My relationship to the garden is shaped by weeds. I started young, pulling crab grass between rows of veggies in our big backyard garden in Scarborough, Ontario, complaining bitterly about the back breaking slog (10 minutes of whinging I suspect.)

When I started my first garden in Nanaimo 15 years ago my bible was John Jeavons, “How to grow more vegetables”.  I double-dug and planted my seedlings close together so the leaves would touch, shading out the weeds and reducing the need for water. It was successful but outside the beds I was at war with morning glory. I was brutal. But something changed. I got worn down and my laissez-faire attitude to housekeeping spread to the garden. New teachers appeared  (hello Robin!) who modeled a gentler and more accepting way of growing food.

Now I  never dig and I mulch like crazy and don’t have much trouble with weeds where I grow food (I’ve stuck to no rows and planting close). Any weeds that persist I figure have a good reason for being there. Everywhere else they have free reign as I discover and experiment with their messages and gifts.

This relationship with dandelion (in full bloom- trying wine this year), comfrey (nourishing tea from the leaves for me and plants) morning glory (better than manure weed tea for plants), buttercup (pretty groundcover, remediates oil?, nourishes my heavy clay soil), plantain (nature’s bandaid), horsetail (early shoots in vinegar is my spring tonic this year) has been liberatory. The earth provides- food and medicine. Stop fussing and start harvesting.

The last couple of years I’ve been waking up to the woods, both the forest we could stand to ignore for a while and the urban forest we need to grow. It started with a visit to Peter Light’s place for the first Practical Permaculture weekend that Robin offered in Robert’s Creek three years ago. Peter lives in a bamboo forest he planted. I know you’re thinking “Bamboo! Invasive!” I know because that was the scream in my head too. We are afraid of plants that grow quickly, that are abundant, that are useful beyond measure. We have been successfully trained to eliminate them from our landscapes. They are the enemy. Kill! Kill! Kill!

At the permaculture meet-up at Linnaea this past February I had the great pleasure of meeting Alastair Heseltine, an artist whose practice is the growing of willow and the shaping of it into forms both practically beautiful and breath-takingly inspiring.

Willow can be propagated by cutting a wand and sticking it in the ground. I did this and it worked. I didn’t believe it would work because I know nothing about propagation. Now I have a willow coming up where I don’t want it but no matter. I’ve taken to cutting it as it regrows and weaving little fences with the wands around my beds to keep Dexter the dogster out.  It’s happy. I’m happy.

Alastair began the learning party with a brief explanation of what we were going to do (my favourite learning parties have us hands-on within 10 minutes, I think my blather took up 5 and he was done in 2). We were going to weave a living willow fence around the bee garden at the Means of Production garden. He shrugged and smiled “I’m sorry but mostly this is going to be preparing the soil and grading the willow but that’s the work of it. So come on, dig in, or you’re just another shopper.”

T-shirts please! I swear if I was fundraising a la wfmu that would be the slogan on some prime swag. We dug in. We raked the soil, we graded the willow which involved standing on a stump with a big swath to select first the willow that reached the top of our head (head grade), then that which reached the chin (chin grade) etc.  This is the sorting step, which seems to be a part of every sustainable practice.

The next steps are a bit foggy to me, so participants do jump in and fill in my gaps. I was tending to a freezing cold, wet and melting down Harry.  We poked holes about 4 inches apart (?) We used one of the grades (head grade?) to stick into the holes. Then began the weaving. Much like the spindling party I felt my resistance begin to kick in a this point. It was fiddly work. My hands were freezing.  It’s critical to stay focused- over, under etc. I get embarrassed at how hard sometimes this stuff is for me. Whatever. I am learning something over time that holds true across practices. Slow down. Breathe. Relax into it.

No pics of the weaving until tomorrow I’m afraid- it just got too cold at the end to hold the camera. Today would be a great day to stop on by and see the work and even jump in and help finish it. The artists who hold that space in collaboration with the EYA  are continuing the work. It’s free to stop by,  jump in and learn on various projects from 10-12 or 2-4.  Means of Production was started by Oliver Kellhammer,  a continual  source of inspiration on urban forestry and art and so much else.  It’s a space dedicated to growing the artist’s means of production and home to my favourite community artists working in Vancouver today.

A big thank-you to Sharon Kallis, who was our host for the day.  Do check out the Means of Production Raw Resource Collective blog as well as the artists individual blogs.

Here are some willow links, courtesy of Alastair.

Willow & bio-engineering

http://www.afhillandson.co.uk/willows

http://www.waterwillows.com/page13.htm

http://www.redstonecentre.co.uk/structures

http://www.windrushwillow.com/

http://www.naturalfencing.com/

http://www.kimcreswell.co.uk/

www.bramptonwillows.co.uk/fences.htm

http://www.englishbasketrywillows.com/wcatbook.htm

Upcoming: Bush weekend on April 25/25 in Robert’s Creek.  Learn from and support the folks who’ve  made it back to the land, including Peter Light, mentioned above.

For all of you lovely email subscribers comments are warmly welcomed  at http://slas.ca/2009/04/17/what-i-learned…learning-partywhat-i-learned-at-the-willow-learning-party/

You are warmly invited to another Sustainable Living Arts School weekend learning festival:

Bush Farming

April 25 and 26th 2009

on the Sunshine Coast.

Many speak of buying raw land (which may be all they can afford) to create a small farm, and would like more opportunity to learn about the issues. During this two day event we will visit  four farmers who have built from scratch, with few financial resources, and learn about predator control, bush clearing, water problems, building codes and other issues that make or break sustenance farmers. We will be spending 3 hours or longer at each farm. Visitors may choose how many farms they will visit. This is an opportunity to learn from mistakes as well as successes.

Register with Robin Wheeler infoATediblelandscapes.ca 604-885-4505.

Cost: $40 per farm.

Accomodation: Come for the day or spend the weekend. Camping is available at Robin’s Edible Landscapes or accommodations at Rolling Earth.

Saturday 9:30 – 12:30
Maria Hunter’s site had been a dairy farm long ago, but she had few resources to improve it. She learned to maximize the advantages there, to live with very little while raising two daughters. Her home is “home made” as finances have allowed and is still under construction. Since her daughters are grown, she is now returning to farming to help sustain her.

Saturday 2:00 pm onwards
Peter Light has been homesteading deep in the bush for many years. He now nurtures a small patch of land where he sells bamboo and other perennials. He has learned many skills and will be discussing these for the afternoon. Peter lives in a trailer and has converted the outside area into an extension of his living space. Firecircle and shared meal can be enjoyed.

Sunday 9:30 – 12:30
Alain Bergeron bought rough logged forest and within three years had a successful market farm. He worked hard to improve the soil and perfect his planting regimes, and now has good yields and sells well at the farmers markets. He is still living in a converted bus and is facing common problems with building a legal home.

Sunday 2:00 – onwards
Robin Wheeler of Edible Landscapes purchased land and then brought portable buildings onto it where they were slowly reassembled and finished. She is slowly improving the soil and it now supports several gardens as well as her nursery and medicinal plants. She will discuss the various stages used in developing the site.