Contemplating the Spirea

 

What a pleasure it was to meet some of the staff at hcma in Victoria and take them on  a tour of the native plant garden at the Royal BC Museum. There are an incredible number of plants here that are great for supporting native bees, including this lovely spirea, which is covered with stamens that the bees love to scramble over to collect pollen.

Here are some resources to learn more about how the garden is structured, and some of the plants it contains. This is an example of how landscape architecture can be regenerative and restorative, putting back some of the plants that were removed when the city was developed. Many of these plants are culturally significant to local First Nations.

https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/visit/exhibitions/native-plant-garden

 

https://staff.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/2021/04/21/royal-bc-museum-native-plant-garden/

 

https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/images/FINAL_Native_Plant_Garden_Brochure.pdf

 

 

For more info on native plants that are edible for humans and bees, The Galiano Island Conservancy has created a fabulous set of resources, including a N'uts'a'maat ' foraging guide you can download from their web site.

 Getting outside and watching the bees together was wonderful. I really wish we had more time to do this!

I also assembled a "menditation station" at the hcma office in Bastian Square. The idea is that staff can use these resources to copy the process I am doing with the arbutus leaves made of cloth, or create their own contemplative rituals to deal with climate change anxiety. They can use a quiet corner of the office, or take some materials home.

 

I also provided some seeds for folks who wanted to grow flowers for bees and some resources on learning more about BC native bees.

I bought some fabric at thrift stores that people can use, or they can bring their own fabrics and even make leaf-shaped patches to mend their own clothes.

There are also art materials you can use to explore the questions: What do you see that needs mending/restoring in your life? What are some steps you can take to heal and mend these things? This is meant to be a playful meditative space to doodle, write, draw, and become grounded in the ideas of restorative design and architecture. Why not create your own "menditation station at home?" Have fun!