CFE Day 4: The Hugel, Nature Mandalas, and Micro-photography

Today, we started off with our garden work party in the morning, collectively tackling the objective of building a hügelkultur, or simply a hugel, with one of the plum trees that had been cut down, after being infected by black knot fungus. As we learned from Saul, the hugel is a resourceful method of creating a raised garden bed in the form of a crescent-shaped (or croissant-shaped) mound. It is constructed by layering the infected wood with a mix of other organic materials, such as grass clippings, wood shavings, leaves, and weeds.

First, we dug out the crescent-shaped pit roughly in the same area where the tree once stood. We then strategically arranged and layered the wood in the pit from the largest to smallest pieces, filling in as many of the gaps as possible.

 

After we layered the various parts of the tree, we began to add other organic materials to our "hugel lasagna", starting with wood shavings and chips. We then alternated between drier and fresher/greener layers of foraged grass, weeds, and leaves, as shown in the white buckets.

 

The final steps involved covering the mound with the topsoil from the initial digging of the pit, feeding it a generous amount of water, and then creating a loose border with some branches. Reflecting on the process of building the hugel, it truly felt as though we were creating a "burial site" of sorts for the diseased tree, yet it also felt poetic that the structure will eventually become the foundation for new life, demonstrating that natural cycle of life within a garden.

During our lunch break, we took a quick group walk over to Bean Around the World for some coffee and, naturally, explored the UNA Children's Garden next to the cafe. One detail that stood out to was the inclusion of an easy visual guide for visitors that classified "good" vs. "bad" bugs, inviting people of all ages to spot the different critters that live within the garden, though I'm sure these broad categorizations also leave room for more nuance.

In the afternoon, we got the opportunity to try a few art integration activities, created by Dustin Garnet, within the garden that allowed us to engage and connect with it in different ways. The first activity was to build nature mandalas as a form of ephemeral art, inspired by the land art style. We each collected a variety of materials around the garden and explored ways to build radial designs that incorporated different elements of symmetry, colors, patterns, and textures. Susan had a great idea as well to lay our nature mandalas on our newly built hugel, which seemed to beautifully honor its creation. It was inspiring to see everyone's creative approach in their mandalas, even in the different shapes and angles that were chosen! At the end of the activity, the wind started to pick up as the sun shifted more behind the clouds, blowing some parts of our nature mandalas away. This truly reflected the impermanence that land art can embody, where things are not made to last but rather break down or return to its natural origins.

 

The second art integration activity was in the form of garden micro-photography and framing, which encouraged us to slow down and focus in on viewpoints that are often overlooked or not yet explored. This process not only creates a deeper sense of connection and observation within the garden, but also integrates creative expression with different visual framings. And if not for anything else, it's a great way for learners to use their phones in a productive, educational and highly intentional way.

As a little bonus shot, we also spotted a butterfly in the garden near the end of the day, which looked very similar to the Gorgone Checkerspot butterfly: 

After this eventful day, I'm inspired by the many ways that we can spark connection, engagement, and purpose within a learning garden! After building the hugel and listening to the tree's long journey of resilience (dating back to around 2014!) against the black knot fungus before it finally had to be cut down, it made me appreciate the long-lasting impact of all the various "hands" that have contributed to the garden. By setting the foundation of the hugel and the other areas we have tended to, it feels like we have become a small part of the garden in some ways. In its implications for teaching, I think that this sense of building a new path forward within a garden can be incredibly powerful for students, seeing themselves not only as keepers of its history, but makers of its future too. Art integration activities can contribute to this sense too, providing new perspectives, mediums, and interpretations of the diverse and ever-evolving life that exists within the garden.