Gardening as therapy.

CM, I didn't know you raised chickens. What kind? My mother used to say that Rhode Island Reds were her favorites. Dad grew up on a farm, in farming country, so for decades after they moved out into the more metropolitan areas they continued to buy some of their chicken and beef (sides of it!) from farmer friends.

I've always thought there must be a special moment when someone can go out into his/her yard and choose freshly laid eggs from the hen house.

A former neighbor of Dad's got fresh eggs from her grandmother, up north somewhere. She brought the most beautifully colored turquoise and light chocolate brown eggs. They were too pretty to eat!

I know that I took the robin wreath down and put it somewhere in the garden, but don't recall where. I thought about putting in on the fence, but the neighbors that moved in during and after the recession are of the type that would probably report the poor thing to code enforcement, or they'd find some way to dispatch it to the nether world before the little chickies could even hatch.

Interesting question. I don't know what I did with it. Now you've got me thinking; I'm wondering if I should make more and hang them on trees? That might invite squirrel invasions though, as they seem to have first priority on all the trees around here.

GA, I'm almost surprised she didn't march up to your door, bang on it and demand that you stay off her territory or else! - I do love robins, their delusions of grandeur (and ferocity) are incomparable, bless them.

Only one of my chickens went broody, but goodness did she! She was bottom of the pecking order and normally so timid, but the peck she gave me when I reached in to the nesting box left bruises. I transferred her and her clutch to a cat carrier and took her into the house to take extra care of her (and stop her being bullied. Chickens are the original Mean Girls). The books all say that at least once a day you must take the hen off the nest to make sure she has something to eat and drink and does a poo. What they don't say is how. When I tried to lift her, she sort of splayed herself out and hung on like grim death so that the whole bed of straw, eggs and all, came with her.

Did you donate the wreath permanently to the robins? You could hang it somewhere more secluded for her next time, perhaps?

Ah, birds and their territory....some years ago I had 2 wreaths on my small, open front porch. One was dried arborvitae, and if I remember correctly the other was boxwood. I recall they were both from my landscaping, but one might even have been a juniper.

A mother robin decided to nest in the one closest to the mailbox on the porch.

I wasn't really aware of the nursery until the crabby postman refused to deliver the mail, claiming that Mrs. Robin was "dive bombing" him. When I checked the nest, I saw some lovely blue eggs in it, so I couldn't in good conscience move it until the little ones fledged.

So I had to watch for the mailman, go down to the postal vehicle and get my mail for a few weeks. Then he complained that he had to give me my mail personally!

This guy should have been living in a city high rise. Later he complained that one of the arborvitaes in front was "leaning" over the sidewalk and he was afraid spiders would jump out on him. He again refused to deliver the mail until I trimmed back the arborvitae.

Fortunately, he must have been reassigned (or maybe he was divebombed by a bird or spider) a few years later and I didn't have to deal with him again.

But Mrs. Robin did become upset if I opened the door to get my mail while she was in the nest, so I had to peak out and wait until she was gone, then quickly rush out and get my mail.

Yes, that's it GA. They're brains are very small. Lol.

Uh oh, Cwillie, it is like a movie, but thinking I should keep the zooming, fighting, and dive-bombing across the street so I can come and go freely.

I stopped using the back door of a house I rented in the country because birds built their nest there. Excuse me birdies, can I exit now?

My mom and dad had a hummingbird feeder for years, they kept buzzing by looking for it for years after we stopped putting it out. Finally I gave in and bought a new feeder, this one with perches so they hung around a little longer. It was interesting to see how territorial they were, one little fellow would sit in a nearby tree and chase off anyone not in his family, sometimes there were confrontations that reminded me of WWII movie dogfights :) I was extra thrilled when the orioles found the feeder, the perches wouldn't hold them so they would stretch upside down from the hanger, all just outside our window!

I'll bet it thought you were a lovely flower.

Well, the hummers here are zooming all the time, especially if we stop to smell the roses.
One day, at the beginning of fall, I was backing out of the driveway, stopped to change gears, and one hummingbird got in front of the car, facing me, it elevated straight up into the air, and straight back down to eye level, again facing me. Hovering really.

Was it demanding to be fed? I just don't know, but I think it was trying to send a message. The nearest neighbor has a bottlebrush tree. I don't think they would intentionally poke my eye, just accidentally if it zoomed by too close. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Send, if I remember correctly, there are special feeders designed for hummingbirds. You can also plant flowers that they love, flowers with tubular throats. Birds & Blooms magazine provides tips on the hummers and their preferences.

Zoom you? Poke your eyes out? I don't think even a hawk would do that unless you look like a tasty rodent.

Thanks CM!
That half 'n half seeds idea was excellent!
That moment, however, has passed me by, and the seeds are still in my dresser drawer.

My squirrel must be hibernating already, and I am out of peanuts, but will buy more.
Maybe he didn't like his new name, Ratatouille. Having real fun around here was set aside for financial and paperwork reasons. However, I did transplant some plants into larger pots so they could live.
We had a bit of California rain last night, only the slightest bit, now the sun is out.
Georgeous time of year! My windows have been opened daily, bringing the light inside more. Really want to start feeding the hummingbirds, but not sure if I should do this.
Will they zoom me, poke my eyes out?

Thankyou Daughterof1930 💕

Late tonight in Illinois my faithful flower friends are going to get stung by the nasty 30 something windy air.
Most made the move to their nursing home, the greenhouse and the other brave ones decided to stay
put on their own while one geranium asked for a blanket. She will move tomarrow to the "nursing home".

In the morning I will slowly peek to see who is still alive.

Keeping fingers crossed 💜

Missed out for a few days—Bella, that was simply beautiful about gardens and decline, amazing comparison and thoughts, loved reading it.
GA—without a doubt my mom is where I got the love of flowers and now spending time in the yard is where I feel closest to her memory. She was a true plant lover and knew them all by name.
CWillie—I’m in LA, that’s Lower Alabama! We have freezing temps for 2-3 months a years but not even every night then. So the gardening season is long. But the summers are cruelly hot, so there are trade offs. The pansies will bloom from late October til late May.
And I too love the visitors to the garden. My bird feeder has had a wealth of cardinals lately. So nice to see. Even if I do feel a bit ripped off that the males get the show off feathers and color while the females are destined to look dull! Oh well, all in the grand design!

Laugh for the day! I ordered California Poppy seeds from Amazon, they were shipped from India, only in America!

I love having flowers that bloom throughout, nothing better than sitting in the garden in the sun for relaxing, i also have squeal and bird feeders to try and encourage little visitors

Ah, another sensitive gardenr who communes and interacts with the wonderful array of insect life that lives in our gardens!

Once a butterfly landed on my hand, resting there for only a short time, but it was an exciting interaction with such a beautiful and delicate little creature. Another time one of the visiting rabbits became almost tame after I had been feeding it. It hopped up to me, thought for a moment, then laid its head down on my foot and took a nap. That was so exciting - I felt such a natural bond with this sweet little bunny.

I've often thought of gardening as Nature's Symphony. Spring is the prelude, beginning softly, slowly and metamorphosing into Summer, with its diverse array of color and texture, and which is the main portion of the natural symphony. Fall is the dramatic closure with a stunning finale.

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one which most closely reminds me of Nature's Symphony. His Ode to Joy (actually Schiller's) is a choral masterpiece which equates to Nature's magnificent Fall array and blend of beautiful colors.

GardenArtist, happy to be here; I am always happiest in nature.

Daughter, so glad you mentioned pansies. My neighbor gave me some seeds and I need to get those out today. I’m hoping for pansies in snow.

Belle, your insight is spot on. There is a beauty in all seasons. I, too, want nature to take its course. Although ironically, I just “rescued” a praying mantis from the first freeze. I told him he was going to freeze and he hopped onto my shoulder, came indoors and went straight for the terrarium. So... today’s to do list is property taxes and baby crickets - that’s a first!

I don’t think any of us would be on AC if we weren’t nurturers (despite sometimes wanting to run screaming away.) So here’s to those making life more beautiful.

Awe, thankyou gardenartist!
Cant take credit for the sunkissed and dirtblissed phrase, that was only001!!!

I enjoy your posts as well 💜

Bella, you have a very poetic and insightful approach toward gardening and growing older. Your post is inspirational!

"sun kissed and dirt blissed"!!, love it
Need a garden sign for this for sure!

This fall, my plants remind me of aging people. While some are still blooming beautifully there are those that are showing decline. Some I have moved into the greenhouse for intense care (like nursing home), and some I have moved to a warmer spot closer to the greenhouse for a little bit more extra care (like AL). I get sad watching them slowly die and find myself reminiscing how pretty they were during the season...like flashbacks I get of my parents lives who are now in AL.
I too, can't discard a plant if it even has one bloom on it.
Lately, when I've been dead-heading to save seeds for example, I relay that to how people impact our lives... they are like seeds...there's good ones and bad ones....
Tried to explain to my husband yesterday how my mind wanders while gardening and he says yes I definitely think too much.

I usually cover as many plants that I can with sheets to protect them from the early frosts but this year I'm thinking to just let them go.😢
I get those thoughts of giving up on them...like stopping all meds, you know like, end of life stuff... like I'm putting them on hospice or something...hmm, do I just let the frost "nature" do what it does and the plant do what it does? When I think of this, I picture myself faced with the decision I may have to face some day with my parents.

For myself,  I want nature to take it's course.
 I don't want my loved ones having conflict in their mind on what to do with me. Leave me be,  sun kissed and dirt blissed, even in the frost!
If only my plants could talk  and tell me their wishes!  

Daughter, your post immediately reminded me of all the plants my mother grew and planted. She had a flora-cart, with 3 sets of trays, and they were generally pretty well filled by the time May rolled around and she could plant outside.

I remember the impatiens she grew; she really had such a knack for gardening, as did her sister who with her husband ran an alpine and bonsai nursery.

Where are you Daughter? Your winter climate sounds heavenly!
Boy oh boy, I wish for the days when you could pile in the car and head south without worrying about passports and supplemental health insurance.

Just planted violas and pansies this weekend. As they love to be cold it’s just now getting cool enough for them to be happy all winter. We rarely get snow, but years ago my mom took a picture of her pansies blooming through a light layer of snow, so pretty. They were her favorite and I never feel “right”in the fall until I have some planted.

Only, welcome to the cyber gardening community!

Yes to gardening as therapy. Even 20 minutes of deadheadimg can lift my spirits. I try to always have one raised beds for the bees and one raised bed for me. Of course the bee bed is perennials and is super low maintenance. My bed is filled with herbs and veggies. Some years it is pristinely planned and planted; some years it volunteers and I am surprised, but always it comforts me. I am sun kissed and dirt blissed.

Happy Gardening as Therapy! I’m done with gardening for this year. We are a crisp 49 degrees (high) for today. I use the mini pumpkins to decorate inside the house. Pansies are blooming outside while everything else is settling into its sleep for winter. We may hit 60 for a day or two next week, then dropping 15 degrees into the 40’s and low 50’s.

Half-and-half, Send? Plus, if you germinate them successfully for her but she then comes up with any more highly ambiguous conversation-stoppers like that one - ! - you can always change your mind and double your own spring display. And instead you can get her one of the most peculiar "plants" I've ever seen recommended, as featured on Gardeners' World last night - they went to visit one of those monomaniac collectors who go completely nuts about one species, dahlias or orchids or euphorbias or something, and end up living in the kitchen while the new seedlings nestle in the bedrooms; and in this case it was a lovely old boy who'd got hooked on - oh crumbs, I don't know, some sort of succulent.

Anywaaaaaay. I'm sorry, but this plant looked like a fossilised dog poo. Chacun à son goût and all that, I know, but that's the fact of it.

Celebrating Gardening for Therapy. For the past two days I have felt strong enough to get out and start ridding my flower beds of weeds and mulching. Tomorrow i have about 100 bulbs to plant. All daffodils because the deer eat everything else. There are chipmunks everywhere collecting the pine cones and stashing them. I was going to soak some in wax to use fore fire starters but alas there are none on the ground and I don't thing climbing trees is in my job description. Next time we have a good windstorm I will have to rush out and beat the critters to it. When i was weeding one flower bed a little mouse kept popping out from under a rock and telling me to go away as i was disturbing his work. I don't mind mice outside but not when they are rung round the living room and the cat just watches.

Sprouts had some pretty packages of seeds, so I acquired two. Attracting hummingbirds and butterflies, but need to be able to plant them out of season, because I w a n t to.

However, they would make the perfect gift for the neighbor who's husband died in the spring...just finding out now. She says to me: " I am surprised you didn't know, you know e v e r y t h i n g !" Not meaning it as a compliment I am sure.
Conflicted....gift the seeds, or plant the seeds?

There are huge spiders covering  windows! Never, never have seen that!  Scary!

And thank you, Send, for your poetic and artistic contributions, including the reminder to carve our pumpkins. It's getting cold enough now that they won't wilt as easily as they would have a week or so ago.


And thanks to everyone who's ever posted, for helping make this thread so pleasurable and relaxing, at least for me.

So, what special decorations are our AgingCare gardeners planning this year? Carving pumpkins has become an art, far from the basic and simple wide grins or menacing scowls of the days when I grew up.

And once again I'm reminded of when we were children and went across the street to a small grocery store to buy those charming little creations out of wax - lips, coke bottles....but that's all I remember of them. I do remember some kind of pumpkin candy, a soft candy that we used to love. Does this jog anyone's memory as well?

I've planned to put up a Halloween wreath I made years ago, with popsicle sticks for a fence on which a little felt black cat has perched, fall colored silk leaves, felty pumpkins and I don't remember the rest. But unfortunately, it's in hiding and I can't find it. Guess I'll have to make another one.

Grapevines should be ready for harvest now; I'll enjoy a nice lovely afternoon cutting, wetting them down, and winding them to make a batch of wreaths for the next year.

Perhaps I'll take out a mug of cider to enjoy while I'm sitting on the porch winding grapevines. Over the years I've seen some very creative applications of vines woven into arches. Someday...someday.. I'll try my hand at that.

On the subject of the harvest, does anyone have a root cellar, and is it attached to your house or your garage? I've thought of adding one to the garage; I think it would be easier than digging out next to a house. But I'll have to protect it from the critters who might want to feast on some of the contents.

Anyone see any special decorations that they'd like to share? I took Dad out about a week ago to see a yard decorated so heavily that I knew the owner wouldn't even be considering mowing the lawn until after Halloween.

In addition to the RIP signs, there "bones" stuck into the ground, a giant inflatable cat holding an equally giant pumpkin, and more of the standard Halloween RIP signs, gravestones, and more. There were literally decorations every 3 - 4 feet throughout the front yard. I've seen a lot of decorations, but this yard was just packed with them.

BTW, has anyone seen that Lowe's has had Christmas decorations for at least a few weeks? And we haven't even passed Halloween or Thanksgiving!

One is cute though; it's a large bear with movable arms. I'd like to know how someone made movable arms on a blow-up, although I haven't gotten close enough to check it out; it's more likely a mechanical bear.

I usually head for the magazines and see what the latest contributions to gardening are. The blow-ups are merely an attraction on the way to the important magazine section.


CWillie, thanks for a kind of whimsical rendering of the changes of Fall. As I read it I could envision baskets of apples, a pantry filled with home canned garden produce, a root cellar filled with apples, as well as spectacularly beautiful landscapes, and as with the poem that Send posted, the quiet period of rest and contemplation as Fall provides a respite before Winter arrives with its frigid challenges, but also the magnificently beautiful snowflakes and excuse to stay inside, huddled up with a quilt, a mug of cider or hot chocolate (or something stronger if that's your choice), and, of course, a good book or magazine to read.

Hm, the site I found it on didn't say, but he was apparently very popular in the late 1800's, and lived until 1916.