Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
While December has been colder than normal and we have had a couple of snows, the last being nearly 4 inches, there are still harvests to be had from the garden. I have two large cold frames holding a half dozen different cold-tolerant greens. Carrots, Swiss chard, and sorrel are on their own as are […]
This time in November, the only flowers that are typically still in bloom sit on the branches of the witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Unlike most understory trees, witch hazel blooms in the late fall with delicate, little buttery yellow bundles of soft, slightly sweet smelling flowers. At the end of the season, all the leaves […]
In many ways, Spring is appropriately named. Its pent-up anticipation prior to the arrival of the equinox is akin to that of a child, Christmas morning, held back, unable to run to the tree to open his or her gifts. There are a few signs: snowdrop and muscari bulbs emerging, the slight greening of willows, […]
For the last few days, our feeders have been bombarded by countless goldfinches. They perch on a small dogwood in the back like so many Christmas ornaments waiting their turn at one of the feeders we have scattered around the property. This morning their numbers seemed to increase with a dusting of snow that added […]
There are some plants that are easily fooled by brief changes in the weather. In my yard, the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) is that plant. When the first hint of warm weather arrives, as it did this past week, the leaves explode with abandon. Every warm day above 50 degrees, these appendages appear to double […]
In New England, you never feel that Winter has arrived until it snows. Cold is always expected but until the brown and gray ground is covered with the first blanket of clean, white snow, Winter is just a date on the calendar. A layer of snow on the ground is proof that the temperature is […]
Every day I look out toward the garden, I see little change. All of the plants and the grounds seem suspended in time. The growing season is over and the napping season has begun. The dominant color is brown, with the occasional sound of a dried-up leaf scraping against the patio slates, pushed by the […]
This first weekend of Fall is apropos given its cold, rainy start. The heat comes on as we wake to remove the dawn’s chill now that temperatures in the low 50s put us to sleep each night. The clicking and gurgle of water in the radiators replaces the morning chirps of birds now that windows […]
There is no way getting around it: it is hot. After spending four hours being transported to the trailhead in Clinton, MO, we are ready to hit the road. And after a quick lunch we do just that. We face a stiff breeze as we start our 38 mile ride to Sedalia. The crushed stone […]
The irony was not lost on either Juana or I. After over six weeks in the tropics where the temperature never dropped below 70 degrees, we come back home to a Nor’easter and 6 inches of snow. The first thing we did upon arriving late in the day was to don our snow boots and […]