There are so many popular terms in use right now for gardening. The abundance of catch-phrases can easily persuade even the most experienced gardener that they don't know what they're doing. These tag lines and snappy titles are meant to capture the attention of those who are just dipping their gloved hands into the soil of the garden. "This way is so easy!" a headline beckons. "Over here! I have the fool-proof way to successful gardening," calls another. "Garden the way your grandmother did it, and save the planet in the meantime!" When I met with a new client a couple of weeks ago, she ment ..read more

In late October, I was barreling toward the end of my working season. There were a couple of clients who wanted me to complete some projects at their homes, so I found myself scouring local nurseries to find plants, when all that was available were chrysanthemums and evergreens. Earlier in the fall, I'd found and fallen in love with two beautiful Wintergreen plants. These were new to me and I was intrigued to learn that, not only did their glossy leaves and cheerful red berries look great, but they smelled delicious as well. I had used the Wintergreen in two large patio planters for a client's ..read more

My work has brought me into conversation with a Lexington resident who is interested creating a sanctuary for birds and bees at his home. His quiet tone during our initial phone conversation was inquisitive, and hopeful: "I want the butterflies and bees -- and the birds -- to come there. Is that something you can help me with?" When we met at his home later to view his existing landscaping, he expressed that he is tired of the existing plants and disappointed with some of the trees. He hopes for something vibrant, to attract small wildlife, with a water feature "so the birds can drink and take ..read more

Those of you who have encountered me "in the wild" know that I find great joy and comfort in gardening -- most of the time. I chose the name "Garden Therapy" for my business, after all, because working in the sun and dirt is as much therapy for me as it is improvement -- or therapy -- for the gardens I help clean up or create. Sometimes, life or brain chemistry brings me to a level so low that even a few uninterrupted hours working in a quiet garden doesn't boost serotonin levels enough to work any kind of magic for me. That's been happening for me lately. Just pulling myself out of bed has be ..read more

Growing like a weed: I guess that's one way to describe Garden Therapy right now. What started as a little idea to fill my days during the Covid-19 pandemic two years ago has grown from a handful of trusting souls who generously gave me a few jobs here and there to a 3-inch binder full of client records and a waiting list that is weeks long. Those of you who see me fairly regularly know that my work wardrobe is fairly consistent: stained blue jeans or faded shorts, and one of 10-or-so tee-shirts with a peppy saying emblazoned across it. Life Is Good is my go-to brand for workwear, not only bec ..read more

the ways observing nature help you mature and heal ..read more

Terri called me a couple of weeks ago -- while our weather was still unseasonably warm, just a few days before the snowflakes fell to accumulate in a 7-inch blanket over a matter of hours. You'll remember that Terri has long been a vegetable gardener but is new to flower cultivation. She mentioned the bulbs she had planted early in the fall, wondering what effect the warm weather would have on the plants she hoped to enjoy this spring. Some of my bulbs had already pushed up fourth- and half-inch sprouts above the surface of the soil, warming themselves in the spring-like sun. I had spied them ..read more

I'm not especially superstitious. I don't look for signs, portents or omens. I don't stay home on the Ides of March or avoid any Friday that falls on the thirteenth. And I'm not the kind of religious that believes I must darken the church door every time a service is held -- I fell far from my grandparents' examples in that regard. Still, I sometimes feel that there may just be a guiding hand, gently pushing me in the right direction. I didn't meet Diana just by accident. From the outside looking in, the fact that I saw her post on a social media site and responded to her search for someone to ..read more

Last weekend, I received a late-night text from my friend Terri. You may remember her from some of my other blogs. We've been friends for over a decade now -- my! how time flies! -- and as my lifelong love of flowers has grown, hers has seemed to come to life. We had spent much of that day together, catching up on news of our families and lives, and walking around at a local garden center, seeing what was available at this point in the season. As often happens after we've spent hours in conversation, one or another of us will reach out by text with a note of appreciation, an addendum to our pr ..read more

My husband dashed out of the house this afternoon to meet the US Postal Service worker and came back inside with three packages and an accusatory expression on his face. "He told me I needed to have a talk with you," he said, half-joking. He put the packages on the dining room table and scanned each label. "For me? No. Is this one for me? No. Don't you have any explanation about what these are?" I knew what the packages contained and really wanted to tear into them at that moment, but he wouldn't leave. Finally, Daniel walked into another room and I opened one box. Carefully unrolling the bubb ..read more