Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Working with Rosana on the illustrations for my book has been a real pleasure. Many of the plates she has created represent an amalgam of the stories crafted for each month. Occasionally, however, being at the right place at the right time serves up the perfect idea. Can you figure out the inspiration for the […]
Every other week, I set up a horticultural production line to ready materials for my clients at Ann’s Place @annsplaceinc. This week’s chore is particularity taxing as I have two dozen bags of materials to kit up for my class on microgreens. Luckily, Juana is helping me put everything together. Though it is a bit […]
The sun is out and bright this morning with temperatures in the mid-40s. Though this is far from tropical, Juana and I take a walk around the gardens looking for signs of life. Upon opening the door to the greenhouse, we are met with a blast with humid, hot air. The indoor thermometer says it […]
A Therapist’s Garden Giveaway!! To further tempt you to purchase my book, I am offering anyone who plans to or has pre-ordered my book one of four customized bookplate stickers. Each bookplate (derived from Rosana’s @artbyrosana illustrations) represents Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. And I will inscribe it anyway you would like (within reason and […]
Flowers are always on the supermarket list this time of year. Part of Juana’s Winter survival strategy is to decorate as many windowsills as possible with fragrant and flowering plants.The kitchen sill has daffodils (Narcissus), primrose (Primula vulgaris), a lone cyclamen, and my grasshead. Many of the tiny pots get cycled out every couple of […]
“Everyone put on your glasses,” I tell my clients at Ann’s Place @annsplaceinc. “I think you all need some motivation when you make your grassheads. Given what you see, who or what will you use as a model?”It’s a comical sight, over a dozen clients stacked on a screen wearing faux Groucho Marx glasses. (I […]
In writing A Therapist’s Garden, I have received so much help from so many people. But in certain ways it is a family affair with my sister-in-law Rosana @artbyrosana drawing a wonderful cover and plate illustrations and Juana my wife tasked with providing two dozen spot illustrations that appear within the book’s pages. Botanical illustrations […]
Amazingly, a potted rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) that as a lark I left in the greenhouse for the Winter continues to live on. I did not expect this as we have had many nights where the temperature gets down to the single digits Fahrenheit. In the past, we have attempted to bring rosemary plants into the […]
Juana gave me this card for my birthday last year and it pretty much sums up my feelings. We are a family of readers and gardeners so our library per se is scattered in the many bookcases throughout our house. I have concentrated most of the gardening books in my office, who’s bookcases used to […]
I’m not sure when I got the idea about writing a book about my horticultural therapy experiences, but it was probably around the time Charlotte was born. I was pretty much retired and Juana and I were taking care of Charlotte during the day and my horticultural therapy program was starting at Ann’s Place. Prior […]