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'tis the season . . . e-mail's best! |
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It's that time of year! Between March and November, Rosmarie spends long hours on the land - often getting home late - too late to return phone calls.
The best way to reach her is through e-mail.
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Father's Day Gift Certificate |
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Father's Day is June 17.
For the gardener in your family, gift certificates are available from Helping Nature Heal in any amount.
They can be used towards consultations, design, labour, or shopping at Nature's Store ...
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| Rosmarie reads
Canadian Gardening! |
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| Wild About Gardening is a project of the Canadian Wildlife Federation |
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| go wild - a project of the Ecology Action Centre |
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free e-postcards! |
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nature photos |
Visit our Germination Gallery - Helping Nature Heal's photo collection.
Send us your favourite nature photos and we'll share them with our e-news subscribers and website visitors! |
| Harbour View Haven Garden Club blooms all year round! |
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| SSWC on the move |
| June 13
Second Story Women's Centre will be taking a tour of Windhorse Farm.
Donations are needed to pay for this event!!
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| Rosmarie makes the grade! |
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Participants at Rosmarie's Horticultural Tips workshop gave her an enthusiastic evaluation . . .
What did you find most helpful about the workshop?
- Everything
- Comraderie! And delicious salad!
- Rhododendron propagation
- Everyone's input and energy
- Rosmarie's knowledge and comfortable approach and generosity of sharing
- That women can work together - many hands make light labour!
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Greetings!
 Welcome to June's e-news for Helping Nature Heal!
We have busy sunny days to look forward to this month, garden maintenance and installations of post- frost plants, and construction of new projects.
Thanks for your interest in HNH! I look forward to your comments and questions, so please continue sending your thoughts along.
Until next time - Happy Gardening!
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Horticultural Therapy Project
by Wendy Annand
Program Co-ordinator
Second Story Women's Centre
 Many of you have been attending [Second Story's] garden and nature related workshops over the past year.
Rosmarie Bradley of Helping Nature Heal Inc. has been generously donating her expertise to Second Story Women's Centre, the Baywoods project, and Harbourview Haven. Rosmarie is skilled in landscape design, restoration ecology, and organic landscaping. She is the only person in the Maritimes studying Horticultural Therapy.
The standard definition of Horticultural Therapy, as stated by Steve Davis, President of the Horticultural Therapy Association is:
"Horticultural Therapy is the use of plants and gardening activities as vehicles in professionally conducted programs in therapy and rehabilitation."
 There is something magical and curative about the powers of nature as seen in the growth of a plant. By nurturing plants and developing an awareness of the environment, individuals are able to give back these newly found skills and renewed energy to their families and to the community.
Negative emotions are channeled through a constructive activity, which promotes optimism, confidence and self-worth. Individuals can be assisted in attaining positive social and work skills, which can help build self-esteem and enrich lives. Channeling negative and creative energy into horticulture not only relieves anxiety, it fosters growth and imagination. (Excerpted from "Horticulture as Therapy" by Mitchell Hewson).
 Gardening is a time to share stories, connect to the food we eat and release our stress. Gardening is also a great hobby filled with challenges and adventures. Horticultural Therapy is a way of giving back to the earth, to help heal the planet by encouraging folks to be more aware of their environment by growing plants in it.
Tending to the innocent life of a plant is extremely worthy work in this time of heightened awareness of global warming. This is one way to heal the planet, one person at a time.
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| Go Wild! Redefine your lawn!
Ecology Action Centre
Why be a slave to mowing and feeding a lawn?
 Free yourself from this unnecessary chore: plant trees, groundcovers, native plants, wildlife gardens, rock gardens, woodland gardens, meadow gardens . . . or, first and best thing you can do, if you have an existing natural area on your property, is to let it stay that way: Go Wild!
While naturalized gardens, tree planting and ecological restoration can help bring back some of the ecological benefits of a natural area to a piece of land, it can take an extremely long time for it to become established enough to have the same characteristics as an untouched piece of land. This is due to the fact that it will take a long time for species missing from the site to move in - if indeed they ever do.
In many cases, the distance to an established natural area may be too far for species to cross. As such, it's always better to protect an existing developed ecosystem if you have one, rather than trying to start from scratch.
If you are in the process of developing land for a new home, work with your developers to see that as much of the original landscape as possible is left intact, whether that means not cutting down trees or preventing a section of meadow from being bulldozed unnecessarily.
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Horticultural Therapy
HVH Activity Director applauds HNH!
 Rosmarie takes a few moments out from the 2007 Harbour View Haven Garden Club Spring Sale to chat with avid club member and resident Charlotte Falkenham.
Lisa Craig, HVH activity director, notes in an e-mail to Rosmarie and Club Founder and Volunteer Sue Kashanki:
"Wanted to let you know that the surveyors were notably impressed with the Garden
Club and the wonderful volunteer support to make this possible at HVH . . . Kudos to you both, once again. Indeed your project has been a tremendous success and I am very proud."
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| 4 reasons to plant native plants
 Reduce Need for Garden Maintenance
Because native plants are adapted to local climate and soils, they typically require very little (if any) watering, fertilizer or maintenance when planted in the right place.
Protect Canadian Biodiversity
By growing native plants in your yard, you are helping to protect the species, keeping its population up and ensuring that it has somewhere safe to grow.
Attract Wildlife
Many wildlife species depend on native plants to survive.
Add Variety to Your Garden
Having native plants in your garden can be a great way to display plants that you might not find in your typical garden. Often native plants have rich histories, traditional uses and relationships with our native wildlife that can make them an interesting conversation piece as well.
Where to buy
When looking for native plants, be sure to buy them from a reputable retailer who does not collect plants from the wild, as doing so can damage the natural ecosystems from which they come.
For a list of retailers in Nova Scotia who sell native plants, click here.
For a list of commonly available native plants, click here.
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 Rhodies under attack?
Last month one of our clients said "Uncle!" After a long battle with deer, her rhodie was definitely worse for wear.
She generously donated it to Harbour View Haven for their fenced in garden. Now protected, I know it will bring much pleasure to the residents, staff, volunteers and families.
Many thanks on their behalf! |
| Garden Landscape - a look at June
June 1 - Arborstone in Halifax, (providers of varied services from independent retirement living to enhanced care): Horticulture Therapy Program Set-Up & workshop
June 7 - Jeanette Poirier of Herbal Wizdom will be at Second Story Women's Centre (SSWC) speaking at our garden group about Herbs.
June 11 - Laying patio slabs at Harbour View Haven. Donations by South Shore Ready Mix and discount by HNH.
June 14 - Drop in and visit Rosmarie at the SSWC Horticultural Therapy Room - don't forget your gardening questions!
June 15 - Maplestone in Halifax, (independent retirement living to enhanced care) Horticulture Therapy Program Set-Up & workshop.
June 16 - Clay Island Nature Tour, Grade 5s from Chester Elementary, parents, and others . . 45 people in all. Rosmarie will lead the group through the forest to discover Nature's treasures. Arriving by sail and motor boat, spending 10am to 3pm with BBQ on the island.
June 20 - SSWC AGM with lots of activities throughout the day.
Curious about gardening &/or Horticulture Therapy? This is the perfect opportunity for you! The HT Room will be open noon - 5 pm. Garden Club members will be on hand to talk about gardening with visitors. Rosmarie will drop in as her busy schedule permits. Visitors will be welcome to plant a take-home salad garden - a healthy tomato plant encircled by their freshly planted lettuce and radish seeds.
SSWC's monthly Soup Lunch is moved to AGM day 12 - 1:30. The rest of the afternoon will be Open House and Tours . . . the plan is for entertainment too. Light refreshments will be on hand 4 - 5pm, then the AGM will run 5 - 6:30 pm.
June 21, 6 - 8 pm - Hands-On Gardening with SSWC
Come learn with us in these hands-on sessions about gardening basics. If you know the basics, come and have fun gardening with a group. We will be using the Town Gardens to learn about identifying plants, weeding, deadheading, pruning, edging, dividing - all those chores which gardens need to thrive. If you have trowels, dandelion pullers, clippers, or other small tools, please bring them along. If not, just come, dressed for gardening! Everyone welcome.
June 28 - Private garden tour - we've looked after Carole Collins' garden in Mader's Cove since 2002. Pre-registration required. Please contact Rosmarie.
Please register for all SSWC workshops by calling 543-1315 or 640-3044.
SSWC programs are free and open to all women. Coed programs are advertised as such or say, "Everyone is welcome". Minimal childcare and transportation subsidies are available. |
| Rocksea
Farewell to our friend and rest in peace.
See ya later,
Rosmarie, Greg, Katie and Lindsey, and all of Rocksea's friends | |
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