Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
This growing season continues to mete out surprises. Last week the golden rod was blooming and this week the blackberries started to arrive in the middle of blueberry season. Not that Charlotte was complaining. Yesterday we went to pick blueberries and she noted, “Pompi (her name for me,) there are blackberries to pick!” Before I […]
July is when most things in the garden start their growth sprint. Tomato plants can seem to double in size in a few days after a heavy rain and bright muggy days. Lettuces will bolt overnight given high temperatures and bright sun. And if one is not diligent, weeds will overtake everything. Such summer garden […]
If June is the month for strawberries, then July is the same for blueberries. There were a few ready last week but this morning the bushes are laden with enough berries that are blue rather than the pale immature white ones. The morning is still cool and the ground moist with dew as the sun […]
Though Memorial Day is the first unofficial day of Summer, it often does not live up to its billing. This weekend has been like that as yesterday’s relative warmth has been eclipsed by today’s rain and chill. Biting rain propelled by brisk winds have created a gray day where indoor activities are pursued instead of […]
Getting off the plane from Phoenix on Friday morning it seemed as if we entered a different world. The morning was cool and wet rather than the hot and dry weather we had become used to over the prior week. But the most remarkable thing about our return was the transformation of the landscape. Prior […]
April is the month when you are unsure about how and when you will start your seedlings. The desire to get an early jump on the year is governed by the weather and the temperature of the soil. Often I start a few flats of greens in March with the hope of transplanting them into […]
All frosts are not created equal. The first often arrives in October as a sprinkling of powered sugar on the roof of my house and pickup truck. Unlike that sweet confection, it disappears with first light and is easy to miss if one is late to wake or not attentive. There are a few other […]
We were lucky. The weather was great and everything and one showed up when they were supposed to. I often fret too much about working with large corporate volunteer groups at Ann’s Place as I want to ensure that everything occurs without a hitch. So when I did not get an e-mail or phone call […]
When you are away from your garden for even the smallest amount of time, compared to being away from a loved one, days seem like months. The garden I left was not the garden I came back to. As expected the most significant change is in the amount and size of weeds. The garden left […]
When my father planted tomatoes, he told me that the best time for them to go into the ground was when, "the size of an oak leaf is the size of a squirrel's paw." At best this is an approximation as it is difficult to have a squirrel hold still to compare its paw with […]