Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Strong winds blow off one of the plastic panes covering the cold frame. Luckily nothing shattered so I am able to easily replace it. But upon close inspection, I discover that I am not the only one who is lucky. There is digging in the soil and the tops of all the carrots (Daucus carota […]
Juana was cleaning out the closet the other day and found two of the many bibs she made for Charlotte years ago. The first, with vegetables and fruit, and the second, with farm animals, had been stored with the hope that someday another grandchild would be able to wear them. And that day is now […]
Every other week, I set up a horticultural production line to ready materials for my clients at Ann’s Place @annsplaceinc. This week’s chore is particularity taxing as I have two dozen bags of materials to kit up for my class on microgreens. Luckily, Juana is helping me put everything together. Though it is a bit […]
The pickings are slim for fresh greens in February. After a long spate of very cold weather that was below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, the cold frame is not serving up much. But a break in the cold gives me a chance to look things over. Both the corn salad (Valerianella locusta) and miners lettuce (Claytonia) […]
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 […]
My tiny greenhouse sits upon the foundation of the original greenhouse that used to supply food and flowers for the estate that my house, formerly a barn, used to be a part of. When we purchased our home over 30 years ago, I discovered that it used to be heated with a coal furnace. There […]
Though it has warmed a bit, I decide to start some microgreens early. Prior to the big freeze we had last week, I brought in the two trays of Corn salad (Valerianella locusta) I had dug up in the fall. They had been surviving well in my greenhouse, but I did not want to tempt […]
The unrelenting cold is hopefully breaking but it is putting everything to task. The birdbath has but a tiny zone of water that the birds queue up to drink. I need to refill the liquid-zone at least once a day. I decide to take a look at the cold frame and all the frozen moisture […]
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 […]