Breeathhee deep. A simple, centuries-old remedy for reducing stress/anxiety, calming the nerves, and restoring energy. Olfactory gardens, also called scented, fragrant, or aromatherapy gardens, enhance this simple calming technique. They are designed with your nose in mind. (To be consistent, in this article I’ll stay with the term fragrant garden since olfactory sounds, well, stuffy.) … Read more
It was a gorgeous morning in Guatemala. I was about 12 years old and staying at my grandma’s house for the weekend. She lived in an old neighborhood in the capital city, and there was no space to have a yard. I was young and not really thinking about plants (yet). I simply wanted to … Read more
Do you already have a couple of plants, maybe a little bit more than a couple, just one, or none at all? If you have a jungle inside your house like me… congratulations! Crazy Plant Lady is the new crazy cat lady. Don’t worry though because the Crazy Plant Lady or Man is hip, cool, … Read more
In this COVID-19 crisis, perhaps it’s occurred to you that 1) you’re really glad you started gardening or 2) you’re really wishing you had a home garden. If neither thought has occurred to you, I’ll see if I can do a little prompting here by considering: how a home garden can alleviate anxiety during a … Read more
Suddenly it’s the middle of summer and we’re still very close to home. So, while you’re in – quarantining, recuperating, or simply being – may we suggest a project or three, to keep you feeling calm and productive as you maintain your little island of serenity in these challenging times? Indoor Projects DIY Skin Care … Read more
I don’t remember if they were there when we moved in, but the shrubs – Thujas – have been around a long time. One article describes their shape as narrow like a pyramid. I guess ours didn’t get that memo. They were wide, rotund almost. And at the end, they stood nearly five feet high. … Read more
It is so important that we feed our plants vibrant, nutritious, and natural fertilizers to help them on theirtime way. Fertilizers are so easy to create and apply to plants. My basic ratio for these fertilizers is 1:4 and they can be applied every two weeks. Banana Beverage! While this may not look appealing to … Read more
One trip to the big box store to buy seed starting soil and you will immediately notice two things. First, store-bought seed starting mixes are extremely expensive, relatively speaking, and second, they contain a lot of chemicals and mystery ingredients. The chemical component alone is enough to compel us to make our own soil … Read more
So, how are your gardening plans going? If you want to grow outdoors but whimper at the prospect of all the bending and kneeling with a traditional or even a container garden, why not consider a keyhole garden? A keyhole garden is a raised circular garden with a compost center. If you’ve wanted to compost … Read more
The Classic Hugelkultur Drawing (source: richsoil.com) What is Hugelkultur? Hugelkultur is a method of raised bed gardening perfected by Austrian permaculture guru Sepp Holzer. Another Permaculture expert, Paul Wheaton, has a good summary of Holzer’s work on his website richsoil.com. You can also check out Sepp Holzer’s English website here as well as search the web … Read more