Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
While it is snowing today and recoating the ground with a clean white blanket, earlier this week we were treated to one of the typical albeit unpredictable thaws that often occurs in late January or early February. A southern storm moved up the coast doubling the temperature to a balmy 55 degrees and dumped three […]
I was hoping that this winter would be milder so that I could get some greens from the garden, but with night time temperatures in the single digits and the beds as hard as rock, nothing is growing. Technically, little grows in the winter garden as it is merely a refrigerator for certain plants holding […]
Santa and relatives were very good to me this year as I received a surfeit of books and tools for the garden. One of the books, Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart, was a real eye opener as I never realized how dangerous and deadly are many of the plants that reside in our garden. I […]
This is the longest stretch I have not been blogging since I started this endeavor almost six months ago. It has not been for lack of topics but rather lack of time as the Christmas season can easily consume any spare moments. Making preparations for Santa more than makes up for the time I get […]
We went to get our Christmas tree this past weekend but before we left we got a two-inch blast of snow that left a clear coat of white over the garden and the rest of the yard. So before the snow arrived I took one last tour of the garden to see if there had […]
Being an early riser I have always loved to walk the garden in the morning. I don’t know why, as if like the fable, “Jack and the Beanstalk,” a huge vine will manifest itself the day after I have planted it. But I believe that I enjoy being out and around early because it is […]
A little over a month ago the construction crews and equipment pulled out and the last bit of seeding for my lawn was complete. It was now time to wait. As I have mentioned in prior posts, I am attempting to create a no-mow lawn from five different varieties of fescue seed that will require […]
GroHappy has been a bit quiet for the last week or so not for lack of ideas or activities but because of them. Casa Keller has been a whirlwind of activity as we have been reclaiming our yard and replanting bulbs, shrubs, grass and trees. The septic men have left and with their departure came […]
Every time I tempt my family into the garden, I am often accused of inflicting horticultural therapy upon them. They may be right. My wife needs little prompting, as she better appreciates the diversity of plants than I and finds great solace in nature’s grasp. My daughters are a different story as when I have […]
With Labor Day a recent memory, we are now entering the days between the end of corporate summer and those of the calendar. These are teaser days on the cusp of seasons as they serve up cool nights promising of fall and warm hot afternoons reminding us of what we will soon be missing. Such […]