Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Harvesting a salad the other day, I notice that the two cutting celery (Apium graveolens) plants in one of the cold fames is nibbled to the ground. Looking at the other greens, there is little to no rodent damage, which is strange given how much was removed from the celery. Looking more closely, I am […]
The cold frames continue to deliver greens for fresh salads. The afternoon temperature is just hitting 40 F so it is a good time to pull some greens. I first grab carrots (Daucus carota ssp sativus), which are still loose in the soil. I harvest just enough for tonight and take a bite of one […]
We continue to harvest food from our New England garden even though we have just celebrated the beginning of a new year. The temperatures are above freezing so it’s a good time to see what can be harvested and consumed.We still have a few greens from the other day left over so I decide to […]
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 […]
Conifers are perhaps the most thought of Christmas greenery for many cultures. There is, however, a rich history of holiday greens celebrating the Winter Solstice going back to pre-Christian times. Four of the oldest, three of which I have pictures of, are holly, ivy, mistletoe and laurel. All of these plants share being evergreen and […]
The final strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) harvest of Sunday was also the first of our blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum). I have been spying them from a distance looking for when an entire berry rather than just one side becomes blue. Our birds have been cross with me as their attempts to penetrate the defensive veil encasing […]
Two days ago the annual Summer Solstice celebration was held at @annsplaceinc. I delayed it for a day because of weather and we were rewarded with a near perfect day. Because of the day change I lost a few clients but the ones who came had a fabulous time. With this celebration, I chat with […]
I needed to mow our lawn this weekend as tall tufts of grass stand high over adjacent dormant patches. Unlike many aficionados of a lawn comprising a monoculture of grass that is as smooth as a championship golf green, my undulating and ankle-spraining turf has countless varieties of plants. And I intend to keep it […]
One of the wonders of the world is how easy Mother Nature has made it to propagate baby plants from existing ones. Anyone with a little bit of curiosity and care can reproduce many baby plants from a single one. Not counting seeds, there are many different ways to propagate a plant where you will […]