Time for May wine
With the beginning of May and a full moon comes the time to harvest sweet woodruff and make May wine. This concoction originated in Germany (Maiwein) and has been used for hundreds of years to treat a variety of ailments. Juana and I make it every year because it is so delish. The recipe is […]
Pretty but stinky in purple
The American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’) is blooming in spectacular fashion at @annsplaceinc. We planted this many years ago as part of a corporate donation, which funded the building of this arbor and a meditative labyrinth below our parking lot. Growth in the beginning was spotty as none of the local deer in the […]
Pollinator spaces
Juana and I admire the emerging pollinator garden at Ann’s Place. I recently planted sunflower (Helianthus) seedlings to complement the other plants that butterflies and other insects love. The perennials include: Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) Lavender (Lavandula intermedia Phenomenal) Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Coneflower (Echinacea) Shadbush serviceberry (Amelanchier canadensis) Allium Last year aphids wiped out the […]
An unseasonable afternoon
On an unusually sunny and warm afternoon in the mid-50s F, Juana and I make our way down to New Haven harbor to kill some time. The mostly rocky shoreline has few people and action except for an elderly man feeding the birds with great bursts of bread crumbs. It is low tide, and a […]
Hanging herb baskets
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 […]
Horticultural therapy zooming
When Covid hit nearly a year ago and Juana and I hunkered down, part of that exercise was to cancel my horticultural therapy classes at Ann’s Place. By early summer, however, I opened sessions that were socially distanced outside to a small number of clients. After the typical hiccups of any new setup, the classes […]
Making hay
When you live in the suburbs, it’s easy to forget the purpose of grassy fields. It’s not to hold the soil of fallow ground, but to harvest for fodder or bedding. I was surprised a few days ago as one of my favorite fields had been mowed and the cut grass was in the process […]
Pollinator pathways
I have been spending a lot of time at Ann’s Place over the last week as the weeds are starting their summer march toward domination. If I (and my trusty team of volunteers) don’t make a solid stand now, it is likely that we will lose the war of keeping these invaders in check. Ironically, […]
Home fruit
This weekend we are in Antigua, Guatemala, for a family wedding. They say that Guatemala is the land of eternal Spring and I can’t disagree. When we got off the plane, a waft of warm fragrant air and the sound of marimbas told us we were no longer in frosty Connecticut. The drive to Antigua […]
Snow seedlings
Often the effects of nature arrive in lumps or large batches. This was more than the case this week with my beds of seedlings and the foot plus of snow sprouting up and falling down, respectively. I planted three trays last week thinking that perhaps I was a bit late. But upon checking my past […]