A Field Guide to Container Gardening

Photo from huffingtonpost.com

It might seem strange to talk about container gardening in February (at least, for people who live in the middle of winter at the moment), but for those who are interested in creating a container garden it is worthwhile to prepare for plant health and growth in a context bounded by containers.

This Field Guide to Container Gardening covers topics such as appropriate soil, types of containers, plants that thrive in vessels, as well as demystifying this kind of gardening by comparing the benefits and differences between in-ground beds and container gardens.

Using very accessible language and beautiful pictures, read more about container gardening by clicking on this link.  Continue Reading →

Articles, Gardening Shortlink

Nature’s Healing Touch for Dementia

tree_canopyAuthor, Ecotherapist, and ICE member Linda Buzzell runs a small but very active mailing list for eco-therapists, and there are often wonderful exchanges on it.

One conversation thread I thought was of particular interest started with a link Linda posted to an article citing research about the value of gardening and being outside for the mental and physical well-being of people with dementia.

Linda’s post was followed up with a lovely personal comment from one of the list members about how her mother had spent her last years in a hospital-connected care center with a wetlands park where they would spend many peaceful hours together bird-watching. That post, in turn, was followed by one from another member sharing two videos about Matthew Lysobey, a visionary director of the Arroyo Care Center whose philosophy places the natural world at the center of keeping elders healthy and full of life.

This series of exchanges was both inspirational and of practical value to me, so I thought I would share it here in case it would be of help to others, too.

Ecotherapy, Gardening Shortlink