Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
When we bought our house over 30 years ago, there was a scraggly rose bush on the corner of the property that the deer never bothered. And magically it always explodes with lovely flowers right around my daughter Sarah’s birthday in mid-May. This heirloom bush with its sweetly fragrant blooms, has apparently always been part […]
Lilacs were my mother’s favorite flower. During their all too brief flowering period, I would bring a bouquet to her when I visited. She would exclaim surprised joy upon seeing them, burying her nose within the tiny florets, absorbing their scent. Removing her face, she lit up with a great big smile and then went […]
The white trilliums that I planted from rhizomes a few years back are finally in full bloom. Every year I plant new native wildflowers in the back wooded area hoping to recolonize the space. And now that we have extended the deer fencing further back, there is even more ground to cover.
When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. The same can also be said for dandelions except you make muffins. The lawn is chock full of dandelion flowers and I have enlisted Juana and Olivia to be my helpers to harvest the makings of dandelion muffins. Olivia is more interested in dropping the spent blossoms […]
Our average daily harvest.
With the beginning of May and a full moon comes the time to harvest sweet woodruff and make May wine. This concoction originated in Germany (Maiwein) and has been used for hundreds of years to treat a variety of ailments. Juana and I make it every year because it is so delish. The recipe is […]
May is when my greenhouse is bursting as all my inside seedlings need to start the hardening off process as well as be transplanted. In addition, I stopped at @gilbertiesorganics for my yearly pickup of herbs for @annsplaceinc. So between the two, I need to keep the space extra tidy to make room. Gilberties, like […]
Olivia has picked out a couple of pansy plants she wants us to pot up in a window box. I’m not sure where they will wind up but I am sure we will have fun figuring that out.
I consider myself fortunate to have been announced a finalist of the Eric Hoffer Book Award for my book, A Therapist’s Garden. This contest awards books in small, academic and independent presses. Over this past year, I have received much encouragement and kindness concerning my book, which recounts my 20 plus years working in horticultural […]
Water and heat. Those two elements have caused an explosion of simultaneous blooms on bushes and trees alike. Everything is alive at once. The redbud is full of lovely and tasty flowers. We have already started to harvest some blooms with their green-bean like taste as a topping for salads. Its neighbor, a crabapple, is […]