Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Itโs time to start seeding! Because I am not sure about being able to get all the plants for my Annโs Place clients wholesale, I am starting up what they will need for one of our classes in late May. In this class we make herbal hanging baskets. For it I am growing four herbs […]
I should have been in the garden last Friday, but Ted and I conspired to take advantage of a day that is bright and 20 F above normal to hop on our bikes for a 46 mile ride in New York. We started as the fog parted in the morning opening up the path for […]
Winter appears to be giving up. A final pre-Spring blast of warm weather has made all the snow a memory and early flowering plants have taken advantage of the opportunity. But the cold still remains as the ground is thawed only 3 inches deep. This makes walking across the property a bit treacherous as water […]
Ferns (๐๐๐๐โ๐๐๐โ๐ฆ๐ก๐) and mosses (๐ต๐๐ฆ๐๐โ๐ฆ๐ก๐) make good companions on this rock outcropping in our back yard. It always amazes me how nature takes advantage of the tiniest spaces and life germinates from them. The small but constant pressure of these plants and others help create the fissures that break apart the rocks on the hill […]
Before all the snow melts, these three doves perch on my fence puffed up against the chill in the morning air. They seem a bit exposed, but perhaps are waiting their turns on the bird feeder around the corner that is chock full of other feathered friends.
The March plate for my book, A Therapistโs Garden, captures the moment perfectly. The Spring equinox is just days away with flowers growing and birds returning. My sister-in-law Rosana @artbyrosana captures a lovely ideal of this time of year. Nearby trees are budding out while a lone robin watches for predators and prey. A homemade […]
Making mason bee B&Bs is a lot easier than it looks. As I told my most recent class at Annโs Place, all it takes is a series of tubes that about between 1/4 and 3/8 inch in diameter. I was able to forage the tubes from a stand of invasive bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) and cut […]
Birds arenโt the only visitors to the bird bath. The squirrels have been really active over the last few weeks though they must be confused over the fluctuating temperatures and snowfall. They scamper around the garden more confused and frenetic than is typical. No matter. I am ready for them.
The bark of some trees can only be appreciated when the forest is absent of green vegetation. For texture it is hard to beat river birch (Betula nigra) with its flaking sheets of gray, brown, salmon, peach orange or lavender bark. A close second is the American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) with its patchy white and […]
My favorite time to shovel snow is at night when it has just stopped falling. There is an eerie and pleasing quiet as sounds are muffled by the blanket of white and the absence of cars or other vehicles. I take my shovels outside the garage and start my initial paths down the drive. The […]