Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
I have been spending a lot of time at Ann’s Place over the last week as the weeds are starting their summer march toward domination. If I (and my trusty team of volunteers) don’t make a solid stand now, it is likely that we will lose the war of keeping these invaders in check. Ironically, […]
For the last decade, Ann’s Place has celebrated the summer solstice with a tour of the gardens, seasonal readings and a locally sourced supper or afternoon tea. Unfortunately, this has not been possible this year. This was a double disappointment for me as I had planned to open my gardens to the Ann’s Place clients […]
During the growing season, when I used to work as a high-tech analyst, I would look at and water my garden when I arrived home even before I saw my family. I found that 15 minutes of examining the tomato plants, pulling a few weeds and ensuring nothing was wilted made me a better person. […]
It is the first day this year that we can have an al fresco breakfast. Such lunches and dinners have been commonplace in the last few weeks. The mornings, however, have been too cold, too wet, too cloudy or have exhibited other characteristics that discouraged Juana and I from taking our morning coffee outside. But […]
Because of COVID-19, I have had to create on-line versions of classes for my horticultural therapy clients. This particular video is for those who use the services of Ann’s Place, a not-for-profit cancer support facility I work for. I walked (virtually) many of them through the gardens at Ann’s Place a little while back, but […]
(For some reason I did not post this last year when I wrote it. It was one of the last times I saw my mother alive.) An ice storm arrived the other day and it’s been unusual in its persistence. Typically, when such weather events occur, we receive a slight coating of ice and it […]
The unofficial start of Summer, Memorial Day, signals that Winter is behind us and the garden is exploding with growth. But for every lovely flower and plant that emerges, 10 times that number or more of weeds pop up. Plantains (Musa × paradisiaca), chickweed (Stellaria media) and crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) are early visitors to gardens. […]
The class I had planned for this week did not pan out because of the unseasonable cold over the last month. Plants in my yard and garden that were supposed to be ready are not. So what to do? Well I figured that I would put together a slide show/video about my garden that I […]
“I can’t breathe,” said my mother in a panicked tone as she floated in the pool. “I need to get out.” Moments ago she had been splashing around, content. She now was breathing with shallow puffs. I cradled her in my arms and turned her body toward the windows on the side of the pool. […]
Some of my favorite plants in the gardens that I tend to are those I had nothing to do with their inclusion. (The converse is also true, particularly with stealthily introduced invasives.) This year at Ann’s Place joe-pye weed stretches high in the back garden above the Virginia rye, golden rod and the remaining phragmites […]