Finally some new color arrives at our home. A long-to-flower amaryllis has finally bloomed. This bulb was purchased prior to Thanksgiving and has taken two months to emerge. It has been worth the wait.
Late bloom
Hangers on
I think the saddest tree in Winter is the pin oak. Holding onto its leaves for dear life seemingly, it is encased in a shroud of dried, dirty brown leaves until the Spring. It, like most oaks as well as beeches and hornbeams, retains its leaves because of marcescence. A simple way to describe this […]
Catalog fun
I watch now for the mail truck to come by so that I can quickly grab the latest garden catalog, peruse its pages and dream of plants and seeds to buy. The inherent emptiness of the garden creates a palette for the imagination. I have already ordered flower and vegetable seeds from Fedco, but there […]
Lunch time?
A lone hawk sits motionless on a Japanese maple branch hoping that an inattentive bird will feast at the feeder below. After a few minutes there are no takers and it flies away still looking for an afternoon meal.
Watching birds
The birds have pretty much picked clean all the berries and seed heads in the yard leaving bare branches and stalks in their wake. With the early warming rays of the sun, they flock to the feeders in the front and back of our house. Ground feeders like doves, pidgins, and juncos avoid the traffic […]
Snack time
Olivia tugs at my jacket indicating she wants a trip outside with her grandpa. Her first favorite stop is the swing set where I sing songs to her pushing her back and forth gently. A mostly toothless smile and chubby red cheeks greet me with each cycle. Next we head to the greenhouse where we […]
Forcing bulbs
This warm and snowless January leaves me with few things to consider. There is nothing to shovel, no tracks to identify, no squinting at the bright light reflecting off a white background. Thus my last class on forcing bulbs comes at an opportune time for me to break the gray monotony. The class is full […]
Collecting kindling
January has arrived (sort of). The temperatures are falling and nightly fires in the wood stove have become common. The kindling has nearly run out as has the wood bin in the garage. I enlist Juana to help me in both areas. About 10 trips with the log carrier gets the bin filled. It looks […]
Early Spring
An early Spring is rarely imagined and less often realized at the turn of the year. Yet today with the temperature cresting in the low 60s that is exactly what we have. I remove my bike from the shed and with an extra layer of clothing head off for the Titicus Reservoir, which supplies NYC […]
Year in review
2022 in review. It’s been another wonderful year in the garden. Here are a few highlights. January: Charlotte continues to be my trusty helper. Here she is seeding microgreens for me that we will munch on in the weeks ahead. March: The publication of my book, A Therapist’s Garden, and the many kind words readers […]