Growing roots in Olympia

Jill Severn

Finally, all the tulip and daffodil bulbs have been planted, and the ground above them now looks bare and blank. But there’s plenty of action underground, where those bulbs are pushing down roots — roots that will suck up moisture and nutrients to fuel their coming push out of the earth and into the air and sunlight of spring.

All around them, other plants that seem to be sleeping are doing similar work — the work of winter, which is to extend their roots deeper and more broadly to prepare for another year of growth.

Tulip bulbs and fir tree roots have something to teach us: We need to tend our own roots — our rootedness in the natural world around us and the communities we live in. That can be our work of winter, too.

In the gardening world, there are a zillion products called root stimulators and recipes for homemade ones.

In the human world, it’s up to each of us to make our own. Here are some possible ingredients:

Bake holiday cookies for your neighbors. Roots grow outward from their starting point. For us, that means home. Knocking on neighbors’ doors with a holiday gift — it doesn’t really have to be cookies — matters. Imagine what the world would be like if every neighbor in every neighborhood did this every year.

Plant something that will be beautiful beyond your own lifespan. It doesn’t have to be a big tree; there’s some cyclamen out back that someone probably planted under the feet of the clothesline soon after this house was built in 1927. It’s an enduring legacy enjoyed by all who have lived or will live here.

Show up at a neighborhood association meeting. If you detest meetings, at least pay your dues. And maybe thank the people who keep the association going.

Go to a local museum or historical site. The Schmidt House in Tumwater — built in 1904 as the home for Leopold Schmidt, the Olympia Brewery founder — has a rose garden, an amazing heritage Magnolia tree, and a sweet taste of our shared “It’s the Water” heritage. Just knowing the economic and cultural history of the Olympia Brewery will strengthen your sense of place and extend your roots in time, no matter where you live in Thurston County.

In spite of being the state capital, we sadly lack an arts and heritage museum. But this local nonprofit — Olympic Arts + Heritage Alliance — has a proposal for one.

Sign up to receive free email newsletters. Local historical nonprofits and commissions have them. So do city and county government departments, including police. The governor has a free email newsletter. These days, all God’s children have free email newsletters. And social media, of course.

At the very least, they will give you more to talk about with friends and co-workers.

Sometimes government newsletters and social media will be surprisingly good; at other times they may rouse your ire. When that happens, be roused. Do something.

Study local tribal history. The Nisqually, Squaxin, Chehalis and Cowlitz people have the deepest roots here by thousands of years. They maintained civilizations that were environmentally sustainable. Most of the rest of us still struggle to even fully grasp that concept. Now, the tribes play a growing and immensely positive role in our economy and society.

Look at what tree roots do to sidewalks. City arborists and homeowners alike make mistakes when they plant trees whose roots can push up pavement. Just look, and then try to imagine the tree’s experience.

Never resist the temptation to be generous. I first heard that advice from Meg Martin, who has created and run shelters for people who are homeless and spearheaded a community effort that resulted in two buildings that now house 129 people. (The second building is for elders, who are the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population.) She originally came to Olympia as part of her recovery from heroin addiction.

Welcome the stranger, in the garden and in life. When something strange comes up in your garden, unless you know for sure it’s a bad actor, don’t pull it up until you see what it grows into. That “weed” in your lawn might be a patch of semi-wild violets that will bloom soon.

The human stranger might be something even better. And by welcoming the stranger, you extend the roots of two people.

Jill Severn writes from her home in Olympia, where she grows vegetables, flowers, and a small flock of chickens. She loves conversation among gardeners. Start one by emailing her at  jill@theJOLTnews.com