|
|
At City Fitness we have created a botanical sanctuary right in the middle of the City. Our beautiful Zen Garden is an outdoor room that is used for nurturing the soul. In the early mornings spring through fall we use the deck for our Taiji and Qi Gong classes. In the evenings we use the space for “Sunset” Yoga classes. At other times members enjoy the garden to relax and renew, drink coffee, read and work out with their personal trainer or to do an outdoor workout on their own. We also use the garden for our wonderful City Fitness parties.
The garden has been a labor of love. Aundria Bateman, Lucinda’s sister, is an avid gardener and artist from California who did the original design in 1997. Several members and staff have contributed assistance over the years including Marc A. Vedder. Marc is a certified trainer who has worked at City Fitness and is a professional gardener/landscaper for Dumbarton Oaks Garden in Washington, D.C. He has continued to help with our outdoor space developing ongoing design elements, plant maintenance and planting. Our entire staff and Mother Nature do the job of watering.
We have a large diversity of trees, shrubs, flowers and healing herbs. Many of our members are gardeners themselves and are interested in more detail about the plants we have, therefore we have created a plant list. We have had many donations to our collection from members and friends so our list is not complete. Rescued plant material rarely comes with a label, hence some species, cultivars and varieties are unknown to us. We welcome anyone’s insight.
The garden has a few special features like the miniature Zen Rock Garden built by Marc A. Vedder, Tibetan Prayer Flags that fly and carry goodwill to our neighbors and our miniature Native American Medicine Wheel Garden and Peace Pole.
Medicine Wheel Garden
If all the plants and beasts were gone, we would die from loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the plants and beasts happens to us. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. —Chief Seattle, Duwamish, 1854
A medicine wheel is a central circle, spiral, or cairn of stones from which lines of other stones radiate, often as “Spokes” to an outer circle of stones. Since ancient times, American Indians have created many such arrangements of stones and held them sacred. Planted with healing herbs, the scared space of a medicine wheel can also become a special kind of garden: a private ecosystem and a small sanctuary for the birds, butterflies, and animals whose natural wild spaces are at risk. Or the medicine wheel garden can take a larger form as a unique community area.
The sacred circle has long been a basic form in American Indian artwork, dwellings, clothing, and dances as well as in healing practices and rituals. Sacred drums, rattles, dreams catchers, and bullroarers embody the circle and mirror the shape of the sun, moon, and earth. The year’s passage of time comes full circle and continues. Wherever we look, circles embrace us and teach us about the interconnections of life.
|
|
|
|
|
Peace Pole
The heart of the medicine wheel garden is the tall peace pole planted in the very center. Here you offer pinches of cornmeal, tobacco, and your prayers. Your prayers might be for peace, healing, wellness, compassion, understanding, humility, and gratitude, or whatever seems most pertinent to you. Every person who comes into the garden and to the peace pole is invited to bring a small stone to place at the base with the thoughts: “I lay here my prayers for peace and understanding.” Soon this central area becomes a prayer cairn around the peace pole. —from The Medicine Wheel Garden/Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and Tranquility by E. Barrie Kavasch
Lucinda, using the Desert South West Model from the book above, designed our miniature medicine wheel garden. In the North, we have the white and silver plants such as Artemisia, Sage, Lamb’s Ear and Lavender. In the East, we have the yellow plants including Sunflower, Coreopsis, Yellow Iris, and Pineapple Sage. In the South, we have the blue plants: Blueberry, Veronica Speedwell and Mexican Blue Sage. In the West, we have the red plants: Wild Strawberry, Echinacea and Bee Balm. The rocks have been gathered on Lucinda’s travels from California, Nevada, West Virginia and as far away as Spain. All the plants can be used for culinary or medicinal purposes. The beautiful designs on the peace pole were painted by Kathleen Sutherland with Native American spirit animals; symbols to represent the four sacred directions and Native American Words for peace: North—Hozhqqi (Navajo for “Blessings Way”), East—Onen (Iroquois for “Peace be with you”), West—Her’kv (Lakota for “Peace”), South—Wowalj’wa (Muscogee Creek for “Peace”).
Our members really enjoy the special effort we put into making this garden a sacred space and think it is one of the many aspects of our gym that makes it so unique.
Trees
- Clump River Birch (Betula)
- Japanese black pine (Pinus Thunbergiana)
- Lacebark Pine (Pinus Bungeona)
- Sweet Bay Magnolia (Magnolia Verjineana)
- Full Moon Maple (Acer Japonicum)
Shrubs
- Blueberry (Vaccinium Corymbosum)
- Butterfly Bush (Buddleia Davidii)
- Rose (Rosa) Climbing New Dawn
- Mugo Pine (Pinus Mugo)
- Artemisia (Powis Castle)
- Yucca
- Juniper (Juniperus Procumbens)
Grasses
- Variegated Asian Sweet Flag (Acorus Graminueus ‘Variegateus’
- Northern Sea Oats (Chasmanthium Latifolium)
- Zebra Grass (Micanthus Sinensis)
- Fountain Grass (Pennisetum Sctaccum’ Purpureum)
- Black Mondo Grass
- Ilijah Blue Grass Fescue (Festuca Glauca)
- Purple Fountain Grass (Pennisetum Setaceum ‘Rubrum”)
Vines
- Morning Calm Trumpet Vine (Campsis Grandiflora)
- Morning Glory Heavenly Blue (Impomaca)
- Moon Flower (Impomea’ Alva)
- Honey Sickle (Lonicera Sempervirens)
- Clematis
- Strawberry (Fragana)
Flowers
- Lady In Black (Aster)
- Autumn Joy (Sedum)
- Veronica (Speedwell)
- Day Lily (Lilium Hemerocallis)
- Asiatic Lily (Lilium)
- Iris (Pseudacorus)
- Coreopsis
- Dianthus
- Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)
- Sun Flower (Helianthus)
- Marigolds (Tagetes)
Herbs
- Lambs Ear ‘Silver Carpet’ (Stachys Bysantina)
- Lavender, Goodwin Creek (Lavandula Dentate x)
- Peppermint (Menthe X Piperita)
- Corsican Mint (Mentha Requienii)
- Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis X) Shimmering Stars
- Sage Pineapple (Salvia Elegans)
- Sage Variegated (Salvia Officinalis ‘Variegated’)
- Thyme (Thymus Pulegioides Oregano)
- Yarrow (Achillea Coronation Gold)
- Cone Flower (Echinacea Purpurea)
- Chives (Allium Schoenoprasum)
- Cat Nip (Nepeta Cataria)
- Bee Balm (Monarda Didma)
- Geranium (Pelargonium)
|
|
|
|
