Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
It’s garlic planting time. It is a bright crisp day with only a few clouds painting the sky and a slight breeze rustling the trees. The trees are still holding onto their leaves, unusual at the time when I plant garlic. My bowl of garlic is a combination of the largest bulbs from the July […]
It’s a perfect day to drive up to Millerton, NY, to pick up my yearly supply of organic soil for Ann’s Place. Between projects for my clients and the needs of the different gardens, I usually need about a yard of soil and compost. I get all my soil from McEnroe Farm who’s product has […]
If you are lucky enough to find a kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) you have found my favorite fall forage. Looking a bit much like depictions of the Covid-19 coronavirus, this fruit is ready to eat off the tree in early fall. It is absolutely delicious tasting much like a persimmon or to some a mango. […]
With the rain finally breaking and my knee on the mend, Juana, Olivia and I start to harvest the remaining tomatoes. All the plants have started to shrivel and the fruits are green with little prospect of changing color in this cooling month. Olivia decides to help herself to the basket of ripe, red cherry […]
Montauk daisies (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) are one of my favorite Autumn flowers. It is neither a daisy nor a chrysanthemum and has gorgeous blooms until the first hard frost. I first encountered it decades ago along the beaches of Long Island where I grew up. Once I found it, I had to have at least a […]
October’s cooling temperatures and fading vegetation represent the last breath of Mother Nature’s colorful splendor before dormancy takes over. The sun is accelerating its drop in the sky, casting long and a lasting shadows. Animals ready themselves for the cold months ahead by collecting nuts and other foods frantically. Gardeners and farmers, too, pick up […]
It’s in between seasons and a pending surgery on my knee affords me the opportunity to observe and contemplate more than is typical in the garden. Walking around the property, crutch in arm, I take a close look at a rhododendron that is suffering no doubt to the lack of rain. I will need to […]
In a few days, Autumn will arrive but new and familiar flowers continue to surprise. The latest additions are autumn crocuses that emerged over the weekend next to the lupines I seeded a year ago. Their unusually large form, emerging from the ground with a white stem transforming into light, blue petals seems so ephemeral. […]
After I finish watering the gardens, I grab the compost bucket to feed the pile. Walking by Juana’s kitchen herb patch, I notice on my left the nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) leaves holding droplets of water that look like tiny, shimmering jewels. Only a few can manage this balancing act. Upon closer inspection, they appear more […]
Setting up in the garage for my horticultural therapy classes is getting easier with practice. This one is about growing greens in the Fall and Winter, which excites and puzzles some of my clients. “It’s not that hard to grow greens year round if you know just a little bit about what to plant and […]