Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Before the frost, I took stock of my garden and started to bed down and clean up the soil. We have had an unusually warm and dry fall and yet to have a frost by the end of October. But such luck was about to run out as the forecast predicted an evening in the […]
The other day Juana, Charlotte and I walked into town to visit the local Farmer’s Market. It was an usually warm day that was counterbalanced by the falling leaves and the colors of fall. There were only a few stands with produce but they were thoroughly stocked. We were expecting the fall crops of peppers, […]
It was strange to see woolly bear caterpillars in late July. These inaccurate prognosticators of winter usually make their appearances in late August or early September as a first brush with cooler winds reminds us that fall is just around the corner. But this buggy memento of changing weather was not the only hint that […]
August is the time of year where I can kick back a bit and survey the garden without guilt. The rapid planting and weeding of spring is long since over and the clean up and pruning of fall has yet to come. It is too hot to split wood (at least that is what I […]
In the Northeast we seem to be caught in a perpetual shower. The days are gray with light peaking through irregularly never long enough to dry a single plant. We have not had a sunny day for the last 10 days nor are we forecasted to have one for the next 10. I continue to […]
Today’s downpour courteous Tropical Storm Andrea is yet another example of the unexpected typical weather patterns we have had this year. Over the past week the temperatures have varied from the low 40s to the mid 90s. We went from no rain for 10 days to 6 inches in one. It continues to amaze me […]
Last weekend was the first where it was evident that spring has arrived. Warm winds had melted the remaining snow of Easter and my raised beds were no longer caked with a permafrost layer binding the soil in a frozen, unworkable mass. The gardens could now have their blanket of remains removed. The first rake […]
The moment Juana and I stepped off the plane from Florida, we realized that we were not in the tropics anymore: The temperature was 50 degrees less than what we had become used to and the early green of southern dogwoods and oaks were replaced by the skeletons of their northern relatives. This mattered little, […]
Sometimes a gardener feels like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day constantly repeating actions done the day before. Perhaps it is just a sign of age that time appears to quicken but today was such as day for me as I went outside to get wood, tidy up and take a last glance at […]
As I sit cuddled up to my wood stove, I can only imagine how lovely the flowers and trees will look in a few months. That was not the case last week as I worked on my tan in the Florida Keys with my skinny white legs acting as a beacon to bugs and a […]