Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
I needed to mow our lawn this weekend as tall tufts of grass stand high over adjacent dormant patches. Unlike many aficionados of a lawn comprising a monoculture of grass that is as smooth as a championship golf green, my undulating and ankle-spraining turf has countless varieties of plants. And I intend to keep it […]
One of the wonders of the world is how easy Mother Nature has made it to propagate baby plants from existing ones. Anyone with a little bit of curiosity and care can reproduce many baby plants from a single one. Not counting seeds, there are many different ways to propagate a plant where you will […]
I had my last zoom horticultural therapy class this week at Ann’s Place. After a bit of a rocky start, we settled into a groove with good participation and satisfied clients. But with warmer weather on hand and increased vaccinations, it is time to move classes back to Ann’s Place in-person. (Not to mention that […]
Over a decade ago I started my GroHappy blog with the intention of writing about my adventures in gardening and horticultural therapy. And with the exception of a few bicycling chronologies, I have pretty much been keeping to that focus. But like all old plants, there is a time to repot, refresh and renew. So […]
Paper sundial One of the more favorite classes of my students at Ann’s Place is the making of sundials around the Spring equinox. It is challenging because while clients can be creative in some aspects of this craft, in others they need to have an exacting focus. Today’s class is a bit different as it […]
Miner’s lettuce My cold frame has emerged from the two feet of snow that has been hiding it since January. What was a cold dark tomb, is now a hot, humid space. Thus I can now start to direct-seed as well as transplant the first greens of the season. With any luck we will be […]
When Covid hit nearly a year ago and Juana and I hunkered down, part of that exercise was to cancel my horticultural therapy classes at Ann’s Place. By early summer, however, I opened sessions that were socially distanced outside to a small number of clients. After the typical hiccups of any new setup, the classes […]
With over a foot and a half of snow on the ground, this does not seem the time to think about planting. But when it comes to carnivorous plants, now is exactly when you want to think about the year ahead. It is now that sellers of pitcher plants (Sarracenia) are dividing their larger specimens, […]
Looking outside at my snowy backyard I am comforted by the indoor greenery and flowers that sit in our solarium and throughout the house. This year is the first in quite a few where we have much growing inside this time of year; typically we are in the Florida Keys appreciating the tropical vegetation. But […]
River birch The end of January in New England signals that Winter is in full swing. With the exception of a few oaks (Quercus), all the deciduous trees have shed their leaves and without snow, a persistent grey often coats the ground. Though we wait for a more vibrant Spring, there are still many interesting […]