Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Last week I received a request from my publisher from a fellow named Scott requesting an autographed copy of my book, A Therapist’s Garden, as a gift. I agreed to contact Scott and discovered from him and a @gofundme account (whose page is reproduced here) that he is diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He […]
A smattering of frost-hardy miner’s lettuce (𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑎 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑎) self-seeded in my cold frame this Winter.⠀Rich in vitamin C, its succulent and tasty heart-shaped leafs make a perfect topping to any salad. It is a green best enjoyed in the late Fall or early Spring as it bolts and becomes bitter when warm weather emerges. It’s […]
Starting to bud out, the crabapple tree (Malus) in the back still has quite a few fruits hanging from its branches. This collection of shriveled orbs, has withstood the test of Winter as well as the local bird population. It is often the last of the fruit to be cleared off my plants by the […]
Pulling the straw off my carnivorous plant bog, I see that the ground is still as hard as a rock. At least an inch of straw is embedded in the peat moss/perlite mixture. Though it may look like a couple of the pitcher plants (Sarracenia) are ready for a meal, their traps are filled with […]
I can’t say that I am going to miss the kitting up for my zoom classes. This one, where we are making seed bombs and plant signs is full with 20 clients and has a lot of parts. Seed bombs are part of gorilla gardening where you put wildflower seeds into compost/soil and air dry […]
The initial response to my book, A Therapist’s Garden, has been generous and encouraging. Two of the unsung heroes for its success are my wife Juana and sister-in-law Rosana. Their tireless efforts toward illustrating the many plants and places within A Therapist’s Garden adds an essential element to the mood and message of the book. […]
An unexpected hail storm left as quickly as it arrived yesterday. Out of nowhere it came pelting our cars and gardens with rock-salt sized frozen chunks. Handfuls could be gathered up moments after it started to fall. And in less than 10 minutes it stopped and the skies cleared. The tulips (Tulpia) came out just […]
Warming days and drier soil leads me to multiple days of Spring cleanup. The remnants of Winter are raked away to make room for the emerging growth. I always know it is time once the larger daffodil (Narcissus) and tulip (Tulipa) leaves start to penetrate the leaf litter. If I don’t get the Fall leaves […]
Early Spring bouquets! Even though the flowers are mostly tiny, that does not take away from their inherent beauty. Crocus’s and snowdrops (Galanthus) in the first tiny vase and a much larger selection in the second brighten up our kitchen table. Credit Juana for the lovely selection. If you look carefully, in the second vase […]
After a long journey, A Therapist’s Garden is finally available. It has been an exciting trip that so many people have made possible. My family, particularly my wife Juana, have been wonderfully supportive in this multi-year sojourn. Friends and early readers gave me the conviction to carry on and finish the manuscript. And then I […]