Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Looking out my windows, I sometime feel as if I am on safari with all the animals making their way around my fencing. At least every other day, a fox or two trots by my back yard looking for prey to bring back to their dens. Recently, a fairly large gray coyote has been skulking […]
It’s time to pound pansies (Viola tricolor v. hortensis)! I had to corner the market for pansies and violas to get enough material for my next horticultural therapy class, ‘Pounding Flowers’. Though a class with the title of ‘Pounding Flowers’ sounds a bit cruel, everyone loves the final result, which are prints that take the […]
It is time before the sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) flowers to harvest it to make May wine. I was intoduced to this delightful beverage by the writings of Adelma Simmons, who used to run the legendary Caprilands Herb Farm in Coventry, CT. It is something that Juana and I enjoy every Spring. The recipe is […]
It has finally warmed up enough so I can move all my seedlings from the indoor germination table and light to the greenhouse. The tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) are in the most need of transplanting and Charlotte is here to help. With nearly 50 plants to pot up, she wields the Sharpie pen and labels each […]
The May plate by @artbyrosana Rosana for my book, A Therapist’s Garden, is one that most resembles my back yard. It is now a bit early for the roses, but the tulips are out in force brightening up our landscape and being cut daily for indoor flower arrangements. From the introduction of the month of […]
Last Saturday, April 24 was clean up day at @annsplaceinc and we had a full contingent of folks helping us. I was worried that it would be too late in the season, but a cool April kept most everything in statis. A bright, day, the crew weeded, raked, and spread 10 yards of Sweet Peet […]
Juana and I are experimenting to create a wildflower pollinator strip on the lower edge of our property. We decide to do this because for the last two years after the Town put in curbs and poor quality soil, nothing grows in this area. I get a yard of compost to amend the alleged soil […]
The greenhouse is getting crowded with the emergence of wintering over hibiscus, amaryllis and geraniums (Pelargonium) from the basement. A few make their way to the compost pile, unsuccessful in a seasonal transition. But I am confident that over half will reemerge anew. The amaryllises already had started to sprout ivory cream leaves looking to […]
It’s time to pull sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds off their dried heads. Toward the end of Fall I harvest the sunflower heads that have not been too attacked by birds or squirrels. They hang in the garage and the greenhouse drying for the next 5 months or so.Now is the time to liberate the seeds […]
It’s amaryllis time! Not just a Christmas flower.