Getting the Sun(dial) Out - Horticulture Therapy

By Erik Keller
Instagram: @grohappy_ct
Facebook: facebook.com/grohappyct
Reprinted with permission from Erik’s Blog: http://bit.ly/grohappyct

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 is via Zoom thus not permitting me to lend a hand when needed.

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“I’m glad we have such a great turnout,” I say to the 23 clients who are on-screen. “I would like to know where everyone will be placing their sundial.”

As clients give a variety of answers (the back deck, a garden, a sunny spot, etc.) one response has me a bit worried.

“I’m taking my sundial down to my daughter’s home in Arizona and leaving it there,” says Betty. “It should get lots of sun.”

“Oops, that is going to be a problem,” I reply. “I will tell you why in a bit.”

Finishing introductions, I tell clients that using the sun to tell time has been around for thousands of years and was used until the mid 1800s when railroad companies came up with the idea of standard time zones. “Before this concept took hold, clocks were calibrated around high noon so every town had a different time. . .and because sundials are calibrated around longitude and latitude nearly every sundial you purchase is likely to be incorrect. And that’s why I would advise Betty not to take her sundial down south as it will be very inaccurate.”

“I guess it will stay up here then,” she replies from the chorus of on-screen clients.

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To give clients an idea of what they will be making, each one has received a cutout paper sundial specific to the New York area. Soon, each has a workable (though far from waterproof) sundial. “The gnomon (pointer) is set at an angle that is the same as our current latitude. Also as you can see the spacing between the hours on the dial is not uniform. It is wider between 6 and 7 than 11 and 12. That is also a function of latitude.”

Though I can go into much more detail about the geometry of sundials, I decide not to bore my clients as I can see they really want to start building their sundials rather than listen to a lecture.

The process starts by transferring the dial measurement via tracing paper onto the slabs of basswood they all selected.

“This isn’t working for me,” says Lisa.

“You have to press down hard,” I reply.

“Oh, wait a second,” she continues. “The paper is backwards.” A few other clients make the same observation and start over again.

As everyone is head’s down it is difficult to help them directly. I make an attempt by showing them options on my screen for different sizes of wood and templates.

“You can place the template anywhere and after transferring the lines, be as fancy or spartan as you would like,” I say. “Here is how the lines should look.”

A few clients hold their dials up to the screen looking for guidance.  They all look fine, but I remind them to leave a little space around the edges so a number, either Roman or Arabic, can be placed near the end of each line.

The next step is a bit more challenging as they all need to nail and glue a stick, the gnomon that will cast a shadow, to the dial’s face. I cut and pre-drilled one for each client, attempting to ease the task.

“The stick I have is not exactly straight,” says June. Others nod their heads in agreement. I reply that I thought that the slight curves on some of the sticks are compensated by the nicer, more rustic look each has. Everyone agrees.

The class time moves quickly and most are not finished with their sundials by the end of our 90 minutes together. I anticipated this.

“You should not feel rushed if you haven’t finished,” I say. “Figure out the type of decorations you want to put on your sundial and then if you want it to go outside, you should put five coats of spar varnish on it.”

“Does it smell?” asks Rose. “Awful,” I reply. “Do it on a day when you can be outside or at least open the windows.”

After reviewing with my clients the way a sundial needs to be set, they wish me and their classmates well and start to pop off the screen. There is a different personal relationship when this happens via Zoom than in class. In certain ways it is more intimate as everyone is literally in your face. After class I send an e-mail to clients asking for photos of their finished sundials. As always, they surprise me with their creativity.

New Board Members at the Helm of Ann’s Place

Ann’s Place, a local nonprofit serving families facing cancer, announced three new board members this year: Katie McKeon Curran, Connecticut Institute for Communities; Paul Golaszewski, Waterworks; and Matt Rose, Matt Rose Realty Group. Additionally, Ann’s Place Board of Directors elected Jeff McDonough of Union Savings Bank to serve as the Chair of the Board.

Ann’s Place provides help and hope to those living with cancer and their loved ones. Their clinical counselors, support group facilitators and wellness experts provide a host of services aimed at improving quality of life during and after cancer.  Ann’s Place relies on the generosity of donors to be able to provide all of their services free of charge

For the last year, Ann’s Place has moved all of its programs online through interactive video conferencing. Almost a thousand clients received cancer support services from the comfort and safety of their homes during the pandemic.

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Katie McKeon Curran, Esq, is the Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel at Connecticut Institute For Communities, Inc. (CIFC), a Danbury based, non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization serving low and moderate income individuals, families, and communities in Western Connecticut through a combination of health, housing, education, and economic development programs and services.  Katie is a licensed attorney in the State of Connecticut. She held a prior certification in Health Care Compliance from the national Health Center Compliance Association and recently completed a certification in Nonprofit Financial Stewardship from the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program.  She holds a B.A. in Government from Hamilton College and a J.D. from Quinnipiac University School of Law.  She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two children.

Paul Golaszewski is the Executive Director of Showrooms and Sales for Waterworks. In this role Paul manages teams and develops client relationships across the US that provide luxury bath and kitchen fittings, surfaces, cabinetry, lighting and accessories for architects, interior designers, custom homebuilders and homeowners. He is also a passionate runner who is always looking forward to the next local 5k race. He lives in Brookfield, Connecticut with his wife Debbie and daughter Ellie.

Matt Rose is the Broker Owner of Matt Rose Realty Group, Keller Williams Realty. Headed by Rose, the lead broker, the team additionally includes seven licensed agents specializing in buyer/seller in the Fairfield & Litchfield Counties. He has received numerous awards and sold over 1,000 homes. He currently also serves on the Environmental Impact Commission of Danbury and the Board of Directors for Family and Children’s Aid. He previously served on the board of the Western Connecticut Regional YMCA in Danbury and was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Danbury. He and his wife Heather live in Danbury.

Jeff McDonough is a Senior Vice President at Union Savings Bank, headquartered in Danbury.  Jeff has been with USB since 2015 and leads teams in the Human Resources, Learning & Development and Community Relations departments.  Prior to joining the Ann’s Place board, Jeff was a member of the Ann’s Place Festival of Trees committee, and continues to serve as the Chair of the Taps & Trees event.  Jeff’s passion is family and sports.  He lives in Poughkeepsie, NY.

Ann’s Place’s mission is to provide comfort, support and resources to people living with cancer and to their loved ones.  They assist you and your loved ones to create a unique pathway through cancer to improve your quality of life. At Ann's Place, all are welcome.  Find out more at annsplace.org or call 203-790-6568 for more information. They are located at 80 Saw Mill Road, Danbury CT.

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Horticultural therapy zooming: Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature

By Erik Keller
Instagram: @grohappy_ct
Facebook:  facebook.com/grohappyct
Reprinted with permission from Erik’s Blog: http://bit.ly/grohappyct

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 worked well with my clients enjoying the activity though I felt a bit ragged as I bounced between individuals helping out and delivering materials from a distance. It didn’t matter, however, as my two classes were full and clients left every session with a smile on their faces and arms full of plants.

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But as the cold weather approached and the infection rate of Covid started to spike, I knew that my fragile and health-compromised  group would be unable to continue outside (or inside as I had planned). Not wanted to cancel sessions again though dubious about the potential to deliver them remotely, I took the leap and redesigned all my sessions for remote access. But to my surprise it worked better than I could have dreamed and ironically I have higher participation now than I had prior to Covid! My sessions are filled within days of posting and there is a sizeable wait list of clients wanting to get into my classes.

When I started these remote sessions, I didn’t really know what I was doing but realized that I need to practice each one in advance with a helper or two (often my wife Juana and granddaughter Charlotte) to see exactly how each activity will roll out. I also need to keep track of every exact material and tool that will be used as I will not be in my well-stocked classroom that compensates for my occasional forgetfulness or inattention to detail. Some materials I need to kit and leave for clients to pick up. Other materials they will need to provide for themselves. In putting together these classes I sometime feel like the engineers did in the Tom Hanks’ movie Apollo 13 where they needed to retrofit a square carbon dioxide filter to work in a differently sized container before they were poisoned using a limited amount of materials. (OK it is not that dramatic.) So my list of items I will provide and other things that my clients must bring to the table has to be perfect.

In certain ways that's the easy part.

What is a constant challenge is trying to stay engaged with nearly 25 clients as individuals who appear to me as tiny rectangles on my computer screen while simultaneously instructing them on the activity of the day.

When you are with clients you can often sense when someone needs help or has a question as their voice pops up or arms get waved. Sometimes the cues are very subtle requiring close attention. But with my head down working on a craft, that is difficult to discern. Luckily my wonderful helper Lynne watches over the screens and keeps me (politely and tactfully) on track to respond better to clients.

“Ummm Erik, Nancy has a question,” or “Erik, Lisa has been waving her hand for that last minute,” happens more than few times each session.

Perhaps if I was a gecko with eyes on the opposite sides of my head, I could be more attentive. But I am trying.

At a recent class to create vanilla extract (Vanilla planifolia), it is all hands and heads down as the group bends over their vanilla pods with a sharp knife and cutting board separating and scraping the tiny black beans from their sheath to place them into a jar filled with vodka. I try to engage with them but we all are concentrating on the task. Unlike other classes where a good degree of give and take is fostered, this time with me is quiet and purposeful. No one complains and weeks later in other classes students are telling me and their classmates how wonderful the maturing extract smells and how they can’t wait to start using it.

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So while I am far from grateful for the year-long bout that Covid has inflicted on all of us, I am pleased that it has forced an old gardener to learn a few new tricks and help clients in different and sometimes better ways. Even after my classes return to “normal” I don’t think I will forget how the last year has changed me and broadens the possibilities of how we can help each other.

Craft for the month: How to make vanilla extract
A tasty and simple craft is making vanilla extract. Once you create this, however, you may find it hard to go back to store-bought brands. You need just three things: Vanilla beans, vodka and a small jar.

There are many types of vanilla beans: Madagascar, Tahitian, and Mexican are three of the most popular, each with its own specific flavor. For our recent class at Ann's Place we used beans from Indonesia. You will need one bean for each ounce of vodka you use. Vanilla bean pods look much like green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) from the outside but they are very different on the inside. Inside each pod are very tiny, difficult to see seeds. It is these when mixed with alcohol that create the extract.

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To start, each bean is sliced vertically to expose the seeds. Many recipes have the sliced pod placed directly into the bottle with the seeds. I prefer to have clients scrape the seeds out, cut up the pods and place everything into the bottle. This creates a closer relationship between the vanilla and the client requiring dexterity and thought; there is also a fragrant vanilla smell emanating during this preparation, which clients find soothing.

Next, pour one ounce of vodka into the bottle for every bean that is prepared. Any vodka will do. Making a colorful label with the date of creation finishes the exercise. The bottle is then shaken up once or twice a week and stored in a dark place; in two months a delicious vanilla extract will emerge.

The vanilla extract I made with my class at Ann’s Place is just about ready for tasting. The heavy scent of vanilla hits you the moment you open the bottle. Get ready for the whipped cream!

Paint Often Speaks Louder Than Words

We were so happy to hear from one of our past clients who expressed so beautifully through art, how she felt during her cancer diagnosis and treatment. She allowed us to share her art and words.

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My name is Danielle Rogers and I am an artist and have been painting for about 40 years. I've been in numerous solo and group shows. I currently have 2 paintings at the Art Hall at the Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco. I'm a member of the Katonah Museum of Art and of the Reflectionist group at Arts on the Lake.

Since I'm more of an introvert I do not have the words to express my feelings but I am lucky that I am able to do so through my art. This painting was a long time in the making. It reflects on how I felt when I went through breast cancer...horrified!! 

I went through chemo, lost my hair, intense radiation and reconstruction. And all this one year after my husband died. I was very happy to have found the support from an organization like Ann's Place to help me through this period in my life. The painting was, for the longest time, without flowers...I just felt "boxed-in" but I am now cancer free for 16 years... and then I added the flowers, representing hope as a way out of the box towards this beautiful world.

CANCER AND THE HOLIDAYS:  KEEPING IT REAL.  KEEPING IT SIMPLE 

By Kevin Berrill, LCSW 

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Ready or not, the holidays---Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Years---are just about the corner.  Even the healthiest people can feel overwhelmed or overstimulated by the frantic pace, unrealistically high expectations, and the sensory overload of holiday music and muzak, advertisements, food and drink, decorations and displays, and social obligations.  And for many, the presence of Covid makes the holidays even harder to navigate. 

Bane or Blessing?  The experience of cancer during the holidays affects each person differently.  Some glide through the season with ease and a feeling of joy; for others, it is a hard slog to be endured.  One of the most common reactions is ambivalence. 

On the one hand the holidays can be a welcome departure from routine.  They afford an opportunity to look more deeply into life, take less for granted, reset priorities, renew spiritual faith, or connect more deeply with loved ones and strangers alike.  However spiking Covid rates are making the season stressful and uncertain, especially for those with cancer (and other serious illnesses) and their caregivers.   

Looking Back and Ahead. The holidays mark the end of one year and the beginning of another.  They are a time when we look at the past and toward the future.   Those who are newly diagnosed, especially those with cancers that are difficult to treat or have a poor prognosis, may look to the coming year with trepidation.  Fear about the future can weigh heavily and lead some to overexert in order to make the season perfect.  The prospect of a new year also raises questions for those who have finished treatment or who have an excellent prognosis: “Will it come back next year?” “If it does, how will I manage it?”  “Will this pandemic ever end?” 

Old Traditions, New Circumstances. Some in the midst of cancer treatment---and their caregivers---may wonder if they have the stamina to get through the holidays and another round of chemo, radiation, or some other therapy. For those once avidly shopped and entertained guests, the risk of Covid contagion may sharply limit forays out in the world, social engagements, and dampen holiday spirit.  

Visiting (via Zoom or in person) with loved ones for the first time since undergoing treatment can be comforting and heartwarming.  For some it can also be awkward and anxiety provoking, especially having to deal with others’ reactions to their diagnosis or changed appearance (e.g., loss of hair, weight loss or gain).  These reactions may include discomfort, avoidance, pity, fear, unwelcome medical advice, or lectures on what to think or feel in order to get well.   

Finances.  Cancer treatment is expensive, unmanageably so for those who have no medical insurance or who are underinsured, or who find themselves unable to work. Those under financial stress, especially whose tradition it is to exchange gifts, face difficult choices about what, if anything, they can afford.  For parents of young children these choices are all the more difficult.   

Despite medical advances much about cancer that cannot be controlled.  To find a sense of balance in the midst cancer and the holidays requires forethought and planning.  If you or someone you love is facing cancer consider the following suggestions:   

Allow your feelings:  Life threatening illnesses such as some cancers, changes world as we know it.  It is natural feel sad, angry, despairing, confused, numb, guilty, or lonely. Ignoring and suppressing your feelings and pretending to be cheerful are likely to make the holidays more difficult.  Sometimes when we accept rather than resist our feelings, moments of happiness break through the clouds.  If so, give yourself permission to enjoy those moments. 

Respect your needs.  If it feels unsafe or unwise to follow through on your usual holiday plans are right this year, it is okay to break with tradition.  Allow yourself to change where, when, how, and with whom you spend the holiday.  Give yourself permission to decline invitations to gather with others.  Avoid people and situations that leave you feeling depleted, irritated, or depressed.  

Let others know if you don’t if you don’t have the energy or the financial means to buy presents.  If you choose to participate in holiday gift giving, keep it simple. For example, shop online, buy gift cards, or buy the same item for each of your intended recipients.  Limit your spending to what you can afford and will not regret having to pay for. 

Make a plan.  It matters less what you plan to do than that you have a plan. Spontaneity is great, but having a plan, even if you decide to change it, is likely to give you a greater sense of control, making it less likely that you will end up feeling isolated or blindsided by others’ expectations and decisions.  Be sure to let others close your plan, which can be as phone calls or Zoom gatherings. Be gentle. Pace yourself.  Perhaps your plan will be the start of a new, simpler, and saner holiday tradition---or maybe it will be just enough to help you muddle through until January 2.  

Take care of your body.   Try to get enough rest, nourishment, and exercise.  Be mindful of your alcohol consumption.  Alcohol is a depressant and can worsen your mood.  Limit sugary treats as they too can leave you feeling depleted and depressed. Stick as much as possible to your routines and eat sensibly, including plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. 

Be supportive.  If there is someone in your life who has cancer offer the gift of your listening and care.  When it comes to holiday plans, let them lead.  Refrain from fixing, advice giving, or pushing a holiday agenda; rather, explore with them what would offer the greatest healing and comfort. If you offer a holiday invitation and they decline, let them know they can change their mind at the last minute.  A thoughtful phone call, Zoom visit, card, or email can also make a meaningful difference.  If you want to offer help, be specific: “Can I pick up anything for you while I’m at the grocery store?” or “Would you like me to take the kids out to play so you can get a nap?” is much more helpful than “Let me know if there is anything I can do.” 

Pause and breathe.  At a time when so many around you are caught in an endless round of buying presents, give yourself the gift of presence, taking a sacred pause several times a day to refresh yourself and just be. 

Reach out.  If you need practical support, reach out to understanding loved ones. They may be eager to help but not know how.  Let them know what you need---a cooked meal, help with shopping or hosting, , prayers, or kind and supportive listening.  Delegate responsibilities whenever possible. 

In a world that extols health and vigor and promotes the illusion that life is controllable, the experience of cancer sometimes brings up feelings of isolation and stigma.  The antidote to loneliness is connection.  To the extent you can, open yourself to others’ attention and affection. If you have the energy, offer your care to someone else---a loved one or a stranger.  Compassionate speech and action helps us all to transcend difficult circumstances and enter more fully into our shared human condition.  For those with a particular religious faith or spiritual practice, cancer is an invitation to explore and deepen.     

Solitude can quiet the mind and body, help us to recharge, and tune in to what matters most.  Allow yourself time alone when need it.  

It helps to be around people who “get” what it feels like to be affected by cancer.   Ann’s Place in Danbury, CT, offers individual counseling, support groups, and a myriad of wellness activities to those affected by cancer and who share their lives.  Our services, which are offered free of charge, are there for you this holiday season (by Zoom) and all year long.  Reach out to us if you think we might be able to help.  Doing so may help the holiday season---and the year ahead---look and feel brighter. 

Kevin Berrill is a clinical social worker at Ann’s Place which serves living with cancer and those in their lives.   

Virtual horticultural therapy: Ann's Place scavenger hunt

By Erik Keller

As tomorrow is the Fall equinox, I thought that a scavenger hunt at Ann’s Place would be a great way to celebrate the changing season. I have put together a video with the rules and the objects that people should search for in the different gardens and around the exterior of Ann’s Place. My ‘Where’s Wilda?’ challenge is an obvious rip-off of ‘Where’s Waldo?’. Wilda and Waldo do have a few things in common: they both wear glasses, are well-traveled and their names differ by only a single letter. Wilda is much more clever and cultured than Waldo and has a much more diverse wardrobe, however, and is a good sport to boot. She is a dear friend and the person who brought me to Ann’s Place over a decade ago to design the gardens and run the horticultural-therapy program.

In putting together the hunt I was a bit challenged with my selection of plants. If you look for some of these plants a few weeks from now, they may have changed dramatically. Some will have gone to seed, some will flower out, others will darken and fade. Wilda will be the same. Regardless, most will still be easy to identify for the two-week period that the hunt is on.

I hope you can find everything in my video. Below is a list of the 19 items mentioned for your convenience.

American holly (Ilex opaca)
American wisteria (Wisteria frutescens)
Black chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Dogwood (Cornus florida)
Golden rod (Solidago altissima)
Hops (Humulus lupulus)
Japanese beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica)
Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum)
Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis)
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)
Montauk daisy (Nipponanthemum nipponicum)
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Pitcher plant (Sarracenia)
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Sea oats (Uniola paniculata)
Wilda (Pulchra domina)
Winterthur viburnum (Viburnum nudum)

Enjoy the search!

Nature ride

Sometimes the best thing we can do is to just sit and watch. Nowadays, however, this sedentary exercise may not be of interest as our mutual cloistering is chock full of lonely pursuits. But to sit and enjoy what nature is serving up to us at the end of July should not be considered sedentary but active as it should bring all of our senses to the fore. For me, the best to do that is to go for a bicycle ride.

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I feel fortunate to live where I do in Connecticut near the New York border. If I hop on my bike, which I do often, I can find myself in bucolic North Salem, N.Y., within 10 minutes. Beyond the famous residents such as David Letterman and expansive mansions and horse farms, lies a pristine land that is bisected by unpaved roads. It doesn’t seem possible that Gotham with its millions of residents and gleaming towers is less than 50 miles to the south.

The crunch of gravel underneath the tires is the dominant noise as I traverse my riding circuit. There is much beauty in my daily rides but it is when I stop to rest on the side of the road that I have the chance to appreciate the innate beauty of the area. The unimproved road splits large rolling fields that could be found in an Andrew Wyeth painting. A slight breeze bends the tops of the grasses, which have just started to set seed. The sides of the road are lined with black cherry (Prunus serotina), maple (Acer) and ash (Fraxinus) trees. Pin oaks (Quercus palustris) have been planted in anticipation of the demise of the ashes. Unlike the other trees, whose shadows create dense shade, the ashes’ shadows are skeletons portending their future. The flowers of chicory (Cichorium intybus) appear as light blue ribbons lining the road with occasional yellow spikes of mullein (Verbascum thapsus) flowers shooting high above the grassy soil. Buttercups (Ranunculus acris) are sprinkled around in patches of yellow amongst the dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) and red clover (Trifolium pratense.) The umbrella-shaped white flowers of Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) stands tall waiting for pollinators.

The stone walls that line the road are hosting strands of Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) and poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) that are fighting for dominance and looking to cover the rocks they are embracing. Swallows are flying erratically and chirping following the insects they are attempting to catch. Though most  insects cannot be seen, their chorus is the loudest noise that I now hear.  Grasshoppers jump in a frenetic hop scotch pattern over the fields. Bees and wasps fly near, preferring a nearby flower rather than me to land on. 

Though I would like to linger, the heat of the day is coming as the high clouds start to part. I stand, taking in the perfume of the fields. As I leave my rest spot, the insects are drowned out by the popping sounds of gravel and any excess heat I was feeling is being blown away as I increase my speed.

Virtual Horticultural Therapy: Building a pollinator path at Ann's Place

By Erik Keller, Horticulture Therapist

Milkweed is in full bloom attracting a wide range of bees, butterflies, flies and other pollinators.

Milkweed is in full bloom attracting a wide range of bees, butterflies, flies and other pollinators.

I have been spending a lot of time at Ann’s Place over the last week as the weeds are starting their summer march toward domination. If I (and my trusty team of volunteers) don’t make a solid stand now, it is likely that we will lose the war of keeping these invaders in check. Ironically, one of our nicest gardens  is one that became colonized with a common native plant: milkweed (Asclepias syriaca). Though thought of by many as a nuisance, milkweed is essential to monarch butterflies as it is the only plant that its larvae will eat. No milkweed, no monarchs. It is something that any gardener who wants to support the monarch life cycle should consider to plant.

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The milkweed is in full bloom with its sweetly fragrant flowers attracting a wide range of bees, butterflies, flies and other pollinators. When I arrive in the early morning at Ann’s Place, there are hundreds of bees around the flowers, each of which supports at least two pollinators. Seeing a bloom temporarily without bugs, I stick my face into its flowering top to inhale its wonderful scent as I channel my inner honeybee. I’m sure some pollen resides on my mustache and nose.

This is a far cry from this space nearly a decade ago when it refused to accept anything I planted. But I should not have been surprised. This triangular garden gets snow, ice and salt dumped on it in the Winter by plows that clear the parking lot. It bakes to bone dry in the Summer as it is framed by blacktop on one side and concrete grass pavers on another. Every perennial I dropped in each Spring, decided to drop out (by dying) over the Winter.  I have had little success with lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) as more often than not it, too, succumbs to the cold. (Last year I planted over a dozen of the Phenomenal cultivars with no Winter losses. I am cautiously hopeful.)  

A few years ago, staff members asked me to plant some sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) in the space as a memorial for one of our clients. I started 75 plants in my greenhouse and transplanted them to the garden. They took off and dominated the space with their plate-sized flowers. The same year I noticed a few milkweeds popping up. I needed to stop volunteers and staff members from pulling them.  Next year, more milkweed plants appeared and with that came the monarchs.

Another tenacious plant that migrated to this area was anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum.) A few years ago they started to appear (no doubt from seeds in the raised-bed herb gardens on the side of Ann’s Place)  and are losing their battle this year with the milkweed for dominance . Its heady licorice scent makes this member of the mint family instantly recognizable to the nose. Finally, the bee balm (Monarda) that was planted last year is sending up its flowers to ready-and-waiting bees and butterflies. This Fall I will transplant some coneflowers (Echinacea) to complement all these others pollinators.

Our desert has morphed into a wonderful garden that is now full of flowers, butterflies, bees and other pollinators. And none of it was really my idea. Better lucky than good.

Virtual Horticultural Therapy: Summer stroll sans supper

By Erik Keller

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For the last decade, Ann’s Place has celebrated the summer solstice with a tour of the gardens, seasonal readings and a locally sourced supper or afternoon tea. Unfortunately, this has not been possible this year. This was a double disappointment for me as I had planned to open my gardens to the Ann’s Place clients for a stroll and refreshments. Instead I have put together a video tour of my gardens so clients can get a glimpse of what I have been up to in these cloistered times.

This year has been similar to others as Spring continues to shrink in duration. Until the last week of May, we had fires in the wood stove and frost advisories. Then in a blink of an eye, it became hot and everything exploded in the garden. I did lose some tender plants in May because I put them outside too early but was able to replace them so I can keep us in tomatoes, peppers and other warm weather veg throughout the Summer.

These challenges, hardly new, are well-documented by Connecticut author Martha Adams Rubin in her book, Countryside, Garden & Table: A New England Seasonal Diary. “The gardener’s investments are plants and diversifying them allows the garden to grow more securely. One year may produce poor broccoli, peas and lettuce but great melons. A cool, rainy summer is likely to intimidate the tomatoes, but their cousins the potatoes will be wonderful. . . .These caprices of nature can't be wholly compensated for, but diversification as well as forethought and daily observation of the garden, may divert calamity.”

It is daily observation more than anything that makes any of us good gardeners and appreciative of what Mother Nature serves up to us. This morning on the way to the supermarket I saw a baby rabbit cross the road and on the way back a father fox seeking breakfast for his kits. Butterflies and hummingbirds are spending much time at my house sipping nectar from the many flowers in bloom. A bald eagle hovers on the thermals on the hill side quieting nesting birds. This is all part of Summer’s glory. To see any of it, just stop, take a seat and look out. You won’t be disappointed.

Walking a Labyrinth

By Jennifer Salkin, MA

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There are times in life when I am full of optimism, enthusiasm and energy. A new and exciting goal has energized me. For example, I decide I want to learn how to speak Spanish.  I see the path to achieve the goal and I start on the path. I sign up for an online Spanish class and download a language app. But, eventually that initial enthusiasm starts to fade. As I engage in the daily work to manifest the goal, there is a point where I start to get bored or cannot find the time to work on the goal. Often, obstacles start to pop up. I didn’t find the time to study the new vocabulary or practice speaking.  Now my goal is bogged down and seems unattainable. I’m too far behind to catch up. What helps me to persevere, to continue?

One day I walked a labyrinth and felt the parallel to my experience described above. Unlike a maze, there is only one path in a labyrinth. The only decision to make is to continue to the center or to turn around and exit. The way labyrinths are designed, when first entering, the path takes you very close to the center- just one circuit away. But then the path takes you further away from the center. When starting a new project, it feels like the goal is easily within reach. But walking along, your path takes you further away from the center, the goal, to the outermost ring before entering the center.

This reminds me of how sometimes the goal feels further away than ever as I work towards achieving it. And then the goal is reached. And that is not the end of the journey. There is the journey back out. To me this parallels integrating the experiences of achieving the goal, the lessons learned, the growth experienced, brought out to other areas of life. Hough wrote, “life’s a journey, not a destination”. Walking a labyrinth can be an embodied experience of that truth.