Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
For the next week or so, my buddy Ted and I will be viewing nature from the respective saddles of our bikes along the D&L Trail in Pennsylvania. Unlike other trips where we have gone in a single direction, we will be starting in Bristol, PA going to Black Diamond, PA and then back over […]
Pruning is a chore that I take on when I am in a contemplative mood or have something I need to ponder. Between the care needed to properly shape a given plant and the issue I need to work out in my head, I am in a happy place outside with a plant that needs […]
When it is a sunny day and I am not in the garden I can often be found on my bike. One of the things I love about riding is that it gives me the ability to see plants along the road that I would normally miss. And right now the chicory (Cichorium intybus) is […]
Volunteers in the garden are a mixed blessing. For every golden rod (Solidago) that finds its way into my yard, there are more than a few Japanese stilt grasses (Microstegium vimineum) and mugworts (Artemisia vulgaris) that I could do without. Recently I discovered a large patch of poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) growing near the border […]
“Do you still plan to have a class?,” questioned Joy on my cell phone. “It’s raining here in Danbury.” That heads-up caused me to move my setup for my propagation class that had been ready since 10:30 in the morning from the patio to the garage quickly. Luckily, it didn’t take that much time and […]
Now that it is summer, my granddaughters Charlotte and Olivia will be spending a few days with us each week. Never one to ignore the opportunity for free labor, I put Charlotte to task in helping me prepare sachets. I use them as a kick-off aromatherapy exercise during my talks promoting my book, A Therapist’s […]
My pollinator patch experiment worked! For the last two years nothing grew adjacent to the street where my town put in a curb and filled in with extremely poor quality soil. By layering in a yard of compost along with red and white clover as well as a wildflower mix, the eight-foot border has sprung […]
As the harvest of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) is about to end, other berries are teed up to take their place. Our low-bush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium) will start to ripen in the next week or so with minimal overlap. Protected by bird netting, we have a great crop coming with three different cultivars that deliver […]
The pitcher plants (Sarracenia) in my carnivorous plant garden are awake and hungry. I became fascinated with these bug-chomping specimens over a decade ago when I visited @california_carnivores and saw their collection. Initially, I had only a few in pots that wintered over in my garage. But like many gardeners a few is never enough […]
I have never seen rose hips this big. The largest are 1.5 inches in diameter, looking more like a tiny Granny Smith apple (to which they are related) than the pollinated flower of a native rose. Given their size and number, this might be the year to make rose hip jelly. I will have to […]