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Mary Reynolds: the Garden Awakening

Mary Reynolds has designed award-winning gardens and landscapes across the globe. She is a nature activist and reformed landscape designer, because, in her words, "Everything must change. Including me." Her book, The Garden Awakening: Designs to Nurture Our Lands and Ourselves, is"a step-by-step manual to creating a garden in harmony with the life force in the earth, addressing not only what the people in charge of the land want but also asking what the land wants to become." Reynolds is also the founder of the international garden rewilding movement, 'We Are the Ark,' Ark standing for Acts of Restorative Kindness. Her groundbreaking work invites people all over the world to transforming their gardens into part of living, and deeply interconnected ecosystem.She shares more in this talk from 2016.

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Niki Flow Sep 19, 2022
Dear Mary, I just spent a lot of time after watching your inspiring video visiting your websites, especially WeAretheArk.org. What you said in this talk about feeling helpless in the face of so much corporate greed and inept (or worse) leadership hit home with me. I have asked repeatedly "what can *I* -- one person -- do?" and you have answered beautifully. Now I have a plan and a space I can nurture. The child analogy spoke to my heart. My little one (inner child) cannot wait to take care of the space I've been given to care for until I return to the earth. I've recently begun this year rewilding with a patch of wildflowers. And I got to be part of a challenge on Kindspring.org that taught me a lot about helping creatures in the garden to thrive (much like you share on your "Extra Activities" page. Thank you!) The story of being lost in the field when you were little -- I have experienced this aliveness with nature as a child (and recently again) -- the deep connection. We really are ... [View Full Comment]