my little karoo garden | Cherie Roe Dirksen

Natures True Beauty

The roses in my garden 🙂

We have the most gorgeous roses in my little Karoo garden. We have red rose topiaries that flank our driveway. These roses (see pic to your right and below) are so red that they actually hurt your eyes when you stare at them too long.

I set out to sketch these roses for a design idea I had for my store.

What stood out for me was that these beautiful roses had massive, massive thorns.

Big ones and little ones — so you can’t even think of touching them. And to pick them, you’d have to don some serious gloves!

Beauty and Boundaries

It got me thinking.

Such fragile and glorious flowers but you can’t touch them…lol. Nature has a great sense of humour!

Or maybe, just maybe, it’s natures way of protecting this grand creation.

After all, if roses weren’t so thwart with sharp sticky outy bits, we’d probably desecrate rose bushes instead of letting them be and leaving the admiration to pure sight — look, don’t touch.

Roses have some pretty strong boundaries.

Our Own Thorns

This is the design I came up with 🙂 For a limited time only, you can get these cushions for $20.83 when you buy 2 or more.

We, as human beings, can be pretty prickly too sometimes.

Occasionally, it takes the care of someone handling us with gloves and taking the time to have proper pruning sheers before they can get to us 😉

Through whatever experience we’ve gone through in our lives, we can sprout thorns on demand when we feel in danger of being torn down or stomped on. Perhaps even when we feel threatened by our own beauty (inner or outer) that can shine out and attract unwanted energy or attention.

It’s a thorny issue (corny, I know).

Some people may call us bitches or bastards for this inherent trait but, upon reflection, I think it could be nature’s very own way of helping us to set boundaries when our innate is telling us someone or something is not serving us. Or, possibly, we could be in very real danger, whether it is emotional or physical.

Sometimes thorns are needed.

My roses seem to be telling me to trust my innate sense of wisdom, it’s there for a reason. Or maybe they’re telling me I’m a prick.

Can I tempt you to read another article? Click on the pics below:

“There is an unspoken communication between you and the natural kingdom.”

Lockdown Blues

Yep, we’ve probably all experienced the Groundhog Day phenomenon at some point this year. What comes with boredom, isolation, worry and stress is a copious amount of anxiety, right?

I’ve had my ups and downs during the whole COVID-19 experience.

What kept me sane was (and is) my garden.

Relief is Green

I can’t express enough how therapeutic being in the garden is. If you don’t have a garden, being in a park or in a forest or trail will boost those positive endorphins just as much.

Get out as often as you can.

Gardening Aprons $20

Here’s why:

Fresh air — especially mask-free fresh air. Go somewhere where you can safely breathe as nature intended (preferably where there are lots of oxygen making trees). Oxygen livens the cells in your body, giving you a vital boost.
Exercise — whether you’re gardening or walking in nature, you’re getting the blood flowing. Extremely important for combating depression or a growing couch-potato waistline! Healthy exercise also distracts you from cravings or snacking through boredom.
Well-Being — Communing with nature gives you a much greater sense of aliveness, grounding and vitality. If I’ve been chugging away behind a computer screen for a couple of hours and I go out into my garden for some respite, it only takes a couple of minutes before I feel my stress melting away. If you are working, make sure to take your lunch hour outdoors, even if you sit under a tree for 15 minutes.
Connectivity — when you garden and get your hands in the dirt, you are connecting with the earth, she feels you. There is an unspoken communication between you and the natural kingdom. I talk to the insects, the birds and my plants. You may think I’m crazy but it feels good to me and I feel connected to everything when I’m out there with grit underneath my fingernails. If you don’t have a garden, start a patio garden. If you don’t have a patio, start a windowsill garden. To grow is to believe in the future.
Problem Solving — I often find that when I’m in my garden, solutions arrive as quick as you can blink. Whenever I feel challenged about something, I turn to my garden, or a walk in the countryside. There’s nothing better to clear your mind and let in all the helpful ideas.
Inspiration — then there’s the motivational factor. I don’t have enough hours in the day to get out all the creativity I glean from being outdoors. There is a wealth of ingenuity out there to be plucked from the ether.

Speaking of which, it was a couple of months ago — when I was navel gazing and felt at a loss as to where my career was heading — that I stumbled upon the idea to get designing. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I’m primarily a paint and canvas type of artist. I’ve not delved into the world of design fully and whole-heartedly, not yet anyway.

I felt now was my chance.

My Little Karoo Garden

My inspiration? You guessed it! My garden.

I’ve been having a ball walking through my garden, getting inspirations for designs. So much so that I even opened a store of my own, especially dedicated to my life in the garden. I’ve called it “My Little Karoo Garden“. It’s got a real ‘African’ edge to it 🙂 Dung beetles et al!

I hope this bloggy blurb has inspired you to get outdoors more often and to even get planting! Gardeners always have something to look forward to. I’d really like to hear your gardening stories — how does being in nature inspire you?

If you want to take a stroll through my store, click the logo to your right 🙂 I’d love to know what you think. It’s still in the beta stage but I’ll be adding new designs as they flow in.

Don’t forget to hit the follow button in the sidebar!

Other articles you may enjoy: