Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
In the cold of Winter, eyes seek any type of color in the landscape. One surprise on the leafed woodland floor is the Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), a native plant to eastern North America. Unlike the larger and more showy natives like the royal fern (Osmunda regalis) and the tasty ostrich fern (Metteuccia struthiopteris), which […]
Nine plants that should NOT be growing and green on New Year’s Day in New England! We plant lots of conifers and other evergreens to keep our yard in color during the midst of Winter. But the unseasonably warm weather is causing all kinds of unwanted greenery and growth way before it should. I may […]
Today is the Summer Solstice. In pre-historic times, Summer was a joyous time of the year for those indigenous people who lived in the northern latitudes. The snow had disappeared; the ground had thawed out; warm temperatures had returned; flowers were blooming; leaves had returned to the deciduous trees. Some herbs could be harvested, for […]
Paper sundial One of the more favorite classes of my students at Ann’s Place is the making of sundials around the Spring equinox. It is challenging because while clients can be creative in some aspects of this craft, in others they need to have an exacting focus. Today’s class is a bit different as it […]
Miner’s lettuce My cold frame has emerged from the two feet of snow that has been hiding it since January. What was a cold dark tomb, is now a hot, humid space. Thus I can now start to direct-seed as well as transplant the first greens of the season. With any luck we will be […]
With over a foot and a half of snow on the ground, this does not seem the time to think about planting. But when it comes to carnivorous plants, now is exactly when you want to think about the year ahead. It is now that sellers of pitcher plants (Sarracenia) are dividing their larger specimens, […]
Looking outside at my snowy backyard I am comforted by the indoor greenery and flowers that sit in our solarium and throughout the house. This year is the first in quite a few where we have much growing inside this time of year; typically we are in the Florida Keys appreciating the tropical vegetation. But […]
River birch The end of January in New England signals that Winter is in full swing. With the exception of a few oaks (Quercus), all the deciduous trees have shed their leaves and without snow, a persistent grey often coats the ground. Though we wait for a more vibrant Spring, there are still many interesting […]
January is too soon to expect to see any of the early Spring bulbs to flower, but this can’t be said about Lenten roses (Helleborus). After the snow melt last week, a few buds emerged under its leathery dark green leaves from one of my plants in our side garden. A few flowers had started […]
Before After As we find ourselves accepting the arrival of Winter with its chilly winds and cold precipitations, garden pests are not top of mind. But for those of us who have cold frames or store prior harvests, this is a mistake. I have been nursing a wide variety of greens in a cold frame […]