Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
The garden in December continues to deliver meals. This dinner—potato-leek soup,Swiss chard-ham quiche, radish and greens salad, potato bread—came out of the garden fresh as could be. The salad was particularly amazing with new greens emerging and the radishes holding up against the daily frosts. We still have some leeks in the garden that have […]
My September seeding of claytonia (miner’s lettuce) is paying off in the cold frame as its leaves are ready to munch on. Though some of the more delicate greens are fading, this one pops back even after the coldest of mornings. I place a heart-shaped leaf into my mouth and bite down. A slight sweetness […]
Juana reminds me that we could use a line of bulbs along the fence that was extended late Summer. Outside the fence is now inside. All of the local stores are out of daffodils filling their spaces with Christmas effluvia, but great deals can be had from mail order companies. I am able to get […]
We have had more Indian Summer days this season than for the last 10. A fleeting freeze followed up by days of balmy weather confuses not only people but the plants surrounding us. The first seasonal misfit I find is a lone buttercup emerging from the bed of wild strawberry leaves surrounding it. Its tiny […]
Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium) is one of my favorite grasses that persist well into Winter. Developing expansive seed heads that turn a purplish brown, it waves to and fro in even the most gentle breeze with a soft and pleasing rustle. Its stalks become a light brown but not a dry looking brown as […]
Japanese maples continue to be the last to lose their leaves. They stubbornly hang onto them almost as long as do oaks. All the large Japanese maples planted on our property started as seedlings on Long Island over 30 years ago. We brought them over in pots and today they surround the house. Other smaller […]
Autumn light is unique. Spaces that have been in constant shade for months now are illuminated with dappled light and colors. The carpet of newly fallen leaves each day changes with the light of each hour. It is noisier season as a scampering chipmunk sends up rustles of sound with every step and leap. I […]
In the dark days of Winter many of us keep an eye peeled for signs of Spring. A lone crocus, snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis) or grape hyacinth (Muscari) is hoped for. This time of year I look for some of the final Fall flowers. One of my favorites is saffron (Crocus sativus). Leaves of saffron appear […]
New plants pop up in our yard all the time and white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) is one of the latest. This native herb, part of the aster family, has a lovely, late-blooming flower that has established itself on the edge of my yard where the grassy/weedy lawn stops and a wide herbaceous border begins. Unlike […]
Walking down the driveway this morning for the newspaper, I see the effects of the first frost. The raised bed where string beans and sunflowers stood tall only weeks ago is covered with a powder-sugar veneer of white. The sunflower stumps stand erect but appear to shiver at the first extreme cold of the season. […]