Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
There is little more joy for me than when my grandchildren embrace my garden as do I. When Charlotte was barely one, she was bending over the sides of the raised beds to grab a handful of lettuce. And now 11 years later, Olivia is doing the same. It is a warm sunny day and […]
Breaking in new help is always a challenge, especially when it is my granddaughter Olivia. 🥰 Mid-March is when I need to start up my seedlings for the Spring. The first batch is a combination of microgreens, herbs (oregano, basil, thyme, stevia) for my horticultural therapy classes and some greens to put into the cold […]
Olivia tugs at my jacket indicating she wants a trip outside with her grandpa. Her first favorite stop is the swing set where I sing songs to her pushing her back and forth gently. A mostly toothless smile and chubby red cheeks greet me with each cycle. Next we head to the greenhouse where we […]
With the rain finally breaking and my knee on the mend, Juana, Olivia and I start to harvest the remaining tomatoes. All the plants have started to shrivel and the fruits are green with little prospect of changing color in this cooling month. Olivia decides to help herself to the basket of ripe, red cherry […]
Olivia joins me in the garden to seed and transplant seedlings into the cold frames. I give her a package of radish seeds and she shakes them like a rattle. I place a few seeds into the palm of her tiny hand. She looks at them and then removes them by rubbing her hand on […]
Even though I needed to cancel my class on flower pressing a few weeks back because of the heat, I don’t let the materials go to waste. Both Charlotte and Juana decide to take material (and pens) into their own hands to customize a set of presses for their own use. I think they did […]
This drawing of my granddaughter Charlotte by my sister-in-law Rosana perfectly captures the Summer we have together picking flowers, berries and watching the clouds float by. The dog days of Summer arrive this month when the potential for unrelenting heat, afternoon thunderstorms, and extreme weather define each day. It is the hot counterpart to February, […]
It’s never too soon to get children in the garden so when we needed to get some vegetables for lunch, Olivia comes along to lend a hand. Standing on the edge of the raised beds, she reaches down to grab a carrot. With a tiny tug, she pulls out a couple of smaller samples staring […]
Now that it is summer, my granddaughters Charlotte and Olivia will be spending a few days with us each week. Never one to ignore the opportunity for free labor, I put Charlotte to task in helping me prepare sachets. I use them as a kick-off aromatherapy exercise during my talks promoting my book, A Therapist’s […]
“I’m good with 60/40,” says Charlotte when it comes to sharing strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) with her little sister Olivia. They invade our garden together for the first time ever looking to pick strawberries and some vegetables. Olivia is a bit young and new to the garden but she is enjoying the feel of the […]