Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Many of my horticultural therapy classes require lots of upfront work. My class on pressing flowers requires more than normal as I decide to give my clients a nicer flower press than I have in the past. But I admit I enjoy the challenge as it often brings out my inner Macgyver and engineer to […]
Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is one of my favorite summer flowers. Not only does it remind me of the Good & Plenty candy of my youth with its intense scent of licorice, but it attracts countless pollinators who can’t get enough of it. Neither can I.
A summer bouquet for a lovely meal.
End of July Summer flowers! Entering the dog days of Summer, a new variety of flowers take hold in my garden. Hydrangea: These multi-shaped, -colored blooms are perhaps the largest we have in the gardens. Hosta: Such big leaves! Such tiny flowers! Such a contrast! Zinnia: Early in our garden, this bright and erect flower […]
This smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens ‘Annabelle’) is an excess of flowering. Most of its blooms are over 10 inches in diameter causing us to support its thin stalks that collapse under their weight. It matters little to the bees and flies that enter and exit to sample its tasty treats.
On our travels along the D&L Trail I found many familiar flowers. Here are my faves in reverse order. 9. Blueweed (Echium vulgre): If this wasn’t so invasive, it would be much higher on my list. Its delicate bell shaped flowers host many a pollinator. It is scattered along the trail. 8. Queen Anne’s Lace […]
Pruning is a chore that I take on when I am in a contemplative mood or have something I need to ponder. Between the care needed to properly shape a given plant and the issue I need to work out in my head, I am in a happy place outside with a plant that needs […]
My pollinator patch experiment worked! For the last two years nothing grew adjacent to the street where my town put in a curb and filled in with extremely poor quality soil. By layering in a yard of compost along with red and white clover as well as a wildflower mix, the eight-foot border has sprung […]
I have never seen rose hips this big. The largest are 1.5 inches in diameter, looking more like a tiny Granny Smith apple (to which they are related) than the pollinated flower of a native rose. Given their size and number, this might be the year to make rose hip jelly. I will have to […]
The first daylily (Hemerocallis) has emerged, a true sign of summer. These ephemeral blooms come and go in the blink of an eye but define the season so completely with their lovely and expressive forms. Even though this one will disappear tomorrow, there are plenty to take its place.