Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Sunflowers are the most amazing flower that I grow. From a very tiny seed emerges a plant that can reach over 8 feet in height. They tease you for a few months, getting higher and higher with little to show beyond large, pendulous leaves. Then a little head forms that quickly explodes into a large […]
Day lilies are aptly named for their ephemeral flower. I became all too aware of this upon my return home. When I left 10 days ago, there were just buds. When I returned, there were hundreds of flowers in bloom and even more that were spent. Time to dead-head. It’s important to do this for […]
It’s easy to forget plants stored in the basement. Such was the case with nearly a dozen amaryllis bulbs that were sitting in a dark corner. I brought them out about a month ago, now discovering Christmas in July.
Olivia and my newly budding amaryllis are two of my most lovely flowers in bloom. We have nearly 20 bulbs in the basement that we start to bring up prior to Christmas, continuing through the early spring. Once the flowers are gone and the weather warms, they are placed outside to refresh themselves for the […]
This time in November, the only flowers that are typically still in bloom sit on the branches of the witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Unlike most understory trees, witch hazel blooms in the late fall with delicate, little buttery yellow bundles of soft, slightly sweet smelling flowers. At the end of the season, all the leaves […]
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 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 […]
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, […]