Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
In writing A Therapist’s Garden, I have received so much help from so many people. But in certain ways it is a family affair with my sister-in-law Rosana @artbyrosana drawing a wonderful cover and plate illustrations and Juana my wife tasked with providing two dozen spot illustrations that appear within the book’s pages. Botanical illustrations […]
Even better than finding the blueprint of the greenhouse adjacent to my house (formerly a barn)has been the discovery of the formal garden plans and plant list of the estate. Consisting of over 100 different plant types and 2000 individual plants, it is a wonderful view of what the back of the estate appeared to […]
The amaryllis is decadent. After a month or so, it has exploded with three stalks, the first one of which has six incredible flowers. Even though its whiteness implies chasteness, its excess implies something quite different. It towers over the other tinier plants that surround it in our solarium. This room is where we keep […]
Bone chilling cold. Taking the compost out, the temperature, or lack of one, takes my breadth away. At 10 F in the shade, each puff hurts. When I exhale through my nostrils, little stalactites of ice form on my mustache. To me that is the sign of cold. Most the plants stoically stand, unmoved much […]
Every time I come back from the supermarket this time of year, I always return with a plant. Though spray roses from South America are always appreciated, I try to get plants that will live on in the years to come. Miniature daffodils (Narcissus Tete-a-Tete) are top of my list. Their bright yellow flowers brighten […]
At the entrance of a drab, red-bricked building hidden in the woods, I push the buzzer on the intercom, identifying myself and the persons I am there to see. A crackly, static-laden voice acknowledges my request, and after a minute the large, gray steel entry door swings open toward me. I am led down a […]
I don’t take light for granted in Winter. Between the many cloudy and inclement days, it greets us far too infrequently. This morning, the low-rising sun shines straight through the solarium’s windows hitting the paperwhite (Narcissus papyraceus), illuminating its fragrant petals. The flower glows in the clean, morning daylight.The light brightens the nearby amaryllis spikes […]
2021 in review. Better late than never. These are among the most favored by me and others of the Instagram posts I made last year in seasonal succession. Included is a brief recap of each picture. In a little over 10 months, I have gone from zip to over 3,200 followers. Thank you all. Bunnies […]
Nine plants that should NOT be growing and green on New Year’s Day in New England! We plant lots of conifers and other evergreens to keep our yard in color during the midst of Winter. But the unseasonably warm weather is causing all kinds of unwanted greenery and growth way before it should. I may […]
Just when the gardens have been put to bed, it is time to order seeds for the coming year. I get most of mine from Fedco Seeds, which has a great selection of heirlooms as well as good prices. Before I order, I go through the seeds I still have from the prior year to […]