Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Spring is when microclimates show off big differences. This split screen of two forsythia illustrates this phenomenon perfectly. The image to the left is of a bush belonging to a neighbor less than 200 yards away; the other is of my scraggly bushes tucked into a north facing hill. My neighbor’s bushes get sun all […]
Last week was busy with two book talks for the @thehoppgroundgardenclub and @annsplaceinc on the same day. Both were nicely attended and I started the groups out with a simple aromatherapy exercise before discussing A Therapist’s Garden. “Open the plastic bag you have and crush the sachet or the herbs inside between your fingers. As […]
It’s amaryllis Easter! The flowering succession of amaryllis bulbs that I brought up from the basement in February are starting to flower out just in time for the holidays. I still have 10 or so bulbs in dormancy; a new pair comes up to spring to life every week. Soon all will have a place […]
It’s tick time! Every year I pull a few of these blood suckers off me even though I am super diligent in showering and getting rid of my garden clothing after every outing. This year looks to be a bad one in New England as snow cover and mild temperatures are likely to help the […]
Juana is standing above the labyrinth at Ann’s Place where we have over 7,000 daffodils (Narcissus) about to burst out in bloom. At Ann’s Place, Danbury, CT, there are over 15,000 bulbs planted in a variety of spots. Starting next week it should be spectacular. Come and take a look and enjoy the beauty and […]
Garlic mustard (𝐴𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑎) arrives in the early Spring faster than the dandelions (𝑇𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑥𝑎𝑐𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑒). And like dandelions it can be savored in many different ways. Emerging from the ground, the tiniest of this biannual’s leaves are pungent and delicious as an adornment to any salad. As it grows, which can be very fast in […]
The cold frames did their job this Winter by letting me get a jump on planting this Springs. While all of the exposed beds are frozen more than 3 inches below the level of the soil, the two beds covered with the cold frame are thawed and toasty warm. I lost all the Swiss chard […]
Last week I received a request from my publisher from a fellow named Scott requesting an autographed copy of my book, A Therapist’s Garden, as a gift. I agreed to contact Scott and discovered from him and a @gofundme account (whose page is reproduced here) that he is diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He […]
A smattering of frost-hardy miner’s lettuce (𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑎) self-seeded in my cold frame this Winter.⠀Rich in vitamin C, its succulent and tasty heart-shaped leafs make a perfect topping to any salad. It is a green best enjoyed in the late Fall or early Spring as it bolts and becomes bitter when warm weather emerges. It’s […]
Starting to bud out, the crabapple tree (Malus) in the back still has quite a few fruits hanging from its branches. This collection of shriveled orbs, has withstood the test of Winter as well as the local bird population. It is often the last of the fruit to be cleared off my plants by the […]