Saturday, February 13, 2010
Dreaming of spring....
The snow is piled a foot deep, but all I can think of is that it is blanketing my garden, helping to insulate the crowns of my perennials, and keeping the daffodils from coming up too early. This week, we are planning to start our pepper seeds. I have lots of seeds left from last year, and tomorrow I will look through them. Maybe I will have enough without ordering more. One variety I plan to grow is Corno di Toro (Bull's Horn), which is a large elongated mild pepper - big enough to stuff. I always grow Hot Hungarian Wax, Jalapeno, Cayenne, and Peter Peppers too. Peter Peppers are amusing to have, and taste great too - very hot and flavorful. If I have to order any, I have to hurry so I can get them started. Tomatoes can be started in a month or so.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Compost!
We started a real compost pile last fall. By "real" I mean an actual pile. I have always composted, but did it in the "sheet composting" method. I just always put my coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, and veggie scraps here and there in the garden both under mulch or just straight on the ground. Within days, when the weather is warm, the scraps would be digested by earthworms, microbes, and other "critters." But now we have a real pile in a designated area. This morning I went out and tried turning the compost to help it break down faster. My husband had added some shredded leaves and grass clippings on top in the last couple of days. When I began turning it, (not too successfully with a shovel, a pitchfork is better!), steam began rising from it! Our compost pile is now officially hot! This is good in a couple of ways. First, it kills any weed seeds and second, it helps it decompose faster, so one can use it in the garden sooner. The pile should be ready to distribute in the garden soon, the best source of fertilizer and soil conditioner to be had.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Plant sale!!!!
I am going to this plant sale (info below) this Saturday morning at 9-00 in Cincinnati near where I work (University Hospital). I heard about it last year and couldn't go. This year I am off that day and will be there with some cash and my oldest daughter Sarah, who is becoming an enthusiastic gardener herself. I am really looking forward to the miniature plants and whatever else is different and basically cool. I am so excited to go and see what they have. Luckily I just pulled up a bunch of ivy and rearranged some other stuff in my garden so I actually have room for some new things.
I hope to see you there!
Plant, Herb, & Hosta Sale
I hope to see you there!
Plant, Herb, & Hosta Sale
WhenSat, May 2, 9am – 3pm
Where - Civic Garden Center (map)
DescriptionRain or Shine Booths Include: Ask the Experts Awesome Annuals Blooming Shrubs Climbers & Clematis Connoisseur's Corner Donated Perennials Fruits & Vegetables Herbs Hostas Necessary Natives Shade Perennials Sun Perennials Tropicals Troughs an Miniatures Used Books Posy Power Herb Bread & Baked Goods Hand-Crafted Pottery by the Clay Alliance Other Merchandise from Special Vendors
Fritillaria meleagris
These are two photos of Fritillaria meleagris in my garden. This is my absolute favorite spring bulb. Also called Checkered Lilies, Guinea-hen flowers, Leper Lilies, and Snakes Head (according to Wikipedia, this was the original English name). They are so different and understated. Fritillaria have a gentle beauty and don't seem to shout at you like some gaudy tulips or huge daffodils. I am not saying I don't like bright colors, but the delicate beauty of these is simply soothing to the eye and the soul. They do not seem to live for long, returning for at least a few years in ideal conditions. Every year, when they come up, I always wish I had planted many more. This fall I am DEFINITELY going to plant at least 200 to 300 everywhere I can think of. I planted some in my church's garden, but they did not seem as vigorous and large as the ones in my own garden. Now I don't know if that is because of the bulbs or the environment. They like some dampness but not downright wetness. Hmmmm.....Guess I will just plant some more ner where the really healthy ones are this year and some other experimental spots. I love the photo here where one flower alost seems to be hugging the other flower.
Plant some this fall in your own garden. These delicate bulbs are best purchased by mail as then they will arrive in fresh condition. At a store it is difficult to keep them in prime condition. When they arrive by mail, plant within a couple of days if possible. Another day I will discuss Fritillaria imperialis, a sister bulb - it is "imperial" as the name states - it is larger and makes more of a statement.
But the little meleagris or Checkered Lily is to be had for just a few dollars for a hundred, while the imperialis costs about $5 a bulb.
Missing my readers and my spring garden
I decided to start writing on my long neglected blog again. Why? Because my weekly garden column for over ten years was discontinued due to budget cuts at the newspaper. I miss writing every week and I miss being in contact with my readers. Hopefully I can get the word out that I am still here - just not on paper. I have done a lot this year already in my garden. Seeds were started in early March, and bulbs were planted last fall. The spring bulbs are now coming to an end for the year. I have been picking fresh greens for the past week already and my snap peas are several inches high. I have lots of radishes and lettuce that should be ready to start harvesting in a couple of weeks.
My tomatoes and peppers have been growing under lights in the basement and are now outside getting "hardened off" in a morning sun/afternoon shade location. I do need to bring them in tonight as it will dip into the 40's tonight - hopefully for the last time this spring.
My tomatoes and peppers have been growing under lights in the basement and are now outside getting "hardened off" in a morning sun/afternoon shade location. I do need to bring them in tonight as it will dip into the 40's tonight - hopefully for the last time this spring.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Little Women
Here is a vintage copy of Little Women, and The Little Women Treasury -
which is a recently published collection of crafts and activities that
all are related to the beloved classic story about the four March
girls.
Little Women
In the long dreary nights of winter, it is always nice to put one’s nose in a book to pass the time. I have always loved reading since the long ago days of learning how with “Dick and Jane.” Who remembers them with their dog Spot, their cat Puff and their little sister Sally? No one under forty I am sure.
My favorite book in my youth was “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott. Through reading and rereading this much loved book, the four sisters became real characters or personages in my mind.
I loved the little part in the book where the author describes the gardens of each sister. The four girls were each given an individual plot to do with as they liked. The ever present housekeeper of the March household - Hannah - says in her thick accent, “I’d know which each of gardings belonged to, ef I see ‘em in Chiny.” Their gardens matched their personalities. Meg, the oldest, ever the romantic with her mind firmly set on marriage and becoming a wife and mother: her garden contained “roses and heliotrope, (very fragrant) myrtle, and a little orange tree.” This was clearly symbolic of Meg’s aspirations – orange blossoms are traditionally carried or worn by brides and myrtle wreaths were worn by brides in ancient Greece. Roses and heliotrope revealed her romantic nature. Jo, the tomboy of the family, who avoided anything romantic like the plague, was very adventurous. Her garden reflected her personality as well - “Jo’s bed was never alike two seasons, for she was always trying experiments. This year it was to be a plantation of sunflowers, the seeds of which cheerful land aspiring plant were to fed Aunt Cockle-top (their chicken) and her family of chicks.”
Beth, the third sister, who was fated to die an early death from her weak heart, was innocent, sweet, loving, and domestic, playing with dolls until she was a young teenager. She was always thinking of others, never herself, which indirectly caused her to get her case of scarlet fever – leading to her rheumatic heart. Her garden was full of nostalgic and sweet delicate flowers – “Beth had old-fashioned fragrant flowers in her garden, sweet peas and mignonette, larkspur, pinks, pansies, and southernwood, with chickweed for the birds and catnip for the kitties.” The southernwood, also known as Artemisia or Wormwood, traditionally known as the bitterest herb – may have symbolized her early death – indeed, bitter tears were shed by many for the sweet Beth after she died.
Amy, the youngest sister, was known as the artist of the March family. Amy’s garden reflected her artistic bent – “Amy had a bower in hers, rather small and earwiggy, but very pretty to look at, with honeysuckle and morning-glories hanging their colored horns and bells in graceful wreaths all over it, tall white lilies, delicate ferns, and as many brilliant, picturesque plants as would consent to blossom there.” The tall white lilies probably represent her pride, which was one of the character flaws Amy struggled with.
Quotes are from the book “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott.
Words in parentheses are my additions.
My favorite book in my youth was “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott. Through reading and rereading this much loved book, the four sisters became real characters or personages in my mind.
I loved the little part in the book where the author describes the gardens of each sister. The four girls were each given an individual plot to do with as they liked. The ever present housekeeper of the March household - Hannah - says in her thick accent, “I’d know which each of gardings belonged to, ef I see ‘em in Chiny.” Their gardens matched their personalities. Meg, the oldest, ever the romantic with her mind firmly set on marriage and becoming a wife and mother: her garden contained “roses and heliotrope, (very fragrant) myrtle, and a little orange tree.” This was clearly symbolic of Meg’s aspirations – orange blossoms are traditionally carried or worn by brides and myrtle wreaths were worn by brides in ancient Greece. Roses and heliotrope revealed her romantic nature. Jo, the tomboy of the family, who avoided anything romantic like the plague, was very adventurous. Her garden reflected her personality as well - “Jo’s bed was never alike two seasons, for she was always trying experiments. This year it was to be a plantation of sunflowers, the seeds of which cheerful land aspiring plant were to fed Aunt Cockle-top (their chicken) and her family of chicks.”
Beth, the third sister, who was fated to die an early death from her weak heart, was innocent, sweet, loving, and domestic, playing with dolls until she was a young teenager. She was always thinking of others, never herself, which indirectly caused her to get her case of scarlet fever – leading to her rheumatic heart. Her garden was full of nostalgic and sweet delicate flowers – “Beth had old-fashioned fragrant flowers in her garden, sweet peas and mignonette, larkspur, pinks, pansies, and southernwood, with chickweed for the birds and catnip for the kitties.” The southernwood, also known as Artemisia or Wormwood, traditionally known as the bitterest herb – may have symbolized her early death – indeed, bitter tears were shed by many for the sweet Beth after she died.
Amy, the youngest sister, was known as the artist of the March family. Amy’s garden reflected her artistic bent – “Amy had a bower in hers, rather small and earwiggy, but very pretty to look at, with honeysuckle and morning-glories hanging their colored horns and bells in graceful wreaths all over it, tall white lilies, delicate ferns, and as many brilliant, picturesque plants as would consent to blossom there.” The tall white lilies probably represent her pride, which was one of the character flaws Amy struggled with.
Quotes are from the book “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott.
Words in parentheses are my additions.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Russian tomato plants
A couple of photos I took of gardens in Russia - a view of a dacha with
a greenhouse, and the inside of a Russian family's greenhouse filled
with healthy looking tomato plants. These were taken in early June,
2004 in a dacha community near St. Petersburg, Russia.
Thinking about Spring
All the rushing around and excitement of Christmas and New Year’s is now over, and one can now settle back into “normal’ life. I love holidays, especially seeing family that I don’t often see – but like many of you I am happy to get back to having time for things like peacefully leafing through seed catalogs, perusing garden websites, and deciding what rose to order and squeeze into my fast becoming crowded garden.
My friend Teresa emailed me and told me that she spent the day in her garden weeding, planting leftover bulbs, raking shredded leaves into place, and also being amazed at how green and healthy some plants look right in the midst of winter. I am always amazed at this myself.
I took a little walk around my garden and spotted tiny new leaves at the crowns of some of my perennials – a welcome sight! I am still tired from the holidays, but did pull up my sunflower stalks to put in the trash, as I don’t have a shredder – yet. They are a bit too sturdy for composting. I also saw that the yearly plethora of wild strawberry weeds are encroaching everywhere – will have to spend a few hours pulling these up this spring. At least wild strawberries are easy to pull up as they are very shallow rooted.
If you plan to order or buy seeds to start, it is high time to begin selecting them. Many varieties tell one to start indoors eight to ten weeks before the last frost date – this tells me that these varieties will need to be started by the beginning of March. Always buy only quality seeds. If you are investing the time, energy, and resources to grow a garden, then it worth your investment in good quality seeds. Send for seed catalogs or study seed company websites and make your selections. Keep in mind your limitations of space and time to start the plants and to place them in your garden. Order soon, as supplies of unusual varieties can run out. Here is a list of some good sources for seeds online - www.superseeds.com, www.seedsofchange.com (organic seeds), www.heirloomseeds.com, www.reneesgarden.com or www.thompson-morgan.com. Renee’s Garden carries some very interesting varieties in attractive and informative seed packets – I have found this brand at a large local garden store. I am going to try a few unusual tomato varieties this year from Heirloom Seeds – they have such a tempting variety. I plan to grow “Lemon Drop,” a small yellow cherry type; “Cosmonaut Volkov,” a supposedly very healthy red tomato; “Black Krim,” a dark Russian heirloom tomato with unusual flavor; “Black Prince,” another Russian heirloom recommended for the “tomato connoisseur” and also definitely “Boxcar Willie,” an heirloom type red/orange tomato I have heard good things about. Russians are apparently very serious about their tomatoes, as when I visited a dacha community near St. Petersburg, Russia I saw homemade greenhouses everywhere with tomatoes growing safely inside in defiance of the harsh climate, where one can need a winter coat in May and one nearly always needs a wool sweater at the ready even on sunny days in June. “Pruden’s Purple” and “Mr. Stripey” were two varieties we grew in our garden last year, and they were wonderful – so they will be included again this year as well.
This weekend if I can get up the energy, I plan to visit Smith Park to pick up some free mulch, as I have a lot to mulch this year and my mother reported they have a good supply right now. I hope I can remember where my little wheelbarrow is, so I can begin to spread this mulch if our mild weather holds out a little longer.
For the next couple of weeks I am going to talk about gardens mentioned in literature – combining two of my favorite topics.
My friend Teresa emailed me and told me that she spent the day in her garden weeding, planting leftover bulbs, raking shredded leaves into place, and also being amazed at how green and healthy some plants look right in the midst of winter. I am always amazed at this myself.
I took a little walk around my garden and spotted tiny new leaves at the crowns of some of my perennials – a welcome sight! I am still tired from the holidays, but did pull up my sunflower stalks to put in the trash, as I don’t have a shredder – yet. They are a bit too sturdy for composting. I also saw that the yearly plethora of wild strawberry weeds are encroaching everywhere – will have to spend a few hours pulling these up this spring. At least wild strawberries are easy to pull up as they are very shallow rooted.
If you plan to order or buy seeds to start, it is high time to begin selecting them. Many varieties tell one to start indoors eight to ten weeks before the last frost date – this tells me that these varieties will need to be started by the beginning of March. Always buy only quality seeds. If you are investing the time, energy, and resources to grow a garden, then it worth your investment in good quality seeds. Send for seed catalogs or study seed company websites and make your selections. Keep in mind your limitations of space and time to start the plants and to place them in your garden. Order soon, as supplies of unusual varieties can run out. Here is a list of some good sources for seeds online - www.superseeds.com, www.seedsofchange.com (organic seeds), www.heirloomseeds.com, www.reneesgarden.com or www.thompson-morgan.com. Renee’s Garden carries some very interesting varieties in attractive and informative seed packets – I have found this brand at a large local garden store. I am going to try a few unusual tomato varieties this year from Heirloom Seeds – they have such a tempting variety. I plan to grow “Lemon Drop,” a small yellow cherry type; “Cosmonaut Volkov,” a supposedly very healthy red tomato; “Black Krim,” a dark Russian heirloom tomato with unusual flavor; “Black Prince,” another Russian heirloom recommended for the “tomato connoisseur” and also definitely “Boxcar Willie,” an heirloom type red/orange tomato I have heard good things about. Russians are apparently very serious about their tomatoes, as when I visited a dacha community near St. Petersburg, Russia I saw homemade greenhouses everywhere with tomatoes growing safely inside in defiance of the harsh climate, where one can need a winter coat in May and one nearly always needs a wool sweater at the ready even on sunny days in June. “Pruden’s Purple” and “Mr. Stripey” were two varieties we grew in our garden last year, and they were wonderful – so they will be included again this year as well.
This weekend if I can get up the energy, I plan to visit Smith Park to pick up some free mulch, as I have a lot to mulch this year and my mother reported they have a good supply right now. I hope I can remember where my little wheelbarrow is, so I can begin to spread this mulch if our mild weather holds out a little longer.
For the next couple of weeks I am going to talk about gardens mentioned in literature – combining two of my favorite topics.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Happy New Year!
Another New Year! I personally cannot believe we are so far past the year 2000 already. As always, the thought of a new start or fresh beginning is heartening. I have made my yearly resolution to lose weight, but have also thought about resolutions I want to make as a gardener.
I resolve to mulch, mulch and mulch some more in my rose and perennial areas to cut back on weeding this spring and summer. Last summer was an endless battle against mostly thistles, and a thick layer of newspapers and a few bags of mulch should go a long way to alleviate that problem.
Speaking of roses I resolve to be more regular with a good feeding regimen – starting in March at least a monthly feeding of ½ cup of Epsom salts and a gallon of fish emulsion/seaweed solution per rose - I have about forty roses so this will take some determination. Also concerning my roses – I also plan to buy some silica gel and this year try drying some of my huge harvest of roses I have in late May/early June. A fellow member of a roses email group I belong to (FortheLoveofRoses – Yahoo Groups)
shared that she dries roses every summer and then uses the dried roses to decorate a rose themed Christmas tree every year. What a great idea! I could also use the dried roses to accent my pine roping, or to make arrangements for homemade gifts. I have air dried many roses but silica gel is supposed to give superior results.
I also resolve not to buy too many seeds to start in the late winter months. I will select a few that I really want to start and stick with those. If one tries to start too many some just get neglected and sadly languish. I will definitely start my parsley much earlier, maybe even in January. Last year I think I started it in April and it didn’t even get going until October. I have some nice shelves with grow lights in the basement for this resolution. Fresh parsley is so good in so many things, especially chopped coarsely and sprinkled on nearly any soup. More on seed starting in the very near future.
I also resolve not to have my yearly collection of unplanted pots of perennials at the end of the season. I had surgery in early November and then had to tell my husband where to plant a few things and only be able to supervise – I dislike not being in control of my garden. Three sad little plants are still in pots under a small boxwood shrub near my front door – maybe they will survive to be planted and maybe they won’t. I had a few dozen bulbs still left and last week I planted them all in one of those large pots made of a foam like material. I think they will all come up – twenty-five Darwin tulips, some random species tulips, and a couple of dozen small Fritillaria bulbs.
I was very happy with my vertical gardening with vegetables last year and plan to do more of that. The tomato and cucumber vines I grew alongside a large garden arch structure did so well that I was amazed. I also resolve to try some okra and tomatillos this year for the first time. I also resolve to plant more cucumbers as I would really like to hae enough to try making a few pickles.
As much as I love sunflowers – I do resolve not to plant any this year, as they take up too much valuable room in my small yard. If I someday own a larger lot – a half-acre for example, I would plant dozens. The three or four I grew last year shaded my sun loving peppers and I could have fit one or two more tomato plants in that space.
I also resolve to keep on gardening organically as I have been doing for the past nineteen years with my present garden– no Miracle-Gro, no weedkillers, no bug killers – as I see the splendid results of organic methods. Every year my soil is richer, loamier, and all my plants healthier with less work.
I also resolve to document better – when I plant things, when seeds are started, names of perennials or vegetable varieties or maybe how many tomatoes are actually harvested, as these facts could be helpful in future years. Next fall I hope to have put into practice some of these “conceived in hope for the future” resolutions. And maybe have lost thirty pounds ?!?!?
I resolve to mulch, mulch and mulch some more in my rose and perennial areas to cut back on weeding this spring and summer. Last summer was an endless battle against mostly thistles, and a thick layer of newspapers and a few bags of mulch should go a long way to alleviate that problem.
Speaking of roses I resolve to be more regular with a good feeding regimen – starting in March at least a monthly feeding of ½ cup of Epsom salts and a gallon of fish emulsion/seaweed solution per rose - I have about forty roses so this will take some determination. Also concerning my roses – I also plan to buy some silica gel and this year try drying some of my huge harvest of roses I have in late May/early June. A fellow member of a roses email group I belong to (FortheLoveofRoses – Yahoo Groups)
shared that she dries roses every summer and then uses the dried roses to decorate a rose themed Christmas tree every year. What a great idea! I could also use the dried roses to accent my pine roping, or to make arrangements for homemade gifts. I have air dried many roses but silica gel is supposed to give superior results.
I also resolve not to buy too many seeds to start in the late winter months. I will select a few that I really want to start and stick with those. If one tries to start too many some just get neglected and sadly languish. I will definitely start my parsley much earlier, maybe even in January. Last year I think I started it in April and it didn’t even get going until October. I have some nice shelves with grow lights in the basement for this resolution. Fresh parsley is so good in so many things, especially chopped coarsely and sprinkled on nearly any soup. More on seed starting in the very near future.
I also resolve not to have my yearly collection of unplanted pots of perennials at the end of the season. I had surgery in early November and then had to tell my husband where to plant a few things and only be able to supervise – I dislike not being in control of my garden. Three sad little plants are still in pots under a small boxwood shrub near my front door – maybe they will survive to be planted and maybe they won’t. I had a few dozen bulbs still left and last week I planted them all in one of those large pots made of a foam like material. I think they will all come up – twenty-five Darwin tulips, some random species tulips, and a couple of dozen small Fritillaria bulbs.
I was very happy with my vertical gardening with vegetables last year and plan to do more of that. The tomato and cucumber vines I grew alongside a large garden arch structure did so well that I was amazed. I also resolve to try some okra and tomatillos this year for the first time. I also resolve to plant more cucumbers as I would really like to hae enough to try making a few pickles.
As much as I love sunflowers – I do resolve not to plant any this year, as they take up too much valuable room in my small yard. If I someday own a larger lot – a half-acre for example, I would plant dozens. The three or four I grew last year shaded my sun loving peppers and I could have fit one or two more tomato plants in that space.
I also resolve to keep on gardening organically as I have been doing for the past nineteen years with my present garden– no Miracle-Gro, no weedkillers, no bug killers – as I see the splendid results of organic methods. Every year my soil is richer, loamier, and all my plants healthier with less work.
I also resolve to document better – when I plant things, when seeds are started, names of perennials or vegetable varieties or maybe how many tomatoes are actually harvested, as these facts could be helpful in future years. Next fall I hope to have put into practice some of these “conceived in hope for the future” resolutions. And maybe have lost thirty pounds ?!?!?
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Merry Christmas!
Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas? There has been a controversy over whether it is good to say one or the other. Personally if someone wishes me to be “Merry” or to be “Happy” – I am glad either way. Our entire Christmas celebration is filled with customs adopted or borrowed from other lands and cultures, so I think we should all be more tolerant and forgiving in the Spirit of Christmas.
The date we celebrate Christmas comes from Ancient Rome, when the Emperor Aurelius declared December 25 as “The Birthday of the Unconquered Son”. The ancient Persians also celebrated Dec. 25 as the birthday of another god –Mithras. Christians did not even note the day of his birth until the fourth century. Even then, many church fathers were opposed to celebrating Christ’s birth, as they considered His death and resurrection much more important, and thought any sort of celebrating God/Christ’s birthday as pagan. “Pagans” typically celebrated the birthdays of their gods, and no mention is made in the New Testament of celebrating the day of Christ’s birth. Was Jesus actually born on Christmas? Not likely, Biblical scholars have varying opinions; they say He could have been born in September, October, or March.
The custom of having a Christmas tree goes back a thousand years to a legend about St. Boniface. It is said he came upon a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, he chopped it down, and supposedly a young fir tree sprang up in its place. But it was not until five hundred years later that people began to bring fir trees indoors. Martin Luther is said to have started this custom by cutting down a small fir tree and decorating it with lit candles to delight his children on Christmas. It remained a German custom until Queen Victoria married the German Prince Albert and brought the custom to England and then to America. Decorating with evergreens and holly goes back even further. Many ancient cultures, such as the Druids and Romans brought greens indoors during the winter solstice to defy the deadness of winter and to symbolize the hope of returning new life in spring.
I personally love decorating with living plants and fresh greenery. I had a “fake” Christmas tree for some years. I got very tired of it and now I always purchase a fresh evergreen with its loveable imperfections and its wonderful fragrance. If you prefer the convenience of an artificial tree, you can still add living accents to your home for the season. I know that local garden stores have fresh pine roping and wreaths still available. Another wonderful thing to add fragrance and freshness is a rosemary tree. Rosemary is my favorite herb. These are available at this time of year in garden centers and plant departments of large groceries. After Christmas you can cut off sprigs to add to pork, lamb, chicken and beef dishes. Rosemary plants like a cool location in a sunny window, and don’t like to be over or under watered – try once a week. Topiaries of living ivy are also available in wreath and other forms – these are really attractive. I also plant to buy some fresh red roses to put around my home for Christmas – this too looks very festive. I love how one can buy fresh flowers at local groceries very inexpensively. If you purchase fresh roses be sure to prepare them right when you get home. Fill a pot or bowl with water and cut each individual stem underwater before placing it in your container.
Religious intolerance in England actually gave us one of our most loved Christmas songs – The Twelve Days of Christmas.
Supposedly the Catholics in England made up the song to teach their children catechism, when the Church of England between 1558-1829 forbade the open practice of Catholicism. The Partridge in a Pear Tree is supposed to represent Christ. The mother partridge will protect her children by feigning injury to distract predators like Christ sacrificed himself for us. The rest of the symbolism is as follows:
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight Beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the Ten Commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful Apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed
(from the Catholic Information Network – www.cin.org)
The date we celebrate Christmas comes from Ancient Rome, when the Emperor Aurelius declared December 25 as “The Birthday of the Unconquered Son”. The ancient Persians also celebrated Dec. 25 as the birthday of another god –Mithras. Christians did not even note the day of his birth until the fourth century. Even then, many church fathers were opposed to celebrating Christ’s birth, as they considered His death and resurrection much more important, and thought any sort of celebrating God/Christ’s birthday as pagan. “Pagans” typically celebrated the birthdays of their gods, and no mention is made in the New Testament of celebrating the day of Christ’s birth. Was Jesus actually born on Christmas? Not likely, Biblical scholars have varying opinions; they say He could have been born in September, October, or March.
The custom of having a Christmas tree goes back a thousand years to a legend about St. Boniface. It is said he came upon a group of pagans worshipping an oak tree. In anger, he chopped it down, and supposedly a young fir tree sprang up in its place. But it was not until five hundred years later that people began to bring fir trees indoors. Martin Luther is said to have started this custom by cutting down a small fir tree and decorating it with lit candles to delight his children on Christmas. It remained a German custom until Queen Victoria married the German Prince Albert and brought the custom to England and then to America. Decorating with evergreens and holly goes back even further. Many ancient cultures, such as the Druids and Romans brought greens indoors during the winter solstice to defy the deadness of winter and to symbolize the hope of returning new life in spring.
I personally love decorating with living plants and fresh greenery. I had a “fake” Christmas tree for some years. I got very tired of it and now I always purchase a fresh evergreen with its loveable imperfections and its wonderful fragrance. If you prefer the convenience of an artificial tree, you can still add living accents to your home for the season. I know that local garden stores have fresh pine roping and wreaths still available. Another wonderful thing to add fragrance and freshness is a rosemary tree. Rosemary is my favorite herb. These are available at this time of year in garden centers and plant departments of large groceries. After Christmas you can cut off sprigs to add to pork, lamb, chicken and beef dishes. Rosemary plants like a cool location in a sunny window, and don’t like to be over or under watered – try once a week. Topiaries of living ivy are also available in wreath and other forms – these are really attractive. I also plant to buy some fresh red roses to put around my home for Christmas – this too looks very festive. I love how one can buy fresh flowers at local groceries very inexpensively. If you purchase fresh roses be sure to prepare them right when you get home. Fill a pot or bowl with water and cut each individual stem underwater before placing it in your container.
Religious intolerance in England actually gave us one of our most loved Christmas songs – The Twelve Days of Christmas.
Supposedly the Catholics in England made up the song to teach their children catechism, when the Church of England between 1558-1829 forbade the open practice of Catholicism. The Partridge in a Pear Tree is supposed to represent Christ. The mother partridge will protect her children by feigning injury to distract predators like Christ sacrificed himself for us. The rest of the symbolism is as follows:
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments
3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity, the Theological Virtues
4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists
5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which gives the history of man's fall from grace.
6 Geese A-laying = the six days of creation
7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments
8 Maids A-milking = the eight Beatitudes
9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit
10 Lords A-leaping = the Ten Commandments
11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful Apostles
12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed
(from the Catholic Information Network – www.cin.org)
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Gifts for Gardeners
Are you ready for more gift ideas for the gardener/gardeners in your life? I have more ideas. There are some neat tools that you may not even know about. A “dibber” is a tool that I read about a few years ago. It is not new, just not commonly sold and known. I never bought one until just a few months ago. What is a dibber? It is a tool about a foot long with a sharp point at one end and a crossways handle on the other end. You can use it to make quick holes to the depth of your choice for purposes such as seed planting, setting out young new transplants, and for planting smaller bulbs. I used it this fall for planting about 100 bulbs in a very short time. Poked a hundred holes – dropped in the bulbs – rubbed some dirt over the top to fill in the holes – Voila! I had one hundred Iris reticulata planted in less than thirty minutes. It would fit neatly in a Christmas stocking. I bought mine at www.smith-hawken.com.
Books about gardening are another great idea – there is always more to learn about gardening and a gardening book helps pass the time until one can get one’s hands back in the dirt. For those who desire to learn more about the care and management of perennials I recommend “Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques,”
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust and her companion book - The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs.
“Roses for Dummies” is a good starter book for someone who wants to grow more roses but doesn’t know too much about them yet.
One of my very favorite gardening books I have ever read is “Dirt” by Dianne Benson. Dianne used to have her own clothing store in New York City and then decided to garden and then wrote a book - her book is highly opinionated, personal, very informative and inspirational. Richardson Wright used to be the editor of House and Garden magazine in the 1920’s and 30’s. He was a prolific horticultural writer and published several books – one of which would certainly be a wonderful gift – “The Gardener’s Bed Book” – a collection of 365 amusing and informative little essays about all sorts of things pertaining to gardening. After all these years it is now a beloved classic. www.amazon.com is my favorite place to buy books. Another one I discovered is “Green Thoughts” a collection of gardening essays by Eleanor Pernyi – an author who formerly was editor of Mademoiselle magazine and who used to be married to a Hungarian baron. I am currently not able to put this one down until I finish.
A subscription to a good gardening magazine would also be appreciated. In my opinion the best ones are “Organic Gardening,” “Horticulture,” and “Fine Gardening.”
For a child (or the your inner child – yes, we all have one!) how about a Flower Fairy? Pinetree Garden Seeds (mentioned last week) also carries a very cute selection of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower fairy gift sets – including a polystone Flower Fairy, a book – “Flower Fairies of the Garden,” and a packet of seeds. They look so cute tucked in somewhere surprising in your garden.
A trip to an antique store also yields gift ideas for the gardener – vintage picturesque zinc watering cans, old flower frogs, vintage pots, charmingly aged framed pictures of flowers, old wrought iron gates and fence sections – all these add “character” to a garden or room.
A garden ornament is also a wonderful gift and here you can give a small or a big gift if you so desire. Statues of St. Francis, the Virgin Mary, various animals, etc. are all popular. I love my St. Francis statue that my mom gave me a few years ago. Surprise your gardener with a new fountain, or a card that says a small pond will be installed – the sky’s the limit!
Books about gardening are another great idea – there is always more to learn about gardening and a gardening book helps pass the time until one can get one’s hands back in the dirt. For those who desire to learn more about the care and management of perennials I recommend “Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting & Pruning Techniques,”
by Tracy DiSabato-Aust and her companion book - The Well-Designed Mixed Garden: Building Beds and Borders with Trees, Shrubs, Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs.
“Roses for Dummies” is a good starter book for someone who wants to grow more roses but doesn’t know too much about them yet.
One of my very favorite gardening books I have ever read is “Dirt” by Dianne Benson. Dianne used to have her own clothing store in New York City and then decided to garden and then wrote a book - her book is highly opinionated, personal, very informative and inspirational. Richardson Wright used to be the editor of House and Garden magazine in the 1920’s and 30’s. He was a prolific horticultural writer and published several books – one of which would certainly be a wonderful gift – “The Gardener’s Bed Book” – a collection of 365 amusing and informative little essays about all sorts of things pertaining to gardening. After all these years it is now a beloved classic. www.amazon.com is my favorite place to buy books. Another one I discovered is “Green Thoughts” a collection of gardening essays by Eleanor Pernyi – an author who formerly was editor of Mademoiselle magazine and who used to be married to a Hungarian baron. I am currently not able to put this one down until I finish.
A subscription to a good gardening magazine would also be appreciated. In my opinion the best ones are “Organic Gardening,” “Horticulture,” and “Fine Gardening.”
For a child (or the your inner child – yes, we all have one!) how about a Flower Fairy? Pinetree Garden Seeds (mentioned last week) also carries a very cute selection of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower fairy gift sets – including a polystone Flower Fairy, a book – “Flower Fairies of the Garden,” and a packet of seeds. They look so cute tucked in somewhere surprising in your garden.
A trip to an antique store also yields gift ideas for the gardener – vintage picturesque zinc watering cans, old flower frogs, vintage pots, charmingly aged framed pictures of flowers, old wrought iron gates and fence sections – all these add “character” to a garden or room.
A garden ornament is also a wonderful gift and here you can give a small or a big gift if you so desire. Statues of St. Francis, the Virgin Mary, various animals, etc. are all popular. I love my St. Francis statue that my mom gave me a few years ago. Surprise your gardener with a new fountain, or a card that says a small pond will be installed – the sky’s the limit!
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
The holiday season is rushing along with a frenzy. In the world of gardening, the frenzy is over. The bulbs have been planted (well - most of them!), the annuals are done and forgotten, the perennials are dormant, the vegetables from the garden are a pleasant memory or perhaps preserved in the freezer or glass jars. It is time for gardeners to relax for a while. If you have one or more avid gardeners on your list of people to buy a gift for this year, rest assured the choices are many and there is a very wide price range, from a few dollars into the hundreds.
A present that would be right in the holiday spirit would be a living plant to enjoy such as a live Poinsettia or a Rosemary tree. A fresh evergreen wreath or swag would also be a fragrant and lovely gift, as avid gardeners usually prefer natural decorations.
Does your gardener love roses? If so, there are some great things available. A gift certificate for a quality rose company is a welcome gift. Here is a list of some very reputable rose firms – www.heirloomroses.com, www.ashdownroses.com, www.highcountryroses.com, and www.uncommonrose.com. They all sell own root roses, which are superior to the grafted kind – healthier and longer -lived. Then the lucky recipient can choose one or more new roses from the comfort of his/her home and have them delivered ready to plant at the proper time. There is a much wider variety of roses available this way as opposed to buying only locally. I happily shop both ways. There is a wonderful catalog - www.kinsmangarden.com - that sells all sorts of unique gardening things including lovely and sturdy rose pillars. These are supports for tall and climbing roses – I would personally love one or more of these. They could also support clematis, morning glories and other climbers. (Tip – they also have beautiful small watering cans for $5 that would be a great little present for children). Another good gift for someone who tends roses is a good pair of pruners – the best ones are Felco pruners from Switzerland – available locally and by mail order also from Kinsman. Elbow length leather gloves are also another great gift option for a rosarian. I just bought a pair for myself last year and just love them. I purchased those from a rather "high-falutin" garden catalog – www.smith-hawkin.com - but they do have a wonderful selection of garden gloves. Smith & Hawken also has a retail outlet in Cincinnati on Madison Rd. (513-731-3133) that is really fun to visit.
Excellent stocking stuffers that almost any gardener would appreciate are plant markers – permanent metal markers so one does not forget the names of plants. I wish I had used these more, especially for my roses. A good selection of these are also available from Kinsman.
To encourage organic gardening for someone who always uses chemical fertilizers such as Miracle - Gro, how about a bottle of fish emulsion or seaweed fertilizer or bat guano?
Pinetree Garden Seeds (www.superseeds.com) offers The Pinetree Manure Medley – an enriching collection of bat guano, worm castings, and seabird guano in a nice canvas bag with a bar of gardening soap included. A gift only a true gardener would love! My good friend gave me this last year and it was much appreciated. This company also has a big selection of excellent gardening books – many marked down drastically. Pinetree also carries a very cute selection of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower fairy gift sets – including a polystone Flower Fairy, a book – “Flower Fairies of the Garden,” and a packet of seeds.
A gift certificate to a local gardening center would also be a wonderful gift – I can think of a great one here locally on Greentree Rd. that offers everything from Ash trees to Zinnias. Next week – more gift ideas!
A present that would be right in the holiday spirit would be a living plant to enjoy such as a live Poinsettia or a Rosemary tree. A fresh evergreen wreath or swag would also be a fragrant and lovely gift, as avid gardeners usually prefer natural decorations.
Does your gardener love roses? If so, there are some great things available. A gift certificate for a quality rose company is a welcome gift. Here is a list of some very reputable rose firms – www.heirloomroses.com, www.ashdownroses.com, www.highcountryroses.com, and www.uncommonrose.com. They all sell own root roses, which are superior to the grafted kind – healthier and longer -lived. Then the lucky recipient can choose one or more new roses from the comfort of his/her home and have them delivered ready to plant at the proper time. There is a much wider variety of roses available this way as opposed to buying only locally. I happily shop both ways. There is a wonderful catalog - www.kinsmangarden.com - that sells all sorts of unique gardening things including lovely and sturdy rose pillars. These are supports for tall and climbing roses – I would personally love one or more of these. They could also support clematis, morning glories and other climbers. (Tip – they also have beautiful small watering cans for $5 that would be a great little present for children). Another good gift for someone who tends roses is a good pair of pruners – the best ones are Felco pruners from Switzerland – available locally and by mail order also from Kinsman. Elbow length leather gloves are also another great gift option for a rosarian. I just bought a pair for myself last year and just love them. I purchased those from a rather "high-falutin" garden catalog – www.smith-hawkin.com - but they do have a wonderful selection of garden gloves. Smith & Hawken also has a retail outlet in Cincinnati on Madison Rd. (513-731-3133) that is really fun to visit.
Excellent stocking stuffers that almost any gardener would appreciate are plant markers – permanent metal markers so one does not forget the names of plants. I wish I had used these more, especially for my roses. A good selection of these are also available from Kinsman.
To encourage organic gardening for someone who always uses chemical fertilizers such as Miracle - Gro, how about a bottle of fish emulsion or seaweed fertilizer or bat guano?
Pinetree Garden Seeds (www.superseeds.com) offers The Pinetree Manure Medley – an enriching collection of bat guano, worm castings, and seabird guano in a nice canvas bag with a bar of gardening soap included. A gift only a true gardener would love! My good friend gave me this last year and it was much appreciated. This company also has a big selection of excellent gardening books – many marked down drastically. Pinetree also carries a very cute selection of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower fairy gift sets – including a polystone Flower Fairy, a book – “Flower Fairies of the Garden,” and a packet of seeds.
A gift certificate to a local gardening center would also be a wonderful gift – I can think of a great one here locally on Greentree Rd. that offers everything from Ash trees to Zinnias. Next week – more gift ideas!
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Amaryllis, etc.
Last week I talked about Paperwhites. This week – Amaryllis! I remember the first time I grew an Amaryllis. I was nineteen, in my own home for the first time. I potted up the bulb and anxiously watched it grow for weeks. Finally large buds appeared and began to open, revealing huge gorgeous flowers. The day after the flower buds finally opened, a two-year-old little girl visited me. She was looking with wonder and curiosity at my “big flower” and then suddenly without warning, she reached out and just snapped off the flowers.
I nearly cried. Since then, I have had Amaryllis some years and some not. This year I will again. They are so easy to grow that anyone can grow them, and they are so welcome in the dark days of winter with their long lasting huge colorful flowers.
Where can one purchase Amaryllis? Some stores such as Target carry them prepotted, home centers like Lowe’s carry them, and certainly can be found in all good garden centers – usually the loose bulbs. The bulbs are quite large – about three to four inches in diameter. They are also widely available from bulb companies such as Van Engelen or Dutch Gardens (www.dutchgardens.com) or Van Engelen (www.vanengelen.com). I prefer to buy the loose bulbs, as I have plenty of pots around and also always have some potting soil on hand. Any good quality potting mix will do. The pot should be about six inches in diameter – no larger, as the bulb likes to be somewhat crowded – and also fairly heavy, such as a clay or ceramic pot. It also must have drainage holes. A light plastic pot might be too light, as the Amaryllis gets to be about twenty inches tall with several large heavy blooms. Put the bulb in the soil nearly up to its neck, leaving one quarter of the bulb peeping out of the soil. Water with room temperature water initially, and then do not water more often than once a week. A southern window is ideal for an Amaryllis. From potting to bloom should take six to twelve weeks. If you pot one up now, you should be enjoying gorgeous blooms sometime in January, just when you need a little pick me up. As the flowers fade, cut off the individual flowers with a sharp scissors.
After the extended bloom period – what then? If you don’t mind purchasing new bulbs yearly, you may toss it on the compost heap or just somewhere out in a garden bed to decompose. Or, with a bit of care and feeding, one can bring it to bloom again next year.
After the flowers are completely spent and faded, leave the flowering stalk to die back in a natural fashion. Leave the leaves in place and treat it as a houseplant for the rest of the winter. After the last frost date (May 15 here), sink the pot in your garden somewhere partially sunny (at least four hours) to grow its leaves and build energy for its next bloom cycle. Fertilize monthly with fish emulsion and seaweed fertilizer. In mid September, dig up the pot and bring it inside. Put it in a cool place for the next eight to ten weeks. I put mine next to an outer door that is infrequently used. It must be cool and dark, about 55 degrees. Withhold water during this time. After the eight to ten-week wait, bring the potted bulb back in to a warm light area, and begin watering again to begin the cycle all over again.
Try an Amaryllis this winter – you will be glad you did!
I nearly cried. Since then, I have had Amaryllis some years and some not. This year I will again. They are so easy to grow that anyone can grow them, and they are so welcome in the dark days of winter with their long lasting huge colorful flowers.
Where can one purchase Amaryllis? Some stores such as Target carry them prepotted, home centers like Lowe’s carry them, and certainly can be found in all good garden centers – usually the loose bulbs. The bulbs are quite large – about three to four inches in diameter. They are also widely available from bulb companies such as Van Engelen or Dutch Gardens (www.dutchgardens.com) or Van Engelen (www.vanengelen.com). I prefer to buy the loose bulbs, as I have plenty of pots around and also always have some potting soil on hand. Any good quality potting mix will do. The pot should be about six inches in diameter – no larger, as the bulb likes to be somewhat crowded – and also fairly heavy, such as a clay or ceramic pot. It also must have drainage holes. A light plastic pot might be too light, as the Amaryllis gets to be about twenty inches tall with several large heavy blooms. Put the bulb in the soil nearly up to its neck, leaving one quarter of the bulb peeping out of the soil. Water with room temperature water initially, and then do not water more often than once a week. A southern window is ideal for an Amaryllis. From potting to bloom should take six to twelve weeks. If you pot one up now, you should be enjoying gorgeous blooms sometime in January, just when you need a little pick me up. As the flowers fade, cut off the individual flowers with a sharp scissors.
After the extended bloom period – what then? If you don’t mind purchasing new bulbs yearly, you may toss it on the compost heap or just somewhere out in a garden bed to decompose. Or, with a bit of care and feeding, one can bring it to bloom again next year.
After the flowers are completely spent and faded, leave the flowering stalk to die back in a natural fashion. Leave the leaves in place and treat it as a houseplant for the rest of the winter. After the last frost date (May 15 here), sink the pot in your garden somewhere partially sunny (at least four hours) to grow its leaves and build energy for its next bloom cycle. Fertilize monthly with fish emulsion and seaweed fertilizer. In mid September, dig up the pot and bring it inside. Put it in a cool place for the next eight to ten weeks. I put mine next to an outer door that is infrequently used. It must be cool and dark, about 55 degrees. Withhold water during this time. After the eight to ten-week wait, bring the potted bulb back in to a warm light area, and begin watering again to begin the cycle all over again.
Try an Amaryllis this winter – you will be glad you did!
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Fall Chores and Paperwhites
November is halfway over and with Thanksgiving around the corner – December will be here before we know it. Have you finished up all the chores in your garden?
I know I said that I usually leave all my perennials and annuals in place, but I do make a few exceptions. I always cut off my peony foliage (if I hadn’t done so earlier) because they sometimes have botrytis blight. If you have chrysanthemums – cut those off to three or four inches after a hard frost.
The big thing now is also what to do with all those leaves. I have noticed people raking them out to the street like in the past. The city of Middletown does not pick up leaves at curbside any longer. If you wish you can bag them and put them out for the trash – but STOP! Why waste such a valuable resource? In nature nothing goes to waste – dead leaves, dead plants, and dead trees even are all recycled back into the soil to provide nutrients for the next generations of plants. Many people now take their cue from nature and recycle all those leaves back into extremely beneficial soil conditioner/fertilizer. If you don’t have too many leaves, just mow over them and leave them on your lawn. Over winter they will decompose and benefit your grass. For lots of leaves, you may also either run over them with a lawnmower (here a mulching mower with a bag comes in handy) or shred them with a shredder. Then move all the shredded leaves to your garden beds with the help of a rake. The shredded leaves will readily break down over winter. If you do this for two or three years you will notice your soil has really improved. Our clay soil here needs all the organic material you can add to it. Keep adding your kitchen scraps to the soil too – I merely sprinkle them over my beds in different places – potato peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, etc. If you have a heavy layer of mulch, stir them into the mulch with a trowel. I have been doing this for years and have noticed my soil get richer and easier to dig in every year.
Gather up all the garden tools lying around (OK, maybe you are organized and don’t have them lying around like I do). However, this is a good time to clean them and store them. Remove heavy rust with Naval Jelly and then coat with mineral oil. For a good way to store garden tools, fill a bucket with sand, add some mineral oil and mix well. Stick your tools down in here for the winter. Get rid of worn out tools or tools you didn’t use and take advantage of winter sales to get new ones or – ask for new ones for Christmas!
Don’t forget to bring in your hose for the winter. This is something I have forgotten in the past until the snow melts.
And now for something completely different…
Every year I read articles about forcing bulbs. I have tried it in the past without much success. It seems like an awful lot of trouble for a little bit of color. There are bulbs to force that are so easy a child can do it. I am talking about Paperwhites and Amaryllis bulbs. They need no chilling – just plant and water. Specifically – Paperwhites are in the Narcissus family, originally from the Mediterranean area. They have creamy white blooms that are extremely fragrant. You need a container that is at least four inches or more deep with no drain holes. You can use soil, but you certainly don’t need to, as gravel or small stones will do nicely. Put an inch or two of your planting medium in the bottom of the container, place your bulbs in, and then add more planting medium (soil, pebbles, gravel) up to the neck or top of the bulbs – leave a little bulb peeking out. Then add some water – not too much – the bulbs should not be sitting in water. Keep adding some water regularly and in 4 to 6 weeks they will bloom. Until then, it is fun to watch them grow. You may start some every few weeks all winter for continual bloom. Now is a good time to start a batch for Christmas to have bloom and fragrance in your house. After they show green growth move to a cool sunny window. You may pot some up in pretty ceramic containers and give them as gifts for Christmas along with instructions for care. Paperwhites can be purchased locally in garden shops or ordered from bulb companies.
Next week I will talk about the care and culture of Amaryllis bulbs.
I know I said that I usually leave all my perennials and annuals in place, but I do make a few exceptions. I always cut off my peony foliage (if I hadn’t done so earlier) because they sometimes have botrytis blight. If you have chrysanthemums – cut those off to three or four inches after a hard frost.
The big thing now is also what to do with all those leaves. I have noticed people raking them out to the street like in the past. The city of Middletown does not pick up leaves at curbside any longer. If you wish you can bag them and put them out for the trash – but STOP! Why waste such a valuable resource? In nature nothing goes to waste – dead leaves, dead plants, and dead trees even are all recycled back into the soil to provide nutrients for the next generations of plants. Many people now take their cue from nature and recycle all those leaves back into extremely beneficial soil conditioner/fertilizer. If you don’t have too many leaves, just mow over them and leave them on your lawn. Over winter they will decompose and benefit your grass. For lots of leaves, you may also either run over them with a lawnmower (here a mulching mower with a bag comes in handy) or shred them with a shredder. Then move all the shredded leaves to your garden beds with the help of a rake. The shredded leaves will readily break down over winter. If you do this for two or three years you will notice your soil has really improved. Our clay soil here needs all the organic material you can add to it. Keep adding your kitchen scraps to the soil too – I merely sprinkle them over my beds in different places – potato peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, etc. If you have a heavy layer of mulch, stir them into the mulch with a trowel. I have been doing this for years and have noticed my soil get richer and easier to dig in every year.
Gather up all the garden tools lying around (OK, maybe you are organized and don’t have them lying around like I do). However, this is a good time to clean them and store them. Remove heavy rust with Naval Jelly and then coat with mineral oil. For a good way to store garden tools, fill a bucket with sand, add some mineral oil and mix well. Stick your tools down in here for the winter. Get rid of worn out tools or tools you didn’t use and take advantage of winter sales to get new ones or – ask for new ones for Christmas!
Don’t forget to bring in your hose for the winter. This is something I have forgotten in the past until the snow melts.
And now for something completely different…
Every year I read articles about forcing bulbs. I have tried it in the past without much success. It seems like an awful lot of trouble for a little bit of color. There are bulbs to force that are so easy a child can do it. I am talking about Paperwhites and Amaryllis bulbs. They need no chilling – just plant and water. Specifically – Paperwhites are in the Narcissus family, originally from the Mediterranean area. They have creamy white blooms that are extremely fragrant. You need a container that is at least four inches or more deep with no drain holes. You can use soil, but you certainly don’t need to, as gravel or small stones will do nicely. Put an inch or two of your planting medium in the bottom of the container, place your bulbs in, and then add more planting medium (soil, pebbles, gravel) up to the neck or top of the bulbs – leave a little bulb peeking out. Then add some water – not too much – the bulbs should not be sitting in water. Keep adding some water regularly and in 4 to 6 weeks they will bloom. Until then, it is fun to watch them grow. You may start some every few weeks all winter for continual bloom. Now is a good time to start a batch for Christmas to have bloom and fragrance in your house. After they show green growth move to a cool sunny window. You may pot some up in pretty ceramic containers and give them as gifts for Christmas along with instructions for care. Paperwhites can be purchased locally in garden shops or ordered from bulb companies.
Next week I will talk about the care and culture of Amaryllis bulbs.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Rose Hips
If you have roses, you have probably noticed that they produce rose hips in the fall, or anytime after the rose blooms and fades and is not cut off. Rose hips are the “fruit” of the rose. Roses are very closely botanically related to apples, so one can think of rose hips as tiny “rose apples.” If you garden organically, that is, if you did not spray your roses with any fungicides, pesticides, or any other “–cides,” you can harvest your “crop” of rose hips and make good things from them.
Rose hips are very high in nutrients, especially Vitamin C. They also contain iron, Vitamin A, bioflavanoids, pectin, Vitamin E, selenium, manganese, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and silicon. You can simply pick them and eat them raw, if you like. They are hard and a bit bitter, a little like crabapples. One can also pick them and use them in recipes and to make tea. They are ripe when brightly colored, usually orange or red.
If you don’t have roses in your yard, you may be able to find them out in the meadows or woods where wild roses grow. The rose hips may be used fresh or dried. To dry rose hips, examine them and discard any with discoloration. Wash them in cold water, dry with paper towels, and place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. When they are partially dried, probably in a week or so, cut them in half and remove the seeds. A week or so later they will look wrinkly and darker and be ready to store in a glass jar in the refrigerator or freezer. Be sure to rub or cut off any stems or blossom ends. You may snack on these any time you want some energy, or use them in recipes. Anytime you use rose hips, it is recommended that you remove the seeds - whether fresh or dried. They are not poisonous, but may be irritating to some people's digestive systems.
The easiest way to use rose hips is for delicious and nutritious rose hip tea. For tea, hips may be used fresh or dried. Most of the nutrition of the rose hip is contained in the skin and just under the skin.
To make tea from fresh rose hips, steep two tablespoons of fresh cleaned hips in a cup of boiling water for ten minutes. To use dried hips, use two teaspoons of hips and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes in a cup of boiling water. Sweeten to taste with honey and enjoy your vitamin rich and fragrant tea!
If you have a lot of rose hips, you can make rose hip syrup. Wash the rose hips and put them in a non-reactive pot. (not aluminum) Just cover them with water and bring them to a boil. Then lower your heat and simmer for fifteen minutes. Strain off the resulting liquid, pressing the hips lightly with a spoon. The liquid can now be used immediately or frozen for later use. To make the syrup, add one part honey to two parts of the rose hip liquid. Dissolve the honey by stirring. The syrup can be stored for up to two weeks and may be served on pancakes, waffles, or vanilla ice cream. Tastes best if warmed.
In Sweden, they use lots of rose hips and consume them by the tons every year. They probably learned to use rose hips to have Vitamin C in the cold long winter they have in that northern country. One of their favorite recipes is Rose Hip Soup.
To make four servings of soup use the following:
3 cups of rose hip liquid (as above) fresh or frozen
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Teaspoons cornstarch
In a saucepan, heat rose hip liquid and add honey and lemon juice. Remove ½ cup of the mixture and whisk cornstarch into this until smooth. Return thickened cornstarch mixture into the pan. Cook and stir until mixture bubbles and thickens. It is now ready to serve. Add a spoonful of sour cream or plain yogurt to each bowlful with a sprig of mint, if desired.
Some adventurous people even make rose hip wine.
If you are one of these people I would be glad to come and sample some of your product!
Rose hips are very high in nutrients, especially Vitamin C. They also contain iron, Vitamin A, bioflavanoids, pectin, Vitamin E, selenium, manganese, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and silicon. You can simply pick them and eat them raw, if you like. They are hard and a bit bitter, a little like crabapples. One can also pick them and use them in recipes and to make tea. They are ripe when brightly colored, usually orange or red.
If you don’t have roses in your yard, you may be able to find them out in the meadows or woods where wild roses grow. The rose hips may be used fresh or dried. To dry rose hips, examine them and discard any with discoloration. Wash them in cold water, dry with paper towels, and place them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. When they are partially dried, probably in a week or so, cut them in half and remove the seeds. A week or so later they will look wrinkly and darker and be ready to store in a glass jar in the refrigerator or freezer. Be sure to rub or cut off any stems or blossom ends. You may snack on these any time you want some energy, or use them in recipes. Anytime you use rose hips, it is recommended that you remove the seeds - whether fresh or dried. They are not poisonous, but may be irritating to some people's digestive systems.
The easiest way to use rose hips is for delicious and nutritious rose hip tea. For tea, hips may be used fresh or dried. Most of the nutrition of the rose hip is contained in the skin and just under the skin.
To make tea from fresh rose hips, steep two tablespoons of fresh cleaned hips in a cup of boiling water for ten minutes. To use dried hips, use two teaspoons of hips and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes in a cup of boiling water. Sweeten to taste with honey and enjoy your vitamin rich and fragrant tea!
If you have a lot of rose hips, you can make rose hip syrup. Wash the rose hips and put them in a non-reactive pot. (not aluminum) Just cover them with water and bring them to a boil. Then lower your heat and simmer for fifteen minutes. Strain off the resulting liquid, pressing the hips lightly with a spoon. The liquid can now be used immediately or frozen for later use. To make the syrup, add one part honey to two parts of the rose hip liquid. Dissolve the honey by stirring. The syrup can be stored for up to two weeks and may be served on pancakes, waffles, or vanilla ice cream. Tastes best if warmed.
In Sweden, they use lots of rose hips and consume them by the tons every year. They probably learned to use rose hips to have Vitamin C in the cold long winter they have in that northern country. One of their favorite recipes is Rose Hip Soup.
To make four servings of soup use the following:
3 cups of rose hip liquid (as above) fresh or frozen
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Teaspoons cornstarch
In a saucepan, heat rose hip liquid and add honey and lemon juice. Remove ½ cup of the mixture and whisk cornstarch into this until smooth. Return thickened cornstarch mixture into the pan. Cook and stir until mixture bubbles and thickens. It is now ready to serve. Add a spoonful of sour cream or plain yogurt to each bowlful with a sprig of mint, if desired.
Some adventurous people even make rose hip wine.
If you are one of these people I would be glad to come and sample some of your product!
Thursday, October 27, 2005
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