car parked, focus your attention on nature and say: "I want to work with you to get the right plants for my garden now."
That's all you need to do. It takes about five seconds for you and nature to be connected. So wait the five seconds before you get out of the car and walk into the store.
Step 4.
Nature is now with you as you start walking the aisles of all those beautiful plants. This is gut gardening, so trust your gut. Nature will be working with you as you go. Choose the plants that jump out at you, metaphorically speaking.
Even if you are planning a vegetable garden, nature may include flowers and herbs in order to create a more balanced garden biosphere. It may even include a vegetable you listed that your family won't eat. For an herb garden you may need to include some flowers or vegetables. To achieve balance, we can't get ourselves locked in. In co-creative gardening, flexibility is key.
Step 5.
When you are finished and are about to drive away to do something else, say to your partner, "I'm finished for now." (And it's always nice to add a "Thank you.")
Wait five seconds. Nature will automatically adjust its connections and you'll be able to continue your day without dragging the garden around with you.
There you go. You have officially started to garden co-creatively, with nature as your partner!
Strengthen New Plants After You Bring Them Home
Whether you've already started your plant shopping, or you're headed out this weekend, here are some easy ways to balance and strengthen those plants.
Essence of Perelandra (EoP)
Shift EoP to your new plants. Focus your attention on the plants and state: "I wish to set up with nature to shift Essence of Perelandra." Wait 10 seconds. Place 10 drops of (EoP) in a clean spoon. Hold the spoon out in front of you and say, "I wish to shift these drops to strengthen and balance these plants." Wait 10 seconds. The shift occurs automatically. After 10 seconds, the shift is complete. Wipe or wash off the spoon (those drops can't be used again). Say thank you to nature.
ETS for Plants
Water your new plants with ETS for Plants. In a clean watering can, use 9 drops of ETS for Plants per quart or 25 drops per gallon of plain water.
ETS for Soil
If you're repotting any of those plants (or your houseplants), prepare the potting soil with ETS for Soil. In a clean watering can, add 17 drops of ETS for Soil per quart or 23 drops per gallon to plain water only. Pour that into your soil gradually to slightly dampen, then mix by hand. The soil should hold together but not clump. Let the soil sit for an hour before you start potting up your new plants. Do not mix or combine the ETS for Soil application with fertilizers. (If you wish to fertilize the soil, do this either 36 hours prior to or 36 hours after an ETS for Soil application.)
Moving houseplants indoors or outdoors?
Use EoP and ETS for Plants to help them adjust with the same steps given above.
Gut Gardeners and 2.0 Gardeners
If you have already activated your partnership, and you have your plant lists from nature, remember to take those lists with you when you go plant shopping!
Start at Step 3 in this article. Hit the start button and follow the rest of the instructions. You'll be using these steps to get the best matches of plants and varieties for the list that you already tested. If something on your plant list isn't available, you'll need to ask about substitutions. Don't just grab the closest match. Tell nature what isn't available and ask for "an alternate but equal variety that will maintain the balance of my garden."
