Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
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.
It’s that time of year when absolutely decadent and fragrant bouquets can be gathered every day from the garden. This combination of roses and peonies fills the bill nicely.
Foxgloves (Digitalis) are consistent volunteers in our gardens. After introducing them with seed and plants into our soil over 20 years ago, we have never had to again. We never know where this poisonous as well as medicinal plant will emerge and it doesn’t matter to us; we only move this biannual in the Fall […]
The American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’) is blooming in spectacular fashion at @annsplaceinc. We planted this many years ago as part of a corporate donation, which funded the building of this arbor and a meditative labyrinth below our parking lot. Growth in the beginning was spotty as none of the local deer in the […]
It’s flower Friday again! We can’t keep up with all the new blooms that emerge every week in the garden so here are the top ones. Chives (Allium schoenoprasum): This puffball of a flower is not only lovely but it has a scent with a big kick to it. Rhododendron: I have no idea of […]
Not mowing the lawn creates wonderful surprises. Against the fence, the fading daffodils (Narcissus) are counterbalanced against a thick row of lady’s smock (Cardamine pratensis). I will have to let the grass grow as I don’t have the heart to cut down this lovely expanse of wildflowers.
It’s flower Friday again and it’s getting harder to pick the top nine new flowers of the week. But at the top of the list is . . . . Lilac (Syringa vulgaris): Spectacular in bloom and scent, this flower was my mother’s favorite and one of mine. Snuggling up to a bloom, you want […]