Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
he old saying that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb is an inaccurate Nature proverb. Sometimes March comes in like a lamb and out like a lion, as a mild Winter gives way to a cold, delayed Spring. It is a month of confusion and frustration as the daylight lengthens, […]
In writing A Therapist’s Garden, I wanted to give readers some horticultural therapy activities that they could practice. And in every chapter (or month) I have done that with both a craft and an outing. The ones for March concern food. Coming out of Winter in New England with enough food used to be critical […]
The last sugar maple (Acer saccharum) on my property is dying. It does not have the classic conical shape of a sugar maple as hard years of branch breaks and errant side growths gives it an irregular and awkward shape, prone to damage. Regardless, from its girth I suspect that it is over 100 years […]
It’s time to shift from growing microgreens to regular greens for the garden. The soil under the cold frame is still as hard as rock (or ice) but I am hoping that the increased temperatures and bright sun that is predicted for the next week will create a quick thaw letting me plant my seedlings […]
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.