Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
It’s strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) season! And even though Juana is feeling a bit under the weather, nothing stops her from going out to the two strawberry patches daily to pick the ripest of fruits before anyone (or thing) touches them. We pull back the protective netting to spot many perfectly shaped and colored berries. […]
The lovely purple flower and bright orange stigma of the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus) thrills nature lovers and cooks each Fall upon their emergence. But now, as the corm has gone dormant, I am tasked with the long delayed need to divide and propagate. Years ago to protect these rare and valuable corms, I created […]
Last Fall, my brother Craig gave me a large slab of cottonwood (Populus) that I have finally had the chance to turn into a bench for the garden. It sat all Winter in the shed curing and looked great with few cracks upon inspection. I get my belt and orbital sanders (and lots of sandpaper) […]
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 […]
Our lower vegetable garden was created less than 10 years ago as we ran out of space for everything we wanted to plant for food. Ironically one of the best places with ample sunshine is adjacent to the driveway next to the street. After extending our deer fence around it, and installing raised beds, we […]
Last week was a mad rush to finish planting up all the vegetable gardens. Both seeds and transplants from the greenhouse finally went into the soil. I have discovered that little is gained by planting early and much can be lost in stunted or killed plants effected by a late early-morning cold snap. In fact, […]
Checking out the garden this morning I discover that it has been visited by one of my nemeses: a chipmunk. Resting on the greenhouse wall next to the strawberry patch is a half-chewed, unripened strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa). Such a totem heralds the beginning of predation and fewer if any future berries to savor and […]
The fenced area around the well at McKeon Farm in Ridgefield has been a bit of a wasteland for years. The Ridgefield Conservation Commission put a tarp over it last year to kill a wide variety of invasive weeds. I volunteered to seed it with white and red clover (Trifolium repens/pratense) with the hopes of […]
Tulip Tuesday time!Juana takes me on a tour of the garden showing me just a few of the tulips she has planted over the years. Quite impressive I think!
It’s asparagus (or spargel in Germany if it is white) season in the garden. I slice the first delicate spear with my Swiss Army Knife and pop it into my mouth. It is delicious and tender needing no cooking. I grab a few others to cut into a salad this evening. Like zucchinis (Cucurbita pepo) […]