Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Creating a new class for my clients at Ann’s Place is exciting and scary at the same time. My latest class is a Spring mash up of St. Patrick’s Day and creating a mason bee B&B. The St.Patrick’s Day exercise is growing shamrocks, which can be defined as wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), white clover (Trifolium […]
Forcing branches to flower in late Winter may be the poor man’s bouquet but it doesn’t make it any less lovely. I recently clipped some forsythia and flowering quince (Chaenomeles) for Juana and she arranged them next to some flowers we had purchased the week before.Those flowers are now in the compost heap while the […]
Juana perfectly captures the first snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis) that emerge next to the house. Snow melt!Can Spring be far behind?
In writing A Therapist’s Garden I am grateful to my early readers and, in particular, those with much more serious writing chops who read my book and offered up some kind early words about its content. Here they are and some of their books: Florence Williams @florence999: Her book, The Nature Fix, takes readers around […]
Bucket in hand, I head out for the compost heap. The snow glistens with an icy sheen and I assume that my weight will crunch the snow beneath my feet slightly. But that is not the case. The daily thaw and refreeze cycles that are perfect for sugaring maple (Acer saccharum) trees, creates a rock […]
Only the tips of the tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) have started to swell. The surrounding maples (Acer) are still asleep though are ready for sugaring. A few dead branches need pruning, though the next high wind may do that job for me.
Visiting my daughter Sarah and grandson Charlie a few days ago, Juana, Charlotte and I take advantage of the splendid day we are presented with and travel to a local wildlife sanctuary in Ipswich. The first thing I spot is an artistically stacked wood pile that has a massive branch cutting through it. I don’t […]
Looking as fresh as possible, projections of saffron (Crocus sativus) leaves emerge from the melted snow. Appearing more like leaves of grass, these appendages are getting the last bit of energy they can before the corm goes dormant. Given this density of leaves, the corms need to be separated and placed in new cages so […]
The grasshead I created a few weeks ago with my HT class needs a shave every couple of days. It shows the rigorous growth of early Spring grass as well as my misplacement of seeds. I was hoping for a solid head of “hair” but instead have crafted a more Neanderthal look combined with male-pattern […]
Picking up some supplies at Ann’s Place, I stroll toward the back to see how the grounds have fared this Winter. It is the time of year, between the melting of the last hoped-for snow and emerging growth, when the bones and architecture of the gardens can be examined and appreciated. It’s easy to spot […]