Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Many people think of crocuses as a Spring flower but my favorite ones emerge in Fall. And my most treasured among those is the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus). Dormant through Summer, it pops out of the soil in early-to-mid October with a colorful display of purple leaves, yellow stamens (male) and bright red stigmas (female). […]
Last year, I needed to divide a huge Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) that was crowding out the asparagus and adjacent strawberry patches. There were tons of baby plants that I harvested and placed along the fence that protects my yard from the deer. My efforts were rewarded this year with a line of flowers untouched […]
Rather than let the birds and bugs attack my sunflowers with abandon this year, I decide to harvest and dry them early on. Olivia loves this as she gets to dispatch the disk florets with abandon. These tiny yellow flowers are arranged in clockwise and counterclockwise patterns spinning their way around the large flower head. […]
It’s time to harvest the tomatoes. I can’t wait any longer as I must plant the Fall and Winter greens in the two cold frames, one of which is full of mutant tomato plants. Anyway, I don’t think the fruits will ripen much more on their own as the chill of autumn arrives. This has […]
It has been a great year for hydrangeas. The blooms have been numerous and large. As we start to cut them down for the season, Olivia wants to make her own bouquet to bring home to her mother. I think she has done a wonderful job.
The sunflowers have opened for business attracting many customers. During the day, it is a quick take-out cafe visited by a wide variety of patrons that sample its ample supply of pollen. But as night approaches, it becomes a real B&B with many bees taking an evening rest on its numerous disc florets. They will […]
With the girls away on vacation, Juana and I have a better than even chance to harvest and save some of the berries for Winter. While the blueberry bushes are now exhausted, the blackberry bushes are heavy with fruit, hanging down to almost the breaking point. We haven’t picked for a few days and are […]
Today, the girls spent the morning working and pulling fruits and vegetables from the garden. The blueberries have perhaps one more harvest left but the blackberries have come in strong with many more on the way. Their tiny fingers are much more adept at picking berries than are mine. Charlotte is more partial to blueberries […]
With a few hot and rainy days behind us, the blueberry bushes are bursting with ripe fruit. Charlotte and Olivia are keen to help me (and themselves) and Juana harvest this new bounty. It’s early in the morning and there is still a little shade on the bushes. We want to get the picking done […]
Arriving home after a long trip, there is lots to do in the garden. Luckily I have my two granddaughters, Charlotte and Olivia, to help me out. The first thing we do is to harvest the snap peas and beans. Juana tried to keep up with the harvest, but there were too many plants growing […]