Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
After recent rains, a few mushrooms have started to emerge on the property. Though my mushroom ID skills are fledging at best, I think this is a pear-shaped puffball (Apioperdon pyriforme). If so, it is a edible mushroom, which is somewhat confirmed by the many nibbles on this bunch. But taking no chances I will […]
Evening and early morning temperatures in the low 40s and high 30s signal to me that it is time to turn my raised beds into cold frames. Last year’s redesign of the frames with 3/4 inch PVC pipe and couplings let me double their size and create something much sturdier than that I had before. […]
It’s a perfect day to drive up to Millerton, NY, to pick up my yearly supply of organic soil for Ann’s Place. Between projects for my clients and the needs of the different gardens, I usually need about a yard of soil and compost. I get all my soil from McEnroe Farm who’s product has […]
If you are lucky enough to find a kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) you have found my favorite fall forage. Looking a bit much like depictions of the Covid-19 coronavirus, this fruit is ready to eat off the tree in early fall. It is absolutely delicious tasting much like a persimmon or to some a mango. […]
With the rain finally breaking and my knee on the mend, Juana, Olivia and I start to harvest the remaining tomatoes. All the plants have started to shrivel and the fruits are green with little prospect of changing color in this cooling month. Olivia decides to help herself to the basket of ripe, red cherry […]
Montauk daisies (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) are one of my favorite Autumn flowers. It is neither a daisy nor a chrysanthemum and has gorgeous blooms until the first hard frost. I first encountered it decades ago along the beaches of Long Island where I grew up. Once I found it, I had to have at least a […]
October’s cooling temperatures and fading vegetation represent the last breath of Mother Nature’s colorful splendor before dormancy takes over. The sun is accelerating its drop in the sky, casting long and a lasting shadows. Animals ready themselves for the cold months ahead by collecting nuts and other foods frantically. Gardeners and farmers, too, pick up […]
It’s a cloudy, cool day in Connecticut. Perfect for the first fire of the season. In anticipation of this day, Juana and I gathered branches of varying sizes a few weeks back, storing them in two old plastic milk crates for starter. There is a cord of well-seasoned wood stacked and covered on the property, […]
The sky is filled with migrating Vs of Canadian geese. Some are too high to discern their honking refrain, but others are low enough to perceive their song. It is too early for us to migrate South as yard clean up, holidays and inertia keep us put for at least the time being. But there […]
Beautyberry is one of my favorite autumn berry bushes (and one of the few to sport fruit this year). Its brightly colored berries persist through the season and are yet another of Nature’s late year bird feeders. Because of my location, I am not able to grow the Native American variety but its Japanese counterpart […]