Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
I have been itching to try out the snowshoes my daughter got for me and with last night’s 6 inches of snow, the time is nigh. I first try them out in the back yard and find few problems with my stride as I troop over the snow. Wanting a bigger challenge, I take a […]
Shoveling snow before dawn is a meditative exercise. There are no sounds as the snow muffles random noises. A fresh 2-inch blanket covers the surroundings, which were losing their wintry white coating, transitioning to gray. My large shovel rolls the powder downhill toward the sides of the driveway, scraping against the blacktop, the lone sound. […]
The flurries and cold outside remind me that it’s time to order seeds for Spring. Leafing through the many catalogs I receive, I always come back to Fedco as the best source for my needs. I get out my five bins of seeds (two vegetable, greens, herbs, and flowers) to see what is still viable […]
While December has been colder than normal and we have had a couple of snows, the last being nearly 4 inches, there are still harvests to be had from the garden. I have two large cold frames holding a half dozen different cold-tolerant greens. Carrots, Swiss chard, and sorrel are on their own as are […]
An unexpected snow after a much needed rain greets us this morning. Remaining greenery and tree branches are coated with a thick, heavy layer of snow fattening up each plant and object in the yard. The birds are particularly put off as they no longer have the luxury of snacking on coneflowers, sunflowers, and other […]
In November, there are still many fruits about if you just look carefully. Five of my favorites are within feet of each other in my back yard. My most favorite is the beautyberry of which I have the Japanese variety. (I tried to grow the American species (Callicarpa americana) but my yard is just a […]
It’s a cold start on an otherwise perfect day to ride from Brewster to Hopewell Junction on the Maybrook Trail. The sky is clear and the air dry and crisp. The trail has few travelers giving the impression that I am alone save for the sound of the wind rustling the seed heads of dormant […]
This time in November, the only flowers that are typically still in bloom sit on the branches of the witch hazel (Hamamelis virginiana). Unlike most understory trees, witch hazel blooms in the late fall with delicate, little buttery yellow bundles of soft, slightly sweet smelling flowers. At the end of the season, all the leaves […]
Many people think of crocuses as a Spring flower but my favorite ones emerge in Fall. And my most treasured among those is the saffron crocus (Crocus sativus). Dormant through Summer, it pops out of the soil in early-to-mid October with a colorful display of purple leaves, yellow stamens (male) and bright red stigmas (female). […]
Last year, I needed to divide a huge Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum) that was crowding out the asparagus and adjacent strawberry patches. There were tons of baby plants that I harvested and placed along the fence that protects my yard from the deer. My efforts were rewarded this year with a line of flowers untouched […]