The Final Garden of Dzamling Gar and La Casita Amarilla

I am very happy the final garden is completed, because when you complete something you are always happy!

Alix De Fermor

The Final Garden

The Final Garden is going from the northeastern wall of the Gar where the mulching machine is,  to the gate, and then going to the Gönpa along the middle road, the garden which is circling the big water tank. I made this garden in three parts.

I wanted a low maintenance garden in this place with not too much pruning and not too many falling leaves. The maintenance of the other gardens is a lot of work because we have a lot of trees to prune all the time since I was asked for immediate shade. There were two challenging factors to make this garden; first because most of the garden is encircling an underground water tank I had to be careful not to choose plants with an invasive root system and second because the garden is mainly a  narrow strip of land sloping down, delineated by an upper and lower stone wall, it was difficult to make it interesting.

So that is why I thought about using huge volcanic rocks which would break the slope, and would create terraces producing the effect of a wider space. These volcanic rocks have an interesting shape and texture, and we had to place most of them with a grua (crane).

The middle part of the garden facing the Meriling gate is a desert garden with cactus and many plants from the Canary Islands like the Drago, euphorbia canariensis and agava attenuata, which give a little impression of Teide. This is the lowest maintenance part of the garden, using less water as well.

As you open the Meriling gate to enter the Gar, there is a powerful impact. It is a strong and already beautiful garden. There is also a Traveler palm (ravenala madagascariensis) which will become quite majestic. Then for part going to the Gönpa along the middle road, cactus progressively yield to leafier plants, and some palms. We have a few palms:an Areca, a dwarf date, a Strelitzia Nicolai, a Pandanus and another traveler palm. There are a few small trees with nice blooms that will give some shade. Then there is the Neem tree planted for Leo (Ilaria’s son). I am thinking it would be nice to have some benches there to sit near the Gönpa.

The other part going to the northeastern wall, where the mulching machine is also gentler and shadier. It is more spacious with wide terraces. I also introduced some plants here which were in Margarita, in Tashigar North, which survived for fifteen years without much care. I brought  some small plants in my hand luggage to plant in Dzamling Gar. We have two cordia sebestena with bright orange reddish flowers that Rinpoche called them “Tara trees”. We have a tree which was down from Rinpoche’s garden in Margarita (erythrina variegata) and Rinpoche loved its’ curious red orange flowers. Then we have the guayacan (tree of life) that was everywhere in Pedro Gonzalez. We have also a very interesting bush with beautifully shaped and lustrous leaves and coral flowers (jatropha multifida) – there are five of them.

Apart from this garden is another new garden that is on the right side of the gate when you enter. The area was very ugly and was full of these manholes which contained wires, cables, and water pipes, which is now transformed into a lush garden with shade and a bench.

Then there is a garden near the office door full of the scent of roses and the powerful perfume of a nice creeping plant called (quiscalis indica).

In all these new gardens I introduced a Mexican plant called (leucophyllum frutescens) which is called the barometer plant because it blooms with nice pink or lavender flowers when it is going to rain.  Of course, since we have the irrigation system, they are practically always blooming.

I am very proud of these final gardens. They are very different from all the rest and very beautiful. And I am so happy that Dzamling Gar gardens are completed.

To donate to the beautiful Dzamling Gar Gardens: https://www.dzamlinggar.net/en/component/jse_donation?view=donate&task=donate.donation&c_id=219

La Casita Amarilla

by Lourdes Velaochaga

Since 2022, we have been creating something truly special at Dzamling Gar, a space where children and teens can dive into fun and creative activities, learn by doing, make friends, explore the joy of reading, and embrace presence, awareness, peace, and so much more.

With huge effort and generous support, we have built the structure, painted it with love, and even put up shelves. Thanks to kind donations from parents and members from the community, we now have a small collection of books and games.

Our goal is to open in mid-September with a workshop. Afterward, we will continue promoting activities for the children and teenagers of the Gar and the local community, creating an inclusive space where everyone can grow, share, and experience the richness of a life full of creativity, mindfulness and love.

Through storytelling sessions, theater, mindfulness, arts and crafts workshops, book club and reading challenges, movie nights, collaborative community projects and parent-child workshops. We aim to offer diverse learning experiences while fostering community, collaboration and connection between the children, teens, nature, and families of Dzamling Gar and the local community.

We’re almost there, but we need your help to bring this dream to life! Let’s create a meaningful space for future generations together.

Join us!

DONATE NOW: http://bit.ly/3J5njWo

Have questions? Reach out to us at [email protected]