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The Scorpio Garden
The humble compost heap, seemingly a pile of prunings, grass cuttings and other discarded plant material, contains the essence of a Scorpio garden.
It may look unpromising to begin with, but actually transforms into a gardener's rich treasure. The more bins you have, at different stages of decay, the better.
Birth, sex, death and rebirth make up the cycle of transformation. This is the domain of Pluto, which rules Scorpio. The compost heap contains the death of the old, and, once this has transformed into sweet-smelling, crumbly compost, it contains the nutrients needed to nurture the new.
A place for seedbeds provides the other end of the spectrum.
Anything recycled fits the Pluto theme, such as using old car tyres to grow vegetables in.
Until the discovery of this small but powerful planet in 1930, Mars was known as the ruler of Scorpio, so I am going to look at how both of these could play a part in a garden for this deep, fixed water sign.
Water is a great bringer of peace, and its presence helps to calm the sometimes turbulent emotions of Scorpio. Still waters run deep is a phrase that comes to mind.
Black is the colour associated with Pluto, red with Mars. The flowers I would include would be rich, dark tulips, such as Black Hero, Queen of Night, or˜Black Parrot, interspersed with some lighter crimson ones such as Ronaldo.
Some varieties of chrysanthemums, and roses also have these deep red tones, which add an exotic and sensuous feel to the garden.
Scorpio and Virgo are the signs associated with healing, so anything from the wonderful choice of herbs could be included.
Mars is often associated with 'hot' plants such as ginger and mustard, and vegetables such as onions, chives, and garlic. Spiky (Mars is the god of war) plants also come into his domain, such as hawthorn, gorse and butcher's broom. A hedge containing one or more of these is a good burglar deterrent (not so good for retrieving footballs though).
Scorpio values privacy, so good boundaries are important to them. The garden is likely to be seen partly as a place of sanctuary, and part of it, if the space is available, could be made into a secret garden, or a sunken one.
Creativity is a key component of Scorpio's makeup, as although they are often deep, they also find it easy to send themselves up. Anything humorous, or even slightly macabre, could fit in here.
As there are several nights of merriment while the Sun is in Scorpio, ranging from Samhain, now known as Hallowe'en, on 31st October, to Guy Fawkes Night on 5th November, plus my birthday, a fire pit is a great idea. It's a place to watch bright faces lit by the dancing flames, warm hands and feet, eat and drink, tell stories, and sing.
Include an element of mystery, sensuality, colour, creativity, and a dash of humour, and there you have the recipe for a magical Scorpio garden. Just don't forget space for the compost heap.
Copyright: Sue Walker. January 2019
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