Events & Celebrations, Flora
Tree Pruning Party Pictures
Pear tree before pruning
Pear tree after pruning
Apple tree before pruning
Apple tree after pruning
Peach tree before we harvested the peaches
Peach tree after pruning
Gary the master pruner
Brennah putting tree salve on the cuts
Brennah putting tree salve on the cuts
Brennah putting tree salve on the cuts
Charlie the inspector
Charlie the inspector
The following day, Dan chipping sticks, and Brennah helping prep the sticks and firewood. The chips will be used as mulch in the food forest and on pathways.
Gary did an amazing job of explaining the pruning process and telling us what he was doing all the way throughout. It was a hard prune on these trees, but ultimately it will benefit them greatly!
Doing it after they were done fruiting, but early enough that they can still have some regrowth before winter was part of the plan. We’re excited to see how they will respond and are inspired to keep working on our food forest and gardens to keep them beautiful and productive! Dan is feeling like he can use what he learned to successfully prune some of our other fruit trees now.
Thank you to Alissa for coming out to help, and Gary for being such a great teacher and helping us to get the job done.
Wishing you all good harvests as we draw ever closer to the fall season!
Jean
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Written by : Jean Cavanaugh
Jean Cavanaugh is the founder and steward of Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary, established in 2019 as a living, learning community devoted to reconnecting people with the wisdom of nature, the sacred order of creation, and the presence of Christ within all life. Her work brings together spiritual formation, ecological stewardship, ancestral wisdom, and hands-on community practice.
Through years of practical work on the land, study of the Mysteries, and the healing of her own severe health challenges through natural methods, Jean has come to recognize God’s hand at work throughout creation. Her teachings, rooted in the Mystery School tradition and Christian gnosis, explore how the patterns of heaven, earth, and the human body reveal the way back to divine presence, peace, and inner strength.
Jean leads with honesty, integrity, and a deeply welcoming spirit, inviting others to let go of inherited assumptions and rediscover truth through lived experience and embodied understanding. She works with all ages—from preschoolers to elders—offering programs and celebrations that emphasize direct engagement with nature, music, story, homesteading skills, and in-person community.
She and her family live at the 21-acre Crossing Hedgerows Sanctuary, where daily life reflects a commitment to simplicity, beauty, and harmony with the land. The sanctuary includes gardens, woodland trails, a seasonal creek, gathering circles, and spaces designed to nourish both people and wildlife. Jean is especially passionate about creating environments that are grounding, beautiful, and spiritually restorative.
Through her writing and teaching, Jean encourages others to know themselves, know creation, and recognize Christ as the living truth present within and around us—always inviting a return to love, beauty, and the sacred order of life.
