National Horticultural Therapy Week is being held this week,  from March 15 to 21 and focuses on the practice and profession of horticulture as therapy. The American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA), it”s members and everyone who want to host an horticultural therapy event or site visit can participate. Consider getting involved in your community – host an event that can promote horticultural therapy and therapeutic gardens on a local level as well as bring attention to horticultural therapy across the nation. AHTA is a champion of barrier-free, therapeutic gardens that enable everyone to work, learn, and relax in the garden. Horticultural therapists are skilled at creating garden spaces that accommodate people with a wide range of abilities. People with physical or mental disabilities benefit from gardening experiences as part of HT programs, and they learn skills, adaptations, and gardening methods that allow for continued participation at home. Some techniques include: Constructing wide, gently graded wheelchair accessible entrances and paths. Utilizing raised beds and containers Adapting tools to turn a disability into an ability Creating sensory-stimulation environments with plants selected for fragrance texture and color Utilizing accessible greenhouses that bring the garden indoors for year-round enjoyment To learn more about the Horticultural Therapy Week and the profession of Horticultural Therapy, visit: http://www.ahta.org/events/htweek.cfm

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The signs that spring is approaching are increasing almost every day.   The ground hog is one of the early indicators (even if he was less that optimistic this year).  There are other signals that are emerging and the one that   seems to  signal loudly are the birds.  Listening to their songs throughout the day makes me feel like the daffodils and forsythia cannot be that far behind. There are some simple and easy ways to attract birds into you garden.  Be sure to  provide plants that have fruit, nuts and/or seeds as a part of the plant.  You can supplement these food sources by adding bird feeders to your garden.  Nature will also add to their diet by supplying the worms and insects. The second and probably the most important element to add to your garden to encourage the birds to visit is water.  Having a source of fresh water in the form of a bird bath will allow the birds to get a drink.  Make sure the water is changed regularly and includes a heater for the remaining winter days. Shelter is also an important consideration and will offer protection from predators.  Make sure that there are shrubs and trees in the garden where the birds can find protection and a place to build their nests.  Putting these pieces into place will definitley encourage the birds to visit and spend time in your garden.  The result will be a yard that is filled with wonderful melodies all season long.  This is especially important for those older adults who may not be able to venture outside as often during the colder winters days, yet can still watch the birds from their windows.

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Seed catalogues have started to arrive and they are a welcome sign that spring cannot be that far away.  Many of the catalogues are highlighting more of the heirloom vegetables.  These plants offer greater variety in the garden in the way of color and flavor.  There are tomatoes, as an example, that are orange, pink or purple in color.  These tomatoes offer flavors that are different from any of the more common beefsteak varieties that are on the market today.  It is worth searching out these plants as seeds of the plants themselves.  They are sure to bring fun and excitement to the garden.  And to the table as well.  It may even be a reason to get some people to try vegetables that they may have not wanted to eat in the past. [The garden pictured above is a community garden that Nancy & I share with two other families, here, in Medford.  The garden plot is approximately 20′ by 20′.  There are other gardens pictures in the photograph.  The community garden has been a place to experiment with new or older varieties of plants.  I have been wanting to use more of the heirloom tomatoe plants and will try them this year.   Half of the fun is getting together at the garden to do some weeding, pick the vegetables as they ripen and to share a glass of wine.  The garden is as much a place to socialize as it is to grow our own fresh, organic produce.]

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