Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
In preparing for the holidays, there is a tendency to go all out in decorations and floral excess. But sometimes a simple and single flower can be just as effective. This picture of a paperwhite (Narcissus papyraceus) rests on my wall and was taken over 30 years ago in our first house. The afternoon light […]
It’s a great day to cut down our Christmas tree! Over a decade ago, I decided that it was silly (and expensive) to go out “over the river and through the woods” to purchase a tree when my property has plenty of space to grow tiny conifers. So I planted over a dozen seedlings and […]
The final strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) harvest of Sunday was also the first of our blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum). I have been spying them from a distance looking for when an entire berry rather than just one side becomes blue. Our birds have been cross with me as their attempts to penetrate the defensive veil encasing […]
Two days ago the annual Summer Solstice celebration was held at @annsplaceinc. I delayed it for a day because of weather and we were rewarded with a near perfect day. Because of the day change I lost a few clients but the ones who came had a fabulous time. With this celebration, I chat with […]
Today is the Summer Solstice. In pre-historic times, Summer was a joyous time of the year for those indigenous people who lived in the northern latitudes. The snow had disappeared; the ground had thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were blooming; leaves had returned to the deciduous trees. Some herbs could be harvested, for […]
Last week’s horticultural therapy class on hanging herb baskets at @annsplaceinc went exceeding well with 23 clients signed up both on-site and remotely. The remote option is great for some clients going though cancer treatments who have the will but not the physical strength to make the trek to our center. I am happy to […]
The morning is a rough one for Shannon. A water pipe just burst in the basement and a storage room filled with client records is awash with water. She is stoic in going through dozens of boxes but I can tell she needs a break. “Come on, Shannon. You need some horticultural therapy,” I say […]
One of the wonders of the world is how easy Mother Nature has made it to propagate baby plants from existing ones. Anyone with a little bit of curiosity and care can reproduce many baby plants from a single one. Not counting seeds, there are many different ways to propagate a plant where you will […]
I had my last zoom horticultural therapy class this week at Ann’s Place. After a bit of a rocky start, we settled into a groove with good participation and satisfied clients. But with warmer weather on hand and increased vaccinations, it is time to move classes back to Ann’s Place in-person. (Not to mention that […]
Over a decade ago I started my GroHappy blog with the intention of writing about my adventures in gardening and horticultural therapy. And with the exception of a few bicycling chronologies, I have pretty much been keeping to that focus. But like all old plants, there is a time to repot, refresh and renew. So […]