Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Starting to bud out, the crabapple tree (Malus) in the back still has quite a few fruits hanging from its branches. This collection of shriveled orbs, has withstood the test of Winter as well as the local bird population. It is often the last of the fruit to be cleared off my plants by the […]
I can’t say that I am going to miss the kitting up for my zoom classes. This one, where we are making seed bombs and plant signs is full with 20 clients and has a lot of parts. Seed bombs are part of gorilla gardening where you put wildflower seeds into compost/soil and air dry […]
The initial response to my book, A Therapist’s Garden, has been generous and encouraging. Two of the unsung heroes for its success are my wife Juana and sister-in-law Rosana. Their tireless efforts toward illustrating the many plants and places within A Therapist’s Garden adds an essential element to the mood and message of the book. […]
Warming days and drier soil leads me to multiple days of Spring cleanup. The remnants of Winter are raked away to make room for the emerging growth. I always know it is time once the larger daffodil (Narcissus) and tulip (Tulipa) leaves start to penetrate the leaf litter. If I don’t get the Fall leaves […]
Early Spring bouquets! Even though the flowers are mostly tiny, that does not take away from their inherent beauty. Crocus’s and snowdrops (Galanthus) in the first tiny vase and a much larger selection in the second brighten up our kitchen table. Credit Juana for the lovely selection. If you look carefully, in the second vase […]
After a long journey, A Therapist’s Garden is finally available. It has been an exciting trip that so many people have made possible. My family, particularly my wife Juana, have been wonderfully supportive in this multi-year sojourn. Friends and early readers gave me the conviction to carry on and finish the manuscript. And then I […]
It’s time to start seeding! Because I am not sure about being able to get all the plants for my Ann’s Place clients wholesale, I am starting up what they will need for one of our classes in late May. In this class we make herbal hanging baskets. For it I am growing four herbs […]
Winter appears to be giving up. A final pre-Spring blast of warm weather has made all the snow a memory and early flowering plants have taken advantage of the opportunity. But the cold still remains as the ground is thawed only 3 inches deep. This makes walking across the property a bit treacherous as water […]
Ferns (𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑡𝑎) and mosses (𝐵𝑟𝑦𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑦𝑡𝑎) make good companions on this rock outcropping in our back yard. It always amazes me how nature takes advantage of the tiniest spaces and life germinates from them. The small but constant pressure of these plants and others help create the fissures that break apart the rocks on the hill […]
The March plate for my book, A Therapist’s Garden, captures the moment perfectly. The Spring equinox is just days away with flowers growing and birds returning. My sister-in-law Rosana @artbyrosana captures a lovely ideal of this time of year. Nearby trees are budding out while a lone robin watches for predators and prey. A homemade […]