Take a minute to think about the plants that sustain you. Everything you eat came from plants, either directly or indirectly. Your house and furniture may have been built from the bodies of plants. Some of your clothes came from plants. If you've delighted in leaves turning colors, fragrances wafted from flowers or leaves, or unexpected bursts of color in nature, give thanks to plants for enriching your experience of the world and lifting your spirits.
As the days grow shorter and frost nips at tender plants, the winter rains bring new growth. The winter solstice, when day and night are equal, signals the return of longer days. To honor the turn of the seasons and turn away from the frenzy of commercialized holidays, try a ritual to get grounded in nature.
My favorite winter solstice ritual was created by Trudi Davidoff, who runs the organization WinterSown Educational (http://tinyurl.com/746u6cv). Though she lives on Long Island, she plants seeds outdoors all winter in plastic clamshells. In midwinter, she can look out at her picnic table and see bits of green starting to show in her snow-dusted minigreenhouses.
The ritual involves sowing four sets of seeds. It is a very wonderful thing to experience, Trudi said.
Seeds of Remembrance remind us of someone we knew and loved but is now gone from our lives forever. Did a loved one have a favorite wildflower or native shrub? One of my favorite dogs loved miner's lettuce, so I picked leaves for her in the garden. I saw the first sprout of miner's lettuce in my garden in early November, and it can grow throughout the cool season in a shady spot until mid spring. I remember the unusual flowers of a spicebush that grew in front of my grandfather's house, and in remembrance I can plant seeds of the western spicebush.
Seeds of Life make fruit or nectar to invite birds or butterflies to our gardens. I grow hummingbird fuchsias, as well as clarkias and globe gilias, for the winged ones. Toyon, elderberry, penstemons, and goldenrod are also great choices.
Seeds of Trees honor Mother Nature. Trees clean the air, keep soil cool, and give us shade. Native oaks are the iconic California tree. Smaller trees you can try growing from seed include desert willow, western redbud, California hazel, big berry manzanita, vine maple, and mountain mahogany.
Seeds of Faith are for plants recommended for a warmer climate zone to signify a leap of faith and know that Mother Nature is capable of miracles. You can get seeds of native plants you've admired in Santa Barbara or San Diego and plant them in a warmer part of your garden.
If you don't have seeds, come to the Gardening with Natives seed and cutting exchange on Thursday, Dec. 1, at 7 pm at the Milpitas Library. Even if you don't have materials to share, there's always plenty to go around.
© 2011 Tanya Kucak