Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Juana and I take the opportunity to harvest saffron from the crocuses. It has been a miserable few days with rain and a chill keeping both of us close to the warm, yellow and red fire blazing in the stove. Still, we both are happy waking to clear skies this morning progressing to a sunny, […]
The golden rod is out in full bloom with bees, wasps and hornets taking full advantage to feed off its flowers. We have let large stands of it take over parts of the yard preferring its tall, spreading, leggy stems to more predictable plants that we would install. It is one of the few plants […]
With Labor Day approaching, I am starting to feel a bit like the sentinel-like sunflowers in the front yard. A month ago they were tall and erect, holding their heads high, soaking in rays. Now, each weighed down with hundreds of seeds, they are bent over appearing to have a vegetative osteoporosis. Their petals are […]
All the flowers are exploding with wild abandon, no doubt sensing that we are in the waining days of summer. Sunflowers, in particular, are taking their turn, poking their dinner-plate sized heads above the fence attracting bees and other pollinators. Ours seem a bit confused this year as only some have turned toward the sun. […]
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) is one of my favorite wild plants this time of year as it has three big things going for it. First, even before it starts flowering, it is wonderful as an antipruritic for poison ivy as well as insect bites. We found an immediate use for it years ago when we were […]
It’s midsummer and the virtual tummies of my carnivorous plants are sated with the insects of the day. Right now I have three different types of carnivorous plants: Pitcher plants (Sarracenia), Cape sundews (Drosera capensis), and Venus fly traps (Dionea muscipula). The pitcher plants sit in a bog that I build over a decade ago. […]
It is wildflower season and one of my favorites, chicory, can be found next to nearly any road around here. This bright blue plant is somewhat reminiscent of bachelor buttons and is a herbaceous plant. Unappreciated and untended, chicory reached the height of popularity during WW II when its ground and roasted roots became a […]
Though the current weather conspires against much activity outside, the pollinators are having none of that. Between the countless butterflies, moths, dragonflies, and bees, the garden is swarming with activity, sounds, and life. The coneflowers and black cohosh are particularly popular now though others like Queen Anne’s lace, black-eyed Susies, hostas and roses are not […]
The daylillies are out in force. The only thing I despise about daylilies is that each of their flowers are out for only a day and then need to be trimmed off so the stem does not collapse into the foliage. Still it is a contemplative exercise where I watch the pollinators taking their turns, […]
It is Flower Friday! And here are a few of the flowers that are populating my garden (trust me there are lots more)! Black cohosh: This highly fragrant native plant, spreads easily and has a long history of medicinal uses. The bees love it too. Musk mallow (Malus alcea): This pretty, though invasive plant from […]