Back in therapy
After a long absence, I’ve returned to giving classes at Ann’s Place. It hasn’t been from lack of desire or planning but from a combination of illness, vacation and bad weather that has kept me away for two-and-a-half months. I decide to start out with an easy exercise in making vanilla but as it takes […]
Second time sweet
This is the second time that I have run a class on flavored vinegars. Last year’s activity attracted a large crowd who loved all of the different flavors we were able to create. But with every new activity I need to add a twist to keep it interesting as I have a few repeat clients […]
Bringing up baby
You can never tell what will grab the imagination of a client. An activity that you consider silly others will embrace as essential. Such has been the case with the grassheads exercise I did a at Ann’s Place. While everyone happily took their bald babies home, I had no idea that a few would bring […]
Colors of spring
You wouldn’t know that it has changed seasons in New England as we keep getting “snow events,” a few times a week. The last one occurred a few days before Spring leading the vast majority of my clients to cancel out on me due to the inclement weather. The weather of the past few months […]
Growing up
You can never tell how well (or badly) a horticultural therapy will be received. My last session on growing an early kitchen spring garden maxed out with a baker’s dozen of clients who crammed around the table. It appeared that some just came not expecting what to get out of the day, but the idea […]
Everything old is new again
As a teacher or mentor, after a while certain classes become old hat through repetition. Such is becoming the case with some of the activities I schedule with my clients at Ann’s Place. Last week we made fragrant sachets to kick off this year’s therapy. The winter is often a challenging time to be “horticultural” […]
A smelly start
When I start a horticultural therapy session, I always try to break the ice with something unexpected. It can be some freshly picked berries from nearby bushes that the birds and animals have missed or slug-free greens that I just pulled from my garden. This time of year, however, the pickings are quite slim. When […]
Therapy on hold
It’s been too long since I have last posted, which has been due to a combination of events out of my control. The first, and perhaps most relevant, is that I am between horticultural therapy programs. I am no longer working at Green Chimneys as a volunteer, as my mentor has moved on to other […]
Cutting flowers, exposing memories
Part of the practice of horticultural therapy is to help clients work through or at least realize their challenges. Before you can begin to do that, particularly for emotional or social issues, you must first gain the trust of your client. In working with the children at Green Chimneys I have found that one of […]
Leaves of three, let them be
The morning was crisp and cold but with cloudless skies promising a much warmer day. The back gardens at Ann’s Place were as I left them last fall with a blanket of straw covering everything I planted last November but with one big difference: daffodils. The 3,400 daffodils I planted last year have come in […]