BACKYARD GARDENING
WITHOUT THE BACKACHE
Forcing Forsythia Indoors For Early Spring Blooms
Forcing spring bud branches to bloom inside is a fun and easy process. All you need is a pair of sharp clippers and a container to fill with water and place your cuttings in. Once you’ve gathered your supplies, head outside and look for a branch (or ten) that needs pruning. You can accomplish two tasks in one this way - prune off unwanted branches at the perfect time of year to do so, as well as bring some beautiful flowers indoors!
Nature's Therapy: Discover 5 Soothing Herbs for Your Spa Shower Routine
Adding herbal and aromatherapy elements to your bathing ritual has been a long standing tradition in cultures around the world, but there’s just something extra rewarding about it when you grow those flowers and herbs yourself. So head out to the garden and clip a few sprigs of whatever calls to you - we’ll go over some of the easiest ways to include plants in your shower routine.
Learning about how different herbs can provide different benefits for the skin and body can bring you closer to nature and yourself, as well as offering a ton of ways you can support yourself through a self care ritual not rooted in consumerism (hard to find these days). You’re probably familiar with using fragrant botanicals like eucalyptus and lavender in your spa shower routine, but here’s a few more herbs and flowers you should consider including next time you’re looking for a soothing sensory experience in the shower:
Decorate with Flowers Year Round Using These Tips [Tutorial]
A plan set in motion last March, when I set seeds into soil blocks underneath the grow light in the cold basement. A plan for eternal, dried flower blooms that would last far longer than the warm summer days in which they would stretch and grow and bloom. This is the story of strawflower and statice, poppies and cornflower, aster and lavender. While their scent may fade, the colors we miss so much in deep winter continue on in a vivid show that defies the passage of time.
7 Tips to Survive a Long Winter[Nature Activities]
Winter is a fleeting season for some, but long here in the Northeast. Long enough to require that we adapt and find space in our routines for signals that pass the time, as well as ways to enjoy it for what it is.
New England winters force us to turn inward, to find ways to slog through the darkest days, to connect with nature when that connection is scarce.
DIY Biodegradable Leaf Confetti Craft Project
My favorite thing to do during the fall season is to find different ways to celebrate this transitionary season through leaves. Although leaves can feel like a celebration all on their own as they sprinkle down from above, I love a good DIY craft project, so I wanted to take it one step further and create some DIY biodegradable leaf confetti!
Slow Living in the Garden with Chronic Illness
In August, the garden becomes a jungle dense with life, the most self-sufficient it will be as established plants require less and less of my daily attention.
I do not take for granted that the systems I labored to put in place all year long have finally paid off, the dividends materializing in the form of bell peppers, beans, squash, broccoli, chard and more. But I still like to think I am needed in this season, if only to fend off errant pests and the occasional drought. Feeling needed in the garden is one of the most fulfilling pieces of working with the land.