If you haven’t noticed, gardens are popping up in some unconventional places – from prison yards to retirement and veteran homes to programs for troubled youth.

Most are handy sources of fresh and local food, but increasingly they’re also an extension of therapy for people with mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD; depression; and anxiety.

It’s called horticultural therapy. And some doctors, psychologists and occupational therapists are now at work to te…………… continues on WBUR

Mention ornamental grasses, and most folks think of the towering fountains of foliage used for privacy screens or bold, upright focal points nestled among more traditional perennials and shrubs.

Over the last 10 years or so, ornamental grasses have gone from one of the best-kept secrets in landscape design to mainstream favorites.

Most grasses are year-round performers, looking as great as winter interest as they do when fresh and green in spring. Ornamental grasses stay attractive and robust all through summer, keeping fresh growth going when many flowers and shrubs are sulking in the heat. Some grasses put on their best shows in the fall, when the yellow- and green-striped leaves of variegated hakonechloa go pinkish-russet, and Japanese blood grass is its richest red.

Although you may not think of grasses as flowering plants, they do form flowerheads, which in turn become gorgeous ornamental seedheads in the fall and winter. Favorites include the little heart-shaped pendants of quaking grass and huge plumes of pampas grass, spiky goldentop and bottlebrush-shaped feathertop.

When the weather turns cold, these dry seedheads and foliage turn attractive shades of tan and gold, providing color and texture to the winter garden.

Group ornamental grasses throughout the garden to create what designers call harmony and repetition –– unifying eleme…………… continues on MetroWest Daily News

February 22, 2012

The Jackson County Master Gardeners Association has given $ 1,000 grants to two community gardens in Jackson County.

The Medford Gospel Mission received $ 1,000 to help convert sections of its parking lot into raised-bed gardens. The gardens will provide vegetables for its restaurant, “The Main Ingredient,” which serves more than 90,000 meals a year to those in need. Additionally, some of the garden beds will be used by families to raise vegetables for their own use.

The Alliance for Forest Workers & Harvesters near Ashland will use its $ 1,000 grant to expand and increase the number of families growing food in a garden project that is two years old, according to a press release from the Master Gardeners Association. Last year, hundreds of pounds of extra food raised in the garden were donated to local food banks. Will Prust, member of the Alliance board, accepted the grant.

The JCMGA Community Outreach program will be assisting the two community gardens and others with gardening education to help ensure their success.

Blue Peter gardener, Chris Collins, front centre, has a look at what will be a memorial garden at Parkside School with the land maintenance team. Picture: Denise Bradley

Youngsters were yesterday urged to go green for gold as a TV gardener paid a visit to their school.

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