Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is one of my favorite summer flowers. Not only does it remind me of the Good & Plenty candy of my youth with its intense scent of licorice, but it attracts countless pollinators who can’t get enough of it. Neither can I.
A summer bouquet for a lovely meal.
Sun tea is a quick and easy drink to enjoy on a hot summer’s day. I try to make a batch every week that I will put into the fridge to consume later. Though it is called sun tea, I don’t put any real tea in my concoctions but mints, flowers and herbs from my […]
Beans and more beans are in the garden. I am pulling both bush beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) as well as those of the pole variety (Phaseolus coccineus). This veg can be tricky as it hides well under its large and expressive leaves. Pushing aside a leaf, long pendulous legumes hang waiting to be harvested. This year, […]
This drawing of my granddaughter Charlotte by my sister-in-law Rosana perfectly captures the Summer we have together picking flowers, berries and watching the clouds float by. The dog days of Summer arrive this month when the potential for unrelenting heat, afternoon thunderstorms, and extreme weather define each day. It is the hot counterpart to February, […]
It’s never too soon to get children in the garden so when we needed to get some vegetables for lunch, Olivia comes along to lend a hand. Standing on the edge of the raised beds, she reaches down to grab a carrot. With a tiny tug, she pulls out a couple of smaller samples staring […]
End of July Summer flowers! Entering the dog days of Summer, a new variety of flowers take hold in my garden. Hydrangea: These multi-shaped, -colored blooms are perhaps the largest we have in the gardens. Hosta: Such big leaves! Such tiny flowers! Such a contrast! Zinnia: Early in our garden, this bright and erect flower […]
It is a strange summer. And I am not sure if some of my plants in the garden know what to make of it. Both the tomato and blueberry plants have been fruiting for nearly a month. Yet the fruits just sit, unripened. Blueberry harvests have been meager and we have yet to taste a […]
My publisher, @blackrosewriting, is running a special giveaway today on Kindle worldwide for my book, A Therapist’s Garden. So if you have been holding off on getting it, now is a great time to download it for free and sample my book. But be quick because it will last for today only! Enjoy!
With peach and blackberry season approaching, it is time to decant my artisanal vinegars and start afresh. I have making my own vinegars for nearly a decade after meeting Brother Victor-Antoine d’Avila-Latourrette, a Benedictine monk, at his monastery in Lagrangeville, NY. After he gave us a ‘mother starter’, which has its origins in Paris, I […]