Urban Elemental Gardens:
Crafting Magic in Small
Outdoor Spaces
In a moment when one is entrenched in an endless trek across a desert of gray concrete, there is nothing that brings the soul to life more than the oasis of color afforded by an urban garden. (Although sometimes an enlightened coffee shop that knows the benefit of a lavender shot in a mocha latte can be a welcomed balm to the soul as well.) Most cities have had the inspired foresight to plan for intercity respites. Some of these “greens” have become
the stuff of legend, appearing in stories, films, and other popular culture media to such a degree that finding yourself actually standing in one of these infamous landscapes, such as Central Park (New York) or Hyde Park (London), can feel a bit surreal. But it is not necessary to have access to huge tracts of land in order to bring the legendary, the mythical, and the magical into your life. All you need is a little slice of outside, a hardy plant or two, a couple of special objects, and a spark of imagination.
There are several ways to approach the creation of an urban elemental garden, depending, of course, on the size and layout of the space with which you have to work. Whether working with an elemental system of three (Celtic realms of land, sea, and sky), four (Pagan and First Nations quarters of earth, air, fire, and water), or five (alchemical and Ayurvedic elements of earth, air, fire, water, and aether or the Chinese elements of earth, water, fire, wood, and metal), your garden can become a place to deepen elemental understanding and focus magical intent. Wonderful though it is to be able to have differentiated areas for each separate element, even a small amount of space will allow for a potently effective multielemental garden.
Earth
It seems almost redundant to talk about creating an earth-focused garden. However you approach any of your garden features, they are going to twig your soul to resonate with the element of earth. That said, there are certain items and objects that can encourage the earth elementals to take pause and maybe even take up residence.
As stewards of the earth’s treasures, dwarves love gardens with crystals, which not only bring beauty but offer the added benefit of healing vibrational energy. There are some fairly inexpensive stones and crystals that can allow for a stunning focal point while emanating certain qualities throughout your garden. Use rose quartz to imbue your garden with gentleness and love. Use amethyst to strengthen spiritual connection. Clear quartz is like the glacier water of the crystal world, clearing and cleansing all around it. Special stones that have found me on my travels often make their way into my earth garden. To a casual glance these look like unspectacular stones, but I know that they hold within them the resonance of distant lands and landscapes that are dear to my heart.
In the past, when our children were young and we went through the snail/fish/hamster/guinea pig years, this garden also served as the final resting place for many a beloved animal companion. With a fair amount of space and a selection of tall, thin stones, one can create a small, circular henge, a lovely evocative spot to hold ceremonies for those who have passed. Sitting on a wooden bench, surrounded by special stones and beautiful crystals nestled in a carpet of ground cover, this garden is a wonderful spot to pause in contemplation, feeling the solid and grounded comfort of the earth.
Water
The obvious feature for a water-aligned elemental garden is a pond, naturally. However, if it is not feasible to dig a hole deep enough for a full water feature in the area available to you, a shallow container filled with water will serve the elemental purpose and often double as a favored bathing spot for birds. With increased incidences of West Nile virus, it is important to ensure that any water in your Water garden is not still or stagnant, lest it become a mosquito breeding ground. Stagnancy is also never conducive to effective magical work! Fountains with either electric or solar-powered pumps are an easy solution to constant water flow, and there is nothing like the sound of a fountain’s steady, gentle sprinkle to bring a sense of ease and peace to the soul. A pond that is deeper than three feet will be able to withstand the deep freeze of northern climes without becoming solid ice. This is especially important to keep in mind if you want to introduce live fish (or water nymphs) into your pond.
Holy wells and holy water are a global spiritual theme and have been pilgrimage destinations as places to petition or thank deity for thousands of years. In the same way that stones gathered in travels can be a powerful addition to an earth garden, putting a few drops of sacred water from a holy well into the water of your pond not only creates a connection between your elemental garden and the ancient sacred site, but it also ramps up potency for any magical work done.
Water plants are a given for a pond and are particularly helpful in preventing stagnancy if a fountain is not possible. I find there is something just wondrous about a floating plant, but have learned over the years to be conservative in my water plant acquisition. After several summers of having my small pond completely covered in water lettuce or water hyacinth, I now know that one plant purchased in spring will more than do the job over the course of the summer. Moonflowers, forget-me-nots, and ‘Blue Moon’ phlox are also gorgeous flowers for this garden.
Water helps us tap into our emotional life, offering the opportunity to release that which may be stuck in us and encouraging the inner waters to flow once again. By burying the grief in the earth garden and merging your tears with the holy waters in the water garden, powerful, healing magical work can happen.
Air
Much as I love the solid comfort of the earth garden and the poignant embrace of the water garden, I have spent so much time cultivating a relationship with the plant devas and neighborhood birds that my air garden has taken on a hilarious life of its own. With a large array of feeders, it has become quite the bird hot spot, and the seeds that drop to the ground have made for an interesting display of unexpected plants. It seems that anything planted in the air garden just takes off and expands in spades. This was also a major learning experience when it came to planting the mint! In direct contrast to the earth garden, this is a great garden for plants and herbs that like to reach for the sky. Angelica, ‘Ruby Giant’ echinacea, and Russian sage are a few lovely ones that are easy to establish.
If possible, it is wonderful to craft this garden around or in the vicinity of a tree. Of course, the birds love it, especially if there is a birdhouse or two tucked within the branches. Trees provide so many opportunities to evoke air. If you work with intention ribbons or clouties, the tree in your air garden is a perfect place to hang them post-ritual. It does something quite profound in the soul to see the ribbons accumulate over time, the beauty of your intentions waving gaily in the breeze. You can also hang a strand of prayer flags between the branches. Crafting one with your personal deities is a powerful act of magic in itself, and the flag becomes a constant reflection of dedication. Trees also often present interesting nooks in which to leave offerings to the fairies and nature devas.
Bringing a childlike wonder to the creation of your air garden activates joy and hope. It can be helpful in alleviating heaviness and depression, opening the soul to possibility and light.
Fire
Everyone loves a fiery garden element! Fire pits, outdoor fireplaces, and chimineas are very popular features that create a stunning outdoor space. Space requirements may dictate choice, but even in a tiny space a little ceramic chiminea is a perfect touch to bring a bit of transformational magic to a fire garden. Sadly, one phenomenon that has been hitting some cities is that of garden theft. This tends to be more of an issue with front gardens, of course. I am not at all suggesting the need for an anxious mind in the creation of a lovely magical garden, but awareness is always beneficial. After a few heartbreaking losses from my fire garden, including a huge beautiful chiminea, I chose instead to place inexpensive candleholders and candles in the garden. (I have not had a theft problem since, though a strategically placed dragon might have been helpful as well!)
The flower that just calls out for the fire garden is the sunflower. Whether one stunning, towering beauty or a garden full of bright yellow to fiery-red faces, sunflowers are great for inspiring passion and energy. Marigolds and snapdragons also bring a fiery sense of fun.
Aether
Alchemically speaking, once we have the four other elements in complete balance, we activate aether. Said to be the purer, finer air breathed by the gods, aether is transcendent, taking us out of the earthbound, human realm and illuminating the spirit. Infusing your aether garden with light of all forms is a beautiful way to invoke this element. As solar-powered lights are becoming more readily available at a reasonable price, it does not take much to have a gorgeous light-filled garden that fills the soul with magic! Mirrors and reflective balls help to make a little light go a long way.
Aether teaches us that all things are possible and that spirit can overcome all challenge through what may seem like miraculous feats. Insects are nature’s little miracles, often able to accomplish the impossible. There are many, many plants and herbs that attract bees and butterflies. Two favorites are the aptly named bee balm and butterfly weed.
Designing Magic
One of my favorite overheard conversations from many years ago was between my young son and one of his friends as they were coming up the path toward the house. My son was saying, “This is the water garden and this is the fire garden and . . .”
His friend casually replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
It was such a light, breezy, comfortable exchange, it made me laugh. But it also made me think about what I had unintentionally done when I made the decision to allow magical structure to direct my approach to design, plants, and decorative elements for my gardens.
I realized that, in setting an elemental connection to these gardens, I had opened up another way to experience magic on a daily basis. Our house is just blocks from the downtown core so there is not a huge amount of space with which to work. However, I have found that a few meaningful items nestled—and sometimes hidden—amongst flowers and herbs not only look beautiful but also expand the locale for magical practice into the space beyond the walls of the house.
Our house is our sanctuary. There are many sacred spots, honoring shrines, and working altars set up in various places inside. These elementally aligned gardens have created a sacred circle around our home that not only serves as a magical buffer to the street but also brings the Divine to mind every time we leave or enter the house, if you have the eye and the heart to see.
Whether you are in house, townhouse, condo, or apartment, urban elemental gardens reflect alchemy in action, bringing the above of spirit to the below of color, scent, and natural beauty, and the within of soul to the without of evocative expression. They bring joy to passersby and wonder to those who can see them for what they truly are. And that is magic.