Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
I never thought violas had much of a scent until I stored four flats of them in my greenhouse prior to a horticultural therapy class. Opening its entrance in the morning, the sweet smell of a fragrant honey fills my lungs with warm, heavily scented air. I close the door enveloped by an ambrosia that […]
Though it looks like a Baltimore oriole is standing off against a Red-bellied woodpecker, they are just taking their turns at our suet feeder. Given the roaming of momma and two baby bears, the bird feeders are now limited to two small thistle feeders (brought in at night) and suet. I hope I am not […]
Six easy-to-find edible plants. This time of year is great for foraging greens in New England, particularly if your cultivated ones have yet to pop. Here are six of my favorites that are in my back yard now. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata): These plants are beginning to bolt with the leaves starting to taste increasingly […]
Juana always creates simple and lovely bouquets of flowers from our garden for our house. Given that it is Mother’s Day I need to get out early and freshen up the flowers for her.
Half of the makings for a strawberry-rhubarb pie is one of the first substantial things to emerge from the garden in early Spring. The only compromise is that the strawberries must be store bought for at least another month before they come into their own in my garden. A gentle tug pulls the rhubarb stalks […]
It is Flower Friday! Here is a sampling of the different flowers that are poking their heads in my garden today. Tulips: Having a fence definitely keeps down the deer from chomping on these tasty treats and luckily the rabbits have been ignoring them so far this season. Lady’s smock (Cardamine pratensis): This lovely little […]
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 […]