I own a solace shut within my heart,
  A garden full of many a quaint delight
  And warm with drowsy, poppied sunshine; bright,
Flaming with lilies out of whose cups dart
    Shining things
    With powdered wings.

Here terrace sinks to terrace, arbors close
  The ends of dreaming paths; a wanton wind
  Jostles the half-ripe pears, and then, unkind,
Tumbles a-slumber in a pillar rose,
    With content
    Grown indolent.

By night my garden is o’erhung with gems
  Fixed in an onyx setting. Fireflies
  Flicker their lanterns in my dazzled eyes.
In serried rows I guess the straight, stiff stems
    Of hollyhocks
    Against the rocks.

So far and still it is that, listening,
  I hear the flowers talking in the dawn;
  And where a sunken basin cuts the lawn,
Cinctured with iris, pale and glistening,
    The sudden swish
    Of a waking fish.

                              Amy Lowell

Hear the Poem

 

About the Poet

Amy Lawrence Lowell was an American poet of the imagist school, which promoted a return to classical values. She posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1926.  This poem is entitled “Behind the Wall” and talks about the abundance that is hidden in each and everything of nature. 

About the Pollination Garden

The Pollination Garden is a celebration of our native flora and fauna, particularly the species local to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. In the style of French garden designer and nurseryman, Olivier Filippi, this garden showcases the colors, textures and forms of the coastal sage scrub in a naturalistic but curated style. The majority of the plant palette are native Californian species sourced from the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy and the Theodore Payne Foundation, but there is a sprinkling of plants from the other Mediterranean-climates and annual flowers for seasonal interest. As the garden grows and matures, we will start to see the undulating effect of the design. Native plants are great choices to plant in the garden, since Southern California is home, they need much less tending and water than conventional garden plants.

About Native Plants

Native plants and animals are indigenous to a particular region of the world. For example, the honeybee (Apis mellifera) is not indigenous to California, rather they originate from Europe. Whereas the squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa) is indigenous to California and is specialized at pollinating squashes and relatives. Our native flora and pollinators have evolved together and rely on each other to complete their life cycles. Plants provide food as a host or nectar plant and habitat in the form of shelter, while pollinators ensure that plants bear fruit for animals and seeds for the next generation. Plant some native plants in your garden to help recreate habitat for our local fauna in an urbanizing world.

We want to thank the South Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society for their generous support which will go towards caring for the native plants in the Pollination Garden.
 

Want to learn more about California native plants and gardening in a Mediterranean climate? Check these resources out: