Central Virginia Organic Gardener

New USDA Plant Hardiness/Zone Map

2012-01-25T19:49:00.003-05:00

The USDA has published a new plant hardiness/zone map at:

http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#

Here is Virginia:Some zones have changed. It looks like zone 7b has moved further to the east (from VA Beach toward Richmond).

Continuing to Document My Garden

2012-01-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Strawberry plants are lovely as ornamentals, especially in the winter, when they produce bright red leaves (see the photo on my Christmas Day entry). I have them scattered in my ornamental flower beds and they provide a welcome bit of winter color (and tasty fruit in May!). They have proven to be very easy to care for in this slightly shaded setting. In my effort to continue to document my garden, I decided to draw this strawberry plant in colored pencil. A wonderful winter hobby for the gardener!
Happy gardening!

Fruit Trees

2012-01-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

Though rewarding, fruit trees can be a lot of work, especially for the organic gardener. If you have, or want, apple, pear, peach, plum, or cherry trees, know that they have to be pruned every year in order to be productive, and to keep them in bounds for applications of organic sprays and for ease of picking. If you are unable or unwilling to do this (or pay someone to do it), grow easier fruits, of which there are many: strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries and currants (where allowed), blueberries and even figs (which though fruit trees, do not exactly fit the prune-every-year rule). After pruning, fruit trees need applications of dormant/horticultural oil and various organic pesticides and fungicides. Above is a photo of me (January, 2012) in the apple tree we inherited (unpruned) when we moved in. I have since added three peach trees and two pears (among many other plants). Though my husband does the major work with my assistance, I did get up in the tree this year to prune (and did not fall out of it, like I did two years ago-ouch!). We took off a bunch of water spouts (new, totally vertical growth that will be unproductive) and a few large limbs we could not easily reach to pick fruit. I had done the major pruning earlier on the much smaller pear trees and the peach trees remain to be pruned severely and soon. We also do need to prune the figs- they respond well to pruning and are finally getting too tall to easily pick.

If you don't have fruit trees and are considering getting some, think about the work load. It can be fun, but it is work. And, if you do have fruit trees, get out there and do that annual pruning! To motivate yourself, remember the peach, fig, cherry and plum preserves, pies, fresh and dried fruit and the like!

Happy gardening!

Live Oak Trees

2012-01-08T11:30:00.012-05:00

I recently visited family in Florida. Though the state is very developed, I do enjoy the flora there. Most people probably associate Florida with palm trees, but there is nothing more majestic than an old, southern live oak tree (Quercus virginiana) which also grows in other regions of the deep south. These huge trees develop horizontal branches that become host to all sorts of other plants, including ferns, lichens, and mosses. I tried to upload a video of a 200 year old Confederate live oak at Dunlawton Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens in Port Orange, FL but I could not, so the above photos are still shots we got of another tree in South Carolina:

The Dunlawton garden is lovely, and unexpected, right in the middle of a neighborhood. It has a nice collection of palms, a Florida hammock trail, lovely gingers and orchids, among other sub-tropical plants. It is free and open to the public, but they ask for donations. It is the former home of the Dunlawton sugar mill, the curated ruins of which are on site.
For more info on this garden, visit:

http://www.dunlawtonsugarmillgardens.org/

Happy New Year! Happy gardening!

A "Chistmas Tree?"

2011-12-25T12:53:00.003-05:00

Continuing on my weird, warm weather theme of a few days ago, here is a photo from near the James River snapped by a friend today, Christmas Day. It is an ornamental cherry in full bloom, a few months early!

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

Not a traditional Christmas plant, this lovely strawberry is sending out Holiday Cheer in my garden!
See you in 2012! Happy Gardening! Happy Holidays!

Solistice and Weird, Warm Fall

2011-12-22T11:00:00.003-05:00

What a weird, warm fall it has been. It has been nice to go outside, but it has been a problem for some plants. Weeds are rampantly growing, just loving these cooler temps: I need to do some December weeding, a rarity! And, the photo above is from my front yard on the last full day of Autumn, Dec. 21. These daffodils will probably survive, but they will not bloom again come spring, and, if it gets too cold and icy, the green part may die back. In that case, the bulb may be too spent to ever come up again, as it will not have stored enough energy from photosynthesis. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for cooler weather and no more sprouting bulbs!

The solstice happens twice per year: the Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year and the Summer Solstice the longest day of the year. Today is the Day of the Winter Solstice, and 12:32 AM EST marked the entry into winter. The sun rides low in the sky in the northern hemisphere, though it is high in the sky in the south, hence the southern hemisphere enters summer today (and is often called the December Solstice there). Our Winter Solstice happens close to Christmas and has been associated with this holiday. Indeed, the focus on lights in the Christmas season may hark back to the craving for light during the darkest days of winter and the hope that light brings. The Winter Solstice is an important day for gardeners, it reminds us that the seasons are turning, that spring is on the long march back to us. Look for each day to be a bit brighter and a bit longer!

Happy Solstice!
Happy Gardening!

The Mustards

2011-12-18T11:00:00.000-05:00

There are many greens that you can grow through the winter in Virginia: kale, chard, lettuces, and arugula to name a few, but none are as reliable as the mustards, in my humble opinion. Mustards, like the Green Wave and India Red Giant pictured here, reliably sprout, need little care, and can take freezing temperatures (though if freezing temps are to be prolonged, I do cover them with a row cover or cold frame). They are nutritional powerhouses which will easily self sow if you allow a few to flower and set seed. I like to do a simple treatment with mustard greens: young leaves can be eaten raw in salads and they can be simply sauteed or braised in olive oil, with onions, garlic (can you have too much garlic?), and a dash of red wine or balsamic vinegar. You can get creative and caramelize carrots, parsnips and or onions in the pan before adding the garlic and greens- this gives a sweet contrast to the earthiness of the greens. I have sauteed chopped mustard greens and used them to top pizza, baked potatoes and pasta- YUM!
Happy gardening!

Gifts for the gardener of gifts from the gardener?

2011-12-13T13:48:00.003-05:00

I have read several posts lately about gifts for the gardener in you life and, sure, what gardener could not use a new pair of gloves, pruners, a trowel, a hoe, a water barrel or composter? Gardeners are among the easiest of people to buy for, just make it practical. Then I turned the idea of giving to the gardener on its head. I prefer giving to receiving (and that is not just posturing: sure, I like a gift here and there, but mostly I prefer to give). I thought about the gifts a gardener gives to family, friends and to all of us (at the risk of sounding a wee bit pompous). Gardeners give us beauty: think of the beauty of your neighbors flowers, fruits and vegetables. Gardeners often give the gift of food or flowers to family and friends. Gardeners give gifts to nature: a home to the squirrel, bird and frog. Gardeners (and organic gardeners even more so) give a gift to everyone and to the earth: plants that purify our air and water, cool the earth, and provide shade. Gardeners give us gifts all around the year, so I say thank you to my gardening friends!
Happy gardening!

Not your mother's poinsettias!

2011-12-05T11:00:00.000-05:00

There are so many new varieties of poinsettias, that I offer this, a cool video on the poinsettia trials at the University of Florida:
http://vfd.ifas.ufl.edu/poinsettias/new_poinsettia_varieties.shtml

The two pictured above were at the US Botanic Gardens in Washington, DC, a place all "plantophiles" must visit! My pod cast this week is on poinsettia care and how to get that poinsettia to re-bloom next year. Just click on the podbean button on the left.
Happy gardening!

My 2011 Holiday Door Swag

2011-12-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

I like making these holiday door swags from whatever I find around the garden. This year, loblolly pine, holly, rosemary, crab apple, eucalyptus and beauty berry branches, tied with a reused bow, went into it. I like this homemade swag for many reasons, despite (or maybe because of) its imperfections: it does not look like any other, standard, purchased door decoration, it is from my garden and I made it. And it costs nothing, but 15 minutes of my time having fun making it! Plus I can easily replace any parts that begin to look "tired." See what you can round up from your yard and garden!
Happy Gardening!

New Food PyramidS! Yes PyramidS!

2011-11-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

This is not directly about gardening, though food and issues related to food are indirectly related. The non-profit Oldways Preservation Trust, has created a series of healthy food pyramids based on culturally traditional ways of eating (and also a vegetarian food pyramid). At last, food pyramids not influences by lobbyists for the food-industrial-complex (the beef lobby, the pork lobby, milk, sugar and soft drink lobbies!) To see these great pyramids (which I can't seem to reproduce here), go to:

http://www.oldwayspt.org/eating-well/introduction-traditional-diet-pyramids

To read New York Times Blog post on them, go to:

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2011/11/oldways-traditional-eating/

Second Quiz: Plant Puzzle

2011-11-27T11:00:00.001-05:00

So, fellow gardeners and plant lovers: what is this? This is mystery plant puzzle # 2. I will answer in a few days! Look for it!
Kudos to my non-gardening friend Anita who guessed this was a banana. Yes, my ornamental banana plant produced baby red bananas and I left them on the plant. They split open in what my art teacher Celeste called secondary pollination, that is, the fruit opens up to allow animals to scatter the seed. I let them alone and now you can see the seeds! I think? Cultivated bananas have no viable seeds, they are often seen as tiny black specks in the fruit. Inedible varieties do have seeds, and this includes ornamental bananas, the only kind you will find in northern gardens. Happy gardening!

The LUV Carrot

2011-11-24T07:59:00.000-05:00

I know that may gardeners enjoy when they find buried surprises, like the entwined carrots pictured above (despite the fact that this shows I did not thin my carrots properly!) Anyway, the LUV carrot is as good a symbol as any for a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! And the LUV carrot will find it's way onto my table soon!
Happy gardening!

What pumpkin for your pie?

2011-11-20T11:00:00.005-05:00

I have actually never made a pumpkin pie using canned pumpkin, and I make them more often than just at Thanksgiving (I love pumpkin pie). I have used pie pumpkins before, they are round, orange and smaller than Jack 'o Lantern type pies. I have grown these types of pumpkins, but in recent seasons I have despaired of growing pumpkins and winter squashes due to the dreaded squash vine borer. But the two types of squashes traditionally used in "pumpkin pie" are pretty resistant to the borer, as they have much firmer stems. Why? The vine borer is a moth that lays tiny eggs singly (many of them, but not in clusters) on your plants. The eggs hatch and the larvae (caterpillar) bores into the stem and grows fat feeding on your plant, eventually killing it. The two types of borer-resistant squashes are pictured above: the cooked one is a butternut (hard stem) type called the Dickinson Field Pumpkin (Curcubita moschata), and this is what is in those cans of packed pumpkin at the grocery. The other is also resistant to borers, and it is called the Green-Striped Cushaw (C. mixta), one of the oldest varieties of winter squash (perhaps grown by native Americans thousands of years ago). Both have dry flesh, the Dickinson deep orange, the Cushaw yellow, and are sweet and great for pie applications! I intend to find the seed and grow both next year. (Full disclosure: I bought both at a farm stand).

Oh, a third type that I buy, not grow, is a cheese wheel type pumpkin. These are very large (I estimate this cooked one pictured here at about 40 lbs) and, like all squash, are heavy feeders. They have dry, deep orange flesh (and lots of it), prefect for pie, bread, muffins and soup.

The easy way to get at that flesh is to bake the pumpkin whole or sliced in half at about 350 until tender when pierced with a fork (the 40 pounder took 3 hours, the others 45 minutes). Let it cool, scoop out the seeds and fibers, and scrape away the sweet flesh from the skin.

Happy eating! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy gardening!

Holiday Greens Sale Dec 3

2011-11-18T12:19:00.002-05:00

The Great Greens Sale of Garden Evergreens for Holiday Decorating will be at Ginter Gardens in Richmond on Dec. 3. I am going to get cool and unusual cuttings of evergreens to sketch! The photo is what I made from cuttings from my yard and a recycled ribbon last year!)

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Details:

10:30-11:45 a.m. Floral design demonstration with evergreens

Noon-2 p.m. SALE

Purchase unusual, fresh-cut evergreens from the Garden for holiday decorations; proceeds benefit Garden Education programs.

For info go to : http://www.lewisginter.org/events/event_detail.php?event_id=658
Happy gardening!

First Quiz

2011-11-13T11:00:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader(S?),
A puzzle: What is this plant? Answer coming soon!
Happy puzzling and gardening!
Hum, no takers? This is a persimmon! It is a small, bush persimmon that I saw at Ginter gardens in Richmond, VA. I was puzzled at first by it until I looked it up! It is probably a Princess persimmon, which is often used by bonsai "artists" as a base plant for their bonsai- it stays small when pot bound and will fruit even when forced to be dwarfed. This plant was about 3 and a half feet tall. Very lovely and a bright spot in the autumnal landscape.

National Happiness Week!

2011-11-09T08:13:00.006-05:00

I think it obvious that my post for National Happiness Week will have to do with gardening. After all, I call myself an obsessed gardener. But gardening is part of a larger viewpoint of what makes me a happy person (sometimes I think I am the happiest person I know...perhaps not, but I think so). The viewpoint that gives me satisfaction and happiness is to live my values as much as I can, and the latter part of that sentence is almost as important as the former.
I value the aesthetics of gardening- the scent of tomato leaves on my fingers, the feel of my hands in the dirt, the sight of a spray of passionflowers on a trellis, the experience of observing a humming bird flit from flower to flower and hover as if by magic, the fragrance of a bearded iris, the crisp snap of salad greens in my mouth, the sweet and acid flavor of a raspberry, the joy of chomping a whole fig, and the pleasure of digging a hole and planting a plant in it.
I value the act of producing food for my family to enjoy. Placing that food on the table, describing what ingredients came from the garden, from our work, our hands, and the work of the plants. I value canning and preserving that food and sharing gifts of jam with friends. I value digging into the freezer in December and bringing out my peaches to bake into a pie, as winter transforms to summer for a moment.
The latter part of the sentence I started with "as much as I can" acknowledges the attempt, the striving, the trying to live my values, but also acknowledges my imperfections, that sometimes I cannot live my values fully. Sometimes I use my clothes dryer instead of hanging laundry; I am a vegetarian who sometimes wears leather; I forget to bring my reusable bags to the grocery; I cannot grow all our food.
Overall, I value the act of creating, of making. I recently spoke to a woman who dyes and spins her own fibers into yarn and thread, then knits the final yarn into beautiful garments. She said that people often ask her why she goes to such trouble, she could just buy a sweater. But she understands and values the act of creation, the intellectual challenge of making her own dyes, developing the skill to create consistent and beautiful yarn, and transforming that into a lovely and unique garment. She gets it...and I think get it too.
Happy gardening! Happy living your values! Happy Happiness Week!

National Happiness Week!

2011-11-08T07:40:00.003-05:00

This is National Happiness Week (the second week of November)! See Betsy Franz's post on the topic at:
http://www.metro-dc-lawn-garden-blog.com/
Look for my blog tomorrow on my reflections on happiness. And gardening (!) among other things.
Now, go get you some happy!

Harvest Recipe: Vegetarian (or not) Stuffed Pepper

2011-11-06T11:00:00.001-05:00

I am going to be posting some recipes to help you use up that wonderful harvest of veggies you picked before the hard freeze. Today, it is vegetarian (or not) stuffed peppers. I grew a variety of bell peppers in pots this year and they did pretty well. My husband loves stuffed peppers, which are usually stuffed with browned meat or sausage and rice, with a tomato sauce topping. Here is how to make a good vegetarian version, though you can add the meat if you like.

Ingredients
4 red, yellow or green bell peppers, tops sliced off, stem removed (reserve tops) and remove seeds and membrane.
1.5 cups cooked rice- I used a mix of brown and wild rice, though white or leftover rice will do.
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped.
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery diced (optional)
5 or 6 button mushrooms chopped
1/2 t.each thyme, marjoram and celery seed (you can vary the spices- use Italian seasoning or curry power, chili powder-to taste instead- be creative!)
1/2 t garlic powder
salt
grating of black pepper to taste
1.4 cup ch0pped, toasted walnuts
1/4 cup dried apples chopped (you can use another dried fruit, raisins, apricots, but we dehydrate lots of apples from our tree for winter eating, so we use that)
2 cups taco sauce, salsa or tomato sauce (you can use less if you prefer it drier)(I use taco sauce because I like it and I make and can my own).

Saute the onions and garlic with a pinch of salt until caramelized, remove from the pan and do the same with the mushrooms and celery (putting then all in the pan at once steams them versus caramelizes them). When browned, add herbs and spices and cook a few more minutes. Mix these vegetables with rice, walnuts and apples. Stuff as much as you can in the 4 bell peppers and replace the reserved tops on them. Place the peppers in an 9 by 9 or so baking dish, adding any extra rice stuffing to the bottom of the pan. Pour the taco or other tomato-based sauce over them. Cover with lightly with foil and place in a 375 degree over for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for 10 more minutes until bubbly.
There are many variations: add sauteed shredded carrots, sauteed leek, shredded parsnip, gree peas, corn to the rice stuffing. Top with cheese in the last 10 minutes to melt.
Happy eating!

Happy Halloween from my garden!

2011-10-31T11:00:00.000-04:00

Just in time for the holiday, an orb-weaver spider spins her web!
Happy Halloween from my garden!

Documenting Your Garden

2011-10-28T11:00:00.003-04:00

There are many ways to document your garden. I used to be good at one way, that is, writing down garden plans (what I planted year to year in what spot- excellent way to keep track of rotations) and what seeds I ordered and how they performed. I still write down my annual seed orders but, really, I must get better at this (see Gardener's Resolutions entry!). Other ways I am trying to document my garden is through photographs (though they need to be printed and organized!) and my new favorite way: to draw things from the garden. Above are two drawings: a graphite pencil drawing of one of the Lavender Touch eggplants I keep raving about and a colored pencil drawing (attempt?) of the same. I was an art minor in college (really minor-I slept through too many early morning studio art classes!) and have been taking some botanical illustration classes at Ginter Gardens in Richmond VA. I am imperfect, but this process is fun. The only difficulty is that I am often too busy with the garden itself to draw stuff in it during the actual season it is around! Ah well, better to be too busy than bored!
Happy gardening!

Persimmon

2011-10-21T10:54:00.001-04:00

To those of you with large, stately persimmon trees full of fruit, feel free to laugh and, heck, even mock this post! My Nana dwarf persimmon has a baby- the persimmon ripening above! Yes, just the one (it is a relatively new tree and I planted a dwarf because I do not have room for a standard size tree) (photo taken Oct. 8). Now I will need to wait until it turns orange, the first frost hits...and the fruit falls off the tree (I expect to build a little trampoline like thing to catch it and will be nervously checking it every day: the most pampered persimmon in Virginia!). Persimmons are not ripe until the three conditions above are met. They have a curious, unpleasant mouth puckering effect that takes awhile to dissipate if eaten unripe. So, I will use my little ripe persimmon to make a small serving of persimmon pudding, if I get lucky and the fruit survives! And next time: my one pomegranate (kidding)!

Counting my chickens before the eggs hatch,
Judy
Happy gardening!

Muscadine Preserves

2011-10-15T11:00:00.002-04:00

Muscadine grapes (Muscadinia rotundifolia) are native to the southeastern US and there are several cultivars, purple or greenish-bronze, available. You can grow this grape or pick it wild, if you know a source. My cultivated muscadine (purple Ison) is highly prolific and relatively care free, though you may have to beat it back regularly, as it is a vigorous grower! Muscadines are, unfortunately, not table grapes and are traditionally made into jelly, juice or sweet (cloying?) muscadine wine. I don't like grape jelly, so I make my muscadines into preserves. Take about 4 quarts, slash and squeeze out the seedy pulp, reserving the skins in one bowl and the pulp in another. Cook down the pulp about 10 minutes and strain to remove the large seeds, and return strained pulp to the pot. To this add the pureed skins (use a blender or food processor to puree them as small as you can get them) and bring to a boil. Add 2 T lemon juice, sugar to taste (I use about 4 cups) mixed with reduced sugar pectin-follow package directions and directions for canning. These are very grapey-tasting preserves, good atop cheese and in good ol' PB&J sandwiches! And the jam scents the whole house while cooking!
Happy gardening and eating!

Recent Podcasts: Pesky Pests on Overwintering Plants

2011-10-13T18:11:00.004-04:00

[Photo courtesy of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider_mite]

Recent pod casts on a timely topic: dealing with 3 common pesky pests that come in the house on plants as you bring them indoors for winter! Visit me on itunes at VirginiaOrganicGardener or podbean at http://virginiaorganicgardener.podbean.com/
Happy gardening!

(Oh

October Eggplants

2011-10-08T11:00:00.004-04:00

Certain there would be few eggplants in the garden after the dozen I picked about 10 days ago, I went out to do some chores and check the plants for the last, remaining, little baby eggplants. It has been chilly, after all, and eggplant is a heat-loving plant. I picked 14 good sized ones instead! Folks, I have said this before and I will say it again now, I will always grow Lavender Touch eggplant. It is sturdy, easily outgrows flea beetle damage, and produces tasty fruits and lots of them!
Happy gardening!

More on bananas and other tropicals

2011-10-07T11:00:00.001-04:00

I am starting to move my tropical plants to my front porch, preparing to bring them inside for the winter (see my pod cast, VirginiaOrganicGardener, on itunes or at http://virginiaorganicgardener.podbean.com/ this week and next for tips on dealing with unwanted critters coming in on these plants!) My banana plant, despite the cold, has put out another flower that I will get to enjoy indoors for the next few months..and maybe sketch too. This is one of the joys of many tropicals, like citrus and hibiscus: getting indoor blooms in the dead of winter. My set up to keep them going is simple: they are placed on a tarp, under long florescent fixtures in my insulated, and occasionally heated, attic.
Happy gardening!

Flower Anatomy Class

2011-10-05T21:10:00.003-04:00

Interested in the workings of a flower? Want to develop your knowledge of botany to enhance your gardening experience? I have been taking botanical illustration classes at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond and this next course, taught by Celeste Johnson, is coming soon. Some basic drawing skills are needed, not much. You will learn about flowers and their structures, and will dissect and draw them, all with Celeste's expert guidance! (OK, OK, I am being shill for the class- but they are fun!)

Anatomy of Flowers for Botanical Artists

3 Wednesdays, October 19, 26, November 2, 9:30 am - 2 pm

Details:

For botanical artists, knowledge of descriptive terms applied to the flowering parts of the plant is helpful, since flowers easily offer sharply marked characteristics. Students observe, dissect and draw flower parts to understand structure and function and achieve the accuracy botanical drawing requires. Learn to avoid overshading and unnecessary detail. Students make a small drawing or painting of a flower, then share with the class and discuss in botanical terms. A basic knowledge of drawing is needed. This session covers Dicotyledoanes (Dicots). A list of materials is sent after registration.

$158/ $125 member. Lunch is on your own. 3 sessions = 12 hrs.

Happy gardening!

"Tomatoland" a book review

2011-10-01T11:00:00.000-04:00

Are you concerned about human health? The environment? Social justice? Taste? Locally grown organic food? My guess is "yes" to these questions or you would not be reading this blog. Barry Estabrook has written a stunning expose of modern factory agriculture in "Tomatoland: How Modern Industrial Agriculture Destroyed Our Most Alluring Fruit" (2011: Andrews McNeel Publishing).
I have not bought a winter "fresh" tomato in decades and the main reason is because they are totally tasteless. When you grow a tomato in your own backyard, or get them in season from a farmer, who knows how to handle them, at a farmer's market, the uniform pink balls called "fresh tomatoes" in the grocery are disgusting in comparison. These tomatoes are picked green and turned red using ethylene gas (I refuse to say "ripened" because the gas just turns them red, and does not change the flavor to one of a ripe tomato). But Estabrook gives me many more reasons to shun these winter tomatoes, grown in Florida at great expense:
1. More than 100 chemicals may be sprayed: 60 pesticides, 31 fungicides, 19 herbicides, in addition to chemical fertilizers. Some are associated with cancer, neurological problems, endocrine disruption (this early puberty and breast cancer) and birth defects. Some of these chemicals are banned in Europe.
2. 54% of tomato samples purchased on grocery stores have detectable levels of these chemicals, some within the fruit that cannot be washed off.
3. Workers are poorly paid, work under horrible conditions, and are, at times, held in virtual slavery.
4. Workers are routinely sprayed with chemicals as the fields are getting doused and have infants with high rates of birth defects and their own health problems. Thye wear no protective clothing and are given no training, nor access to emergency medical care if exposed.
5. Pollution of Florida's vulnerable ecosystem, where all these tomatoes are grown, is killing wildlife and permanently damaging the environment in countless ways.

Do we need winter tomatoes? No, we don't. We used to eat seasonally and locally- remember anticipating that first sweet corn and watermelon? Eating out of season presents many moral dilemmas that can be solved by eating seasonal foods.

After this post, my usual tag line of "happy gardening" seems out of place. How about "thoughtful eating?"

Poison Ivy Control: Podcast Update

2011-09-27T20:33:00.003-04:00

On my podcast this week, the organic way to control poison ivy. On itunes at VirginiaOrganic Gardener or at my pod bean host:

http://virginiaorganicgardener.podbean.com/

Happy gardening!

Fall Flowers

2011-09-24T11:00:00.000-04:00

I looked out my window and wondered if there was anything nice I could put in a vase on the kitchen table. Nothing was apparent from the window, but, knowing that I have found nice plant materials even in winter, I searched around and this is what I came up with. I used to feel intimidated about flower arranging, having never taken a class or looked at a book on the subject. But informal arranging is fun- it you have impossible "Martha" standards or want arrangements suited to a formal setting, like a luxury hotel, you are out of luck. But if you want a charming, informal arrangement of homegrown flowers and plants for you and your family to enjoy, it is not so difficult. Oh, and look past the flowers to the trees-I used crab apples, rose of Sharon and and beautyberry stems in this vase.
Happy gardening!

Happy Fall!

2011-09-23T05:58:00.004-04:00

Happy Autumnal Equinox and welcome fall! Let the fall garden season begin!

National Public Lands Day is Saturday, September 24

2011-09-22T05:34:00.003-04:00

National Public Lands Day is Saturday, September 24. Have a few hours to help clean up a park? Go to

http://www.publiclandsday.org/

to find a site, like Rockwood Park in the Richmond area.

Rockwood Park
3401 Courthouse Rd.

Richmond, Virginia 23236

Contact Name: Kristi Orcutt

Contact Email:

orcuttk@chesterfield.gov

Contact Phone Number: (804) 310-7964

Agency:

Chesterfield County Parks & Recreation

Work Projects: trash pickup along trails and streams, native wildflower meadow planting, weed pulling in established wildlife gardens, stream bank erosion mediation installment, bluebird nest box trail installation.

Happy nature "gardening!"

Kid in a Candy Shop: Tuesday Lagniappe

2011-09-20T15:40:00.000-04:00

There are three times I get that feeling of being a "kid in a candy shop" and I think they are co-equal in creating this feeling:
1. When I am in an actual candy shop, especially one that has really excellent chocolates;
2. When I am in a top-notch art supply store surrounded by all that paper, canvas and colors and
3. When I am in a plant nursery.
Well OK, there are four:
4. When a plant I have waited for does what I have been waiting for it to do.
Well, there are probably more than that, as I am lucky to have this feeling often!
I planted a passionflower (Passiflora icarnata) a year ago. I built a beautiful trellis for it, out of bamboo and dried vines, in June. I watched it grow and twine...and produce sterile flower buds, one after another, after a dozen....and today, September 19, 2011, a half dozen, beautiful, large, awe-inspiring flowers erupted from it.
Passionflowers are...er...one of my passions. The flower was said to represent the Passion of the Christ, not earthly passions (though it inspires those too). Look at the photo and see if you can identify the Christ on the cross, the crown of thorns and the whips used on Christ. See the Wikipedia entry for more details at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passiflora on this fascinating flower and its culture and history.
For me the passionflower is lovely, exotic and pleasurable....though take heed, once you have it, it will spread....
Happy, passionate gardening!

Virginia Go Green Festival 2011

2011-09-20T09:17:00.003-04:00

The Virginia Go Green Festival is this Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, VA. Plant vendors will be there, along with interesting displays from various "green" organizations in VA. You will be able to purchase lunch, and there will be activities for kids. I went last year and it was fun and this year promises to be bigger. There is a $3 admission, kids are free. For more information, go to:

http://www.virginiagardening.com/virginiagardenfestival11.htm

Happy gardening!

Last eggplant harvest?

2011-09-18T11:00:00.002-04:00

It is starting to feel like autumn around here, with lows in the 50's (and 40's!) and highs in the 60's. I went out yesterday and picked all the green tomatoes on the vines, save ones that were cracked or damaged. Why? Well, I have not had much luck with tomatoes ripening on the vine in September (maybe you have) and the plants are looking bad- tired, spent, diseased and it is time for them to go. I will ripen the tomatoes inside- they will never develop the transcendent taste of a tomato ripened on the vine and still warm from the sun, but they will do for cooking. I also make fried green tomatoes as a treat and use them in sandwiches and as topping 0n homemade pizza (really, it is very good). And here is my recipe:
Fried Green Tomatoes
2 or 3 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 egg, scrambled
1/2 cup cornmeal or so
1/2 t salt
good sized grating of black pepper
1/2 t garlic powder
2-3 t oil

Heat oil in skillet, until hot, not smoking. Mix cornmeal, salt, pepper and garlic powder and put on a plate. Dip each slice of tomato into egg, then in cornmeal mixture. Fry till golden each side, about 3-4 minutes a side (depending on pan heat-tomatoes should sizzle lightly when you add them to the pan). Remove and drain on a folded paper towel.

Fried green tomato pizza: top pizza crust with red/tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella (variation: cheddar) and fried green tomatoes. Bake as usual. YUM

But what does that have to do with the eggplant photo? This is today's harvest of eggplants, the last, except for many a few baby ones. I have been asked what can you do with eggplants to preserve them? There are eggplant spread and pickle recipes, but I think the easiest thing to do is to roast them for 40 minutes or until soft, in a 375 degree oven. Simply slice them in half, lay them cut side down on an oiled baking dish, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. The resulting roasted flesh is scraped from the skins (though some just keep them intact) and frozen to use in baba ganooj or, my favorite Indian dish, bhaigan barta. You can also make a sauce of sauteed onions, garlic, herbs, tomatoes and roasted eggplant for pasta, pizza or rice. Another yum! Raw eggplant does not freeze well-you can dehydrate it raw to add to soups and stews, but I find the result less than satisfactory.

Listen to my podcast on "putting the summer garden to bed" on itunes or at: http://virginiaorganicgardener.podbean.com/

Happy gardening! And eating!

Chimney Swifts and Nature

2011-09-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

Gardening has made me a better observer of nature. Walking in the dusk, I observe the birds settling down and the bats revving up for a night of hunting. A neighbor once asked me what I was looking at. She has lived in the area for 30 years and didn't know we even had bats. She was delighted to see them when I pointed them out. In the spring dawn, the deer and fawns are out, dining on our collective "deer salad bars," also known as suburban gardens. From my bedroom window, I can look down on the porch roof and sometimes see the green tree frog that likes to inhabit the area near the downspout. Tadpoles swim in the overflow buckets from my rain barrel.

The first autumn we were in this house, when my son was 4 and a half, near to Halloween, I went outside on the back deck. I looked up at the house and my eye was caught by motion about the chimney. There was this great wheeling mass of...bats?...birds? 20 feet or so above the top of the chimney. They formed a huge, moving circle with the chimney at the center and, every minute or so, one of the birds, I realized (later learning they were chimney swifts) would peel off and dive right into the chimney. My son came out and I held him in my arms, and we both watched the birds, smiling, amazed at their acrobatics and precision. My husband joined us, and we stood together, our son in my arms, my husband's arms around my shoulder in the deepening dusk, until the last bird went into the chimney.

That fall we had the chimney cleaned out, a cap put on and the swifts never visited us again. They find hollow trees or chimneys to roost in as they migrate in the fall and will revisit sites if they are still available. One recent evening, at dinner, we looked out the window and saw another flock of swifts wheeling above a house or tree (not sure) behind us, near a street parallel to ours and I was reminded of that first visit of the chimney swifts 11 years ago. My son is now a teenager, a tall, muscle-bound and charming young man, but I felt that little boy in my arms again as the birds searched for shelter for the night.

Happy gardening!

Use it or lose it?

2011-09-11T11:00:00.001-04:00

I was talking to a delightful fellow student in a botanical illustration class I am taking. This senior woman is one of these "energizer bunny" types that I seem to often meet. She has limitations, but she keeps on going, trying, moving forward. I told her a quote I attributed to my father (I am not completely sure I heard it from him, but I like it): "The less you try to do, the less you can do." A simple statement, but profoundly important to me. I have some physical limitations (bad back, arthritis, achy knees) and emotional ones too (timidity about certain things, though my friends are surprised when I divulge this!). I have trouble digging or turning over soil from a standing position so I either do it in short bursts between other tasks, or I do it from a seated position-looks silly, but gets the job done (and I rarely mind looking silly!). Same with my compost pits- I sit to turn them and empty them. My 86 year old father sits on a low stool to weed, even with surgical pins in his spine. My dear Rosemary gardened in pots until her last spring. As you age into gardening, try to keep doing as much as you can, try new things (within reason), because once you stop, you might never get back to it.
Happy gardening!

Fairy Rings, Those Magic Things

2011-09-05T20:09:00.006-04:00

Walking through our neighborhood, my son noticed this "fairy ring" and pointed it out to me. After hurricane Irene, I've noticed more mushrooms popping up in the area. A mushroom is simply the fruiting body of a larger, underground organism (I don't say "plant," because mushrooms are part of a fungus, which are genetically closer to animals than to plants). This underground organism is far larger than just the fruiting body. It is a fungal mycelium existing below the soil. Fairy rings, broad circles of mushrooms, can create circles of dead grass or circles of a deeper, darker green grass, in a suburban lawn. This is because some mycelia produce plant growth hormones causing rapid growth of grass. Under other conditions, the mycelia can coat the grass roots, killing it. Over time, a fairy ring can expand, some creating double rings or other shapes, often starting at a place where a tree once stood, and the stump remains below ground.

Fairy rings are highly resistant to chemical and other controls. Aerating the soil and replanting the grass might work, though the large mycelium may thwart your efforts. Keeping the soil saturated for 4 to 6 weeks can also help, but this in in itself can kill the grass and any trees or shrubs in or near the area (like the one in this photo above, just outside the ring). It may be that the very best thing you can do is enjoy the pretty sight (I find fairy rings very pretty) wait it out and see what happens over time.

Happy gardening!

Garden Prep for a Hurricane

2011-08-26T08:36:00.004-04:00

:[NOAA image of impact area of Irene]

There are a few things you can do to protect your garden, and home, in high winds, like hurricane Irene:
1. Move potted plants indoors to a garage or shed or any sheltered area you have (even a crawlspace below your house or deck).
2. Tip potted plants too large to move on their sides, in an angle that will not roll with the wind.
3. Take down any hanging plant-and anything that can act as a missile in high winds: bird feeders and houses, my bottle tree, garden ornaments! Bring in anything loose- watering cans, tools, stakes that are not holding plants up.
4. Harvest any fruits or vegetables that are ready or will ripen indoors, like "breaker" tomatoes. Root crops can stay in the ground, but might be flooded out.
5. Pick flowers that will be destroyed to enjoy indoors.
6. Set up that rain barrel to capture some of the deluge.
Happy gardening! Stay safe!
Addendum: Betsy Franz has more prep tips, including removing weak and fallen branches: go to http://www.metro-dc-lawn-garden-blog.com/2011/08/25/hurricane-preparations-for-your-landscape/

Update to "Pretty, but noxious"

2011-08-22T07:52:00.003-04:00

A list of invasive plants in Virginia can be found at:

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural_heritage/documents/invlist.pdf

Another invasive (but moderately so- it is not difficult to pull) is pictured above- the obedient plant Physostegia virginiana- this plant is a native, not an exotic, and can spread quickly through a garden. It is pretty, but think about it before you buy one!
Happy gardening!

Pretty, But "Noxious"

2011-08-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry, this is the "do as I say, not as I do" kind of advice. Morning glories (Ipomoeas) in all their "glory" are very pretty flowers (see above). However, many state agricultural departments list it as a "noxious weed" and try to eradicate it (though Virginia seems t0 list only purple loosestrife and European wand loosestrife as noxious). Morning glory seeds, which you can buy at garden centers, will quickly grow up fences and other plants and eventually present a smothering blanket. They tolerate poor, dry soils well and produce many seeds. Stop this vine once you see it, or, if you must have it, at least cut it back before it sets seed. Why is this a "do as I say, not as I do" blog entry? See the photo below- this is not the only point of morning glory invasion I have to deal with- and soon!Happy gardening! And weeding!

Potted Pepper Success

2011-08-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

After lack of success with peppers planted in the ground, I began to pot then up and have had success. A few words of advice: the bigger the pot the better- use at least a 5 gallon pot for full sized bell peppers, though chili peppers can use a smaller pot. Plastic pots, with drain holes, drain well but do not dry out as fast as terra cotta. Use regular potting soil, adding organic fertilizer according to package directions, plus one tablespoon Epsom salts for the magnesium. Above are photos of my loaded red bell pepper and my orange pimento plants. So, if you have trouble with in-ground peppers, try potting them up!
Happy gardening!

Tree Killing Herbicide Update Link

2011-08-11T10:05:00.002-04:00

More on Imprelis, the tree killing herbicide, from Betsy Franz:

http://www.metro-dc-lawn-garden-blog.com/2011/08/10/sales-of-imprelis-herbicide-halted-refunds-planned/

Lavender Touch Eggplant

2011-08-07T11:00:00.007-04:00

I have grown many varieties of eggplant- the standard black beauty, Ichiban Asian, green ad white, but none have been as productive as Lavender Touch eggplant (I got the seeds from Pinetree Garden Seeds at www.superseeds.com though I am sure other companies carry them). Sometimes eggplant can be difficult to grow- you have to wait until it really warms up to plant them, about 2 weeks after the last frost date. They can be plagued by flea beetles if not grown under cover until they are big enough to outgrow the beetle damage. They are relatively heavy feeders. But this particular eggplant, aside from being lovely and tasty, is very productive in my central VA garden. This year my efforts to grow it under cover were foiled by my dog and many birds who tore at the floating row cover and the plants still took off and are pumping out fruit even in this hot weather!
Eggplants can be roasted and preserved for winter eating in baba ganooj (that tasty eggplant spread often on mezze plates) or Indian and Asian dishes that require roasted eggplant. Simply wash and top the eggplant, dry it, place in a roasting pan that has been brushed with olive oil. Brush the skin of the eggplants with more olive oil and sprinkle with some salt (I use large grain sea salt). Roast in a 350 degree oven for 45 mins, allow to cool, scrape out and freeze the flesh. Yum!
Happy gardening (and eating!)

Tiny Virginia Bananas!

2011-07-31T11:00:00.001-04:00

Recently I wrote a post on my banana plant (a banana grows in Virginia) and wrote I would follow up. Well, here 'tis! My stunning banana plant flower produced these cute little red/pink bananas (probably not edible). As I wrote in the past, bananas like water and a relatively heavy feeders (I give them fish emulsion, but no fertilizer in the winter). They need shelter in the winter (mine do fine in the attic by a window- they look like heck at the end of the winter, but perk up quickly).
Happy gardening! Go bananas!

Eucalyptus Crash

2011-07-24T11:00:00.001-04:00

My semi-hardy eucalyptus came down in a recent storm, but many of the roots still seemed to be in the ground. Using my favorite medium ("road crew bamboo" and twine) I made a slanted 4-pole, tee pee-style trellis to hold it up after my son helped pushed it back into a semi-upright position (it had grown on a slant, so we could not completely straighten it). I also had to take off the top 5 feet of the tree. So, we will see if this works and I will report back. I really love this plant, but I can also replace it next spring if this effort fails (eucalyptus lasts 5 to 7 years here: if a storm does not get it, ice does. But it grows fast).

One "bonus" of this damage is that I now have eucalyptus to preserve for wreathes and floral arrangements. You cannot just dry eucalyptus- the leaves will become too brittle. You need to preserve it using a glycerin and water mix (glycerin is available on line, just search for soap and lotion making supplies or get it at an old timey pharmacy). Here are the instructions:

Smash or crush the ends of the stem to allow better absorption of the following mixture: 1 part vegetable glycerin to 2 parts hot tap water to 2 inches deep. Dry indoors for about 1 week. When the leaves feel dry, but still pliable, the eucalyptus fronds are ready to use. Cut off the smashed ends and use in floral arrangements.

Happy gardening!

Heat and Garden Chemicals

2011-07-23T04:57:00.003-04:00

A good reminder from Betsy Franz on problems using garden and lawn chemical, especially in this heat is at:

http://www.metro-dc-lawn-garden-blog.com/2011/07/22/extreme-heat-makes-garden-chemicals-more-dangerous/

New Tree Killing Herbicide

2011-07-18T12:18:00.004-04:00

I jokingly wrote an entry a while back called "How to kill a tree." Sadly, a new herbicide, Imprelis, thought to be environmentally "better" (whatever that might mean) has been implicated in the death of trees, especially those with shallow roots, like willows, poplars and conifers. For the full article, go to the New York Times at:
NYT TREES

Water Hyacinth

2011-07-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

I knew water hyacinth was a strong grower when I ordered it in May. Indeed it is banned in frost free climates, like Florida, as it is invasive and chokes waterways and wetlands there. It is fine to grow in an enclosed water garden in Virgina, where it is killed by frost (though all that dead vegetative matter needs to be removed before it rots away). But I have been more concretely reminded of how vigorously this plant can fill any available water space now that I grow it. Above is the water garden after I removed the pile of hyacinth below. Unfortunately, I did not take a photo before I pulled the plants out, but, believe me, it does not look all that different. In addition, this is the third time I have done this since mid-may when I received the 12 little plants!
Happy gardening!

Wednesday Lagniappe

2011-07-13T11:24:00.001-04:00

(Lagniappe: Cajun for: a little something extra that is pleasurable).

A banana flowers in Virginia! As I have professed before, I have a thing for bananas. Banana plants, that is. This is blooming today in my central Virginia garden, a pretty, exotic touch! Other than needing winter protection, potted bananas are pretty easy to care for, though they are heavy feeders (fish emulsion) and like a lot of water. The second photo shows the part that becomes the fruit-the while, bulbous base to the yellow flower (the ovary).

Happy gardening!

Water lily

2011-07-10T11:00:00.005-04:00

Love water lilies but don't have a pond? I have a pond, but the water moves too much- the water lily likes its water still. But if you have a large enough water holding container (thank you Madeline for this galvanized round water trough) you can have a super dwarf water lily (this one purchased from Lilypons http://www.lilypons.com/ ). It was easy to plant in a plastic container without holes (to prevent soil from leaking out) topped with cleaned gravel (ditto). I also gave it a pond plant fertilizer tab and put a quarter of a mosquito dunk (made from the natural bacteria BT) in to prevent mosquitoes from hatching. I dyed the water black with pond dye to hide the pot. In the winter I will lower the water a lot, and put it in my garage for shelter and top it back up with water. I think it looks very nice on my back deck.
Happy gardening!

Hummer Fever

2011-07-03T11:56:00.003-04:00

We saw a "flock" of hummingbirds at this feeder at the nature center in historic Batsto Village in Batsto, NJ, a great place to view pinelands plants and ecosystems. At times there were a dozen birds feeding. The naturalist said she has to fill the large feeder twice a day! Enjoy the video!

Clary Sage

2011-07-03T11:00:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I cannot help myself and buy a plant on impulse (Do I have a place for it? Not really. Does it fit in with a color or landscaping scheme? Nope). I like salvias (sages) and in the spring of 2010 I bought a perennial, clary sage. The first year it did not do much, gathering strength, perhaps, and coping with transplanting. This year, the plant sent up three stalks, with beautiful, pebble-textured leaves and pointed, nodding flower buds. The first bud has swelled, turned into an upright flower stalk- this photo does not do it justice! It is large and striking. So far, a no fuss plant, needing nothing but occasional water.
Happy gardening!
PS a note on "I like..." I am reminded of a college friend who, whenever a song played, shouted "This is my favorite song!" I am like that with plants....sorry!

Trellis

2011-06-26T11:00:00.002-04:00

I had a litlle extra fun in the yard and garden this weekend. What do you do when: a road crew chops down a stand of bamboo and your spouse trims the monster wisteria? You make a trellis for your volunteer passion flower vines! I made a simple tripod shape, wound and wove some pruned wisteria about it in three layers (for the middle and bottom "loops", I made two wreathes, one smaller than the other, put them one the tripod and tied them into place) and voila! A trellis for the wayward passiflora!
Happy gardening!

Yellow Jackets: Not a pollinator

2011-06-22T15:01:00.004-04:00

Yellow jackets are a type of wasp and are not pollinators (they eat fruits, flower nectar, and tree sap and chew up meat to feed to their larvae). These yellow and black wasps are mistaken for bees, which they are decidedly not. They nest in the ground and can be a nuisance, not to mention a menace, if they sting. Last night, my son ran over a yellow jacket nest with the lawn mower and was rewarded with a few nasty stings (they can sting more than once, unlike bees). My solution, that I have done in the past, is wait for the wasps to subside and, at dusk, pour a pot full of boiling water right down the entrance hole (not hard to find if you look for it during the day- you will see wasps entering and leaving- make sure to mark the spot or remember it). One time I needed to apply a second pot of boiling water the next day. Be careful, don't trip while carrying that pot in the dim light (I did once- ouch! My poor foot). As for my son, a thick paste of meat tenderizer applied to the bite marks did the trick.
Be careful out there! Happy gardening!
For a video of a yellow jacket stinging a human (ICK), go to (no endorsement intended):
http://allfloridabeeremoval.blogspot.com/2009/09/free-florida-yellow-jacket-and-ground.html

National Pollinator's Week 2011

2011-06-22T05:34:00.003-04:00

[photo of bee on salvia by SRV]

Thanks to Betsy Franz for the reminder that this is National Pollinator's Week: see: http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2011.htm

What have you planted for your pollinators lately?

Happy gardening!

Evergreen Dogwood

2011-06-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

Mid- to late June and a dogwood is still flowering in central, piedmont Virginia? I really like dogwoods (though, full disclosure, I seldom meet a plant I do not like). I also like the idea of having an extended bloom time of dogwoods and was lucky to receive as a gift this evergreen dogwood, Cornus capitata. This is not a native dogwood, which bloom here in April to May, but is an Asian import. The 4- and sometimes 6-petaled flowers have pointed ends like all Asian dogwoods that I know of and are resistant to anthracnose, a scourge of the native varieties. They are also more resistant to native bugs (though this has a down side- poor native bugs don't get to feed on yet another plant). It is "evergreen", that is the leaves do persist, though this is not its finest feature- the leaves look a bit ratty as the winter progresses and do fall off in spring. This tree takes very little care, and I did nothing special when I planted it (other than cross my fingers!) It is nice to have a pretty dogwood bloom later in the spring and I recommend it!
Happy gardening!

2011-06-18T07:29:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Betsy at Metro DC lawn and Garden Blog for her link to the online guide to native plants. Her blog entry is at:

http://www.metro-dc-lawn-garden-blog.com/2011/06/17/new-native-plant-database-online/

The portal to the guide itself is at:

http://www.nativeplantcenter.net/

Happy native gardening!

Recent Beauties

2011-06-17T11:00:00.000-04:00

Some recent beauties from my garden...

More robins....

2011-06-15T11:00:00.002-04:00

I don't like to suggest that animals are not intelligent. I think animals are as intelligent as they need to be, for the most part, and are smart enough to make the optimal use of the ecological niche in which they reside (the exception might be man: we are too darn smart in some areas, but not so intelligent in others). However, we have had a series of robin pairs (or maybe the same couple for a few years) who have nested in what seem to me to be bad places: the precarious light fixture over our frequently opened garage was one I documented last spring. Then, a pair nested in the crotch of our apple tree- this might seem a good location, except the crotch of the tree was about two and a half feet from the ground, pretty well open and easily accessible by our dog, who did indeed "access" it. This year, these little babies pictured above, are on on a branch of that same apple tree, at chest height, right at the entrance to our vegetable garden: this branch is way too easy to crash in to while going into the garden (yes, we have to bow under the tree as we enter) and is in another high, foot-traffic area.

Then I got to thinking, maybe they aren't so dumb after all: we did stop using the garage last spring until the babies fledged, and now I am climbing over the fence at a different entry point to avoid that branch. Hum, who has the upper hand here? Who is smarter?

Happy gardening!

Beans and Bunnies

2011-06-14T15:43:00.003-04:00

Last year I harvest few beans, after some voracious bunnies (cute, but pests) mowed them down in a few evenings, despite fencing and a dog who chases them. So this year I am trying granular rabbit repellent and so far, so good. The first day I spread it on the perimeter of the bean bed, I noted no further damage to the beans and I have kept it up to good effect. This is a "natural" repellent, consisting of garlic, chilies, "putrefied egg whites" and other stinky things. Do not buy this and keep it in an enclosed car on a hot day, even unopened!
Happy gardening!

A Phig Grows in Philly

2011-06-13T08:30:00.003-04:00

I always thought figs were difficult to grow even in central VA, and was surprised years ago when I saw them at Monticello. I then learned that people went through great lengths to grow them up north, using elaborate methods to shield them from cold, from building temporary winter structures for them to actually tipping the plants over into the soil over winter! My figs have been very easy to grow and care for (see my very first entry on this blog). Two weekends ago we went to Philadelphia (an underrated city- I enjoyed it very much) and stayed in the Italian Market District (great food). First, I visited Bartram's Garden again and saw the fig they have growing there-the first time I saw it two years ago, I was astonished it grew so well so far north. And then, on this trip, I saw what is in the photo above: two huge fig trees growing against a building near the Italian Market. Italian and Greek immigrants brought figs to the US in great numbers and I suspect one of them brought these. The plants are in a sheltered location, get protection and radiant heat from the brick building and look quiet happy, with huge figs on them already! Unfortunately, one photo we neglected to take was a volunteer fig growing out of a crack in the pavement. Indeed, on the visit to Philly, I saw several such figs, entwined in fences, next to other trees or growing where no one would plant them. I think figs are tougher than their reputation and I highly recommend them!
One more note: Edible landscaping in Afton , VA has many varieties of figs, including the most cold tolerant, the Chicago fig.
Happy gardening!

Garden Subsidies?

2011-06-06T12:15:00.001-04:00

Mark Bittman's interesting take on farm subsidies is at:

http://bittman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/02/what-if-the-u-s-d-a-subsidized-gardens/?emc=eta1

Happy gardening!

Finishing the pond landscaping

2011-06-02T07:59:00.008-04:00

As you may know, I was given a water garden for my 50th birthday (though I dithered about installing it until after my 51st!). I was happy with the pond itself, but disappointed that the company that installed it left it essentially unfinished at the back and one side. I got no satisfaction from them (except an 'offer' for me to pay another $1000 to finish it) so I decided to do this myself. For my last birthday, I got a pallet of matching landscape rocks ($360 on sale + $45 delivery) and read up on installing a dry set rock wall. I only needed a low one (they cannot be too tall or are subject to toppling). I built the wall you see above. The first step was to lay the line I wanted the wall to go- you can use a string or a hose to make the curve. This step is especially important if you are building a wall in a straight line, which I was not doing. Then, remove the grass and roots at the edge, making sure to not dig far into the soil (you want the subsoil as undisturbed as possible, or your wall may settle). You also want to level this area lengthwise, but allow it to tip inward slightly, so the rocks will lean back a little onto the bed itself, not outwards. Then it becomes a big puzzle- putting flat, heavy rocks on the bottom, overlapping rocks as you go, wedging smaller rocks in to stop wobbling, and finding the most pleasing arrangement of the rocks you have. It was a lot of fun, not too difficult, as as the plants grow in, it will look lovely!
Happy gardening!

"Oooo oooo that smell" Part 2

2011-05-26T10:20:00.002-04:00

This is the Dranunculus vulgaris bloom I find more familiar (see last post's photo of the version with a lighter sheathe: this one is burgundy on burgundy). Don't know if the other one I got was a sport, or if I ordered a variety when I got my 5 bulbs? Note to self- WRITE THIS STUFF DOWN!
Happy gardening!

"Oooo oooo that smell"

2011-05-24T13:51:00.003-04:00

I was on my daily walk today and 5 houses away from home I knew that my Dranunculus vulgaris (a voodoo lily, a type of arum) was in bloom. How did I know? Voodoo lilies are not for the faint-of-heart gardener. These exotic, gorgeous flowers (to my eye at least) are fly pollinated. Which means...they smell. Bad. The bigger the flower, the badder the smell (IMHO and experience). Voodoo lilies (which can be from the Dranunculus, Saromatum, or Amporhophallus species, among others) are relatives of the skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus) are also called corpse plants or carrion flowers. It is also a relative of the tallest flower on earth, A. titanium, one that causes longs lines at conservatories when it is in bloom. I think they smell like across between fresh manure, rotting dead animal and garbage (don't plant them too near your house or under windows!). But they pass the "totally cool" test for me! The second photo above shows the arrival of the flies. The flower bloom time is short and the "scent" fades after the first 24 hours. The plant produces lovely (and unscented) spikes of exotic green leaves, adding a tropical look to the shade garden, that last all season. It is generally care free. I got this new variety from Brent and Becky's Bulbs in Gloucester, VA (but don't judge this bulb company by this one plant- they have excellent flowering bulbs that smell way nicer!)
Happy gardening!

My pond

2011-05-11T20:12:00.000-04:00

The photo above shows some pond plants I am trying this season. Some are hardy perennials, some tropical (check back later in the summer to see how they look). Near the waterfall on the right is pike pickerel- I have had this hardy plant for two years. It sends up thick spikes of purple flowers in summer. Next to it is taro, or "Rhubarb" colocasia- a staple in ornamental gardens as a potted plant, admired for its leaves, it is really a water garden or bog plant. Coming down the right side is water clover, a plant that resembles clover, but in two tones, green and reddish green. These babies sent up leaves fast, the leaves lay across the surface of the water for a nice effect.

Across from the taro and pickerel is Louisiana water iris- I bought it last year and divided into into three pots this year, one is in another bucket garden. Water iris is a wonderful plant, with delicate looking, colorful flowers. I just put in water poppy and water snowflake which are near the iris. Both are tropicals, and the snowflake started blooming in one day after planting! Parrot feather is next, not recommended for natural ponds, because it can spread a lot- this is a liner pond and I am fairly sure I can keep it under control. Parrot feather is a submerged plant that acts as an oxygenator. A Virginia native is next, star flower, a grassy plant that has pretty, pointed- white flowers with dark centers when it blooms, the flowers are held high above the water. Last is a true floating plant, the tropical water hyacinth. This plant is illegal in many far southern states, as it can choke waterways, but is no threat here in Virginia. I also have some other submerged plants to keep the water clear.

All of these plants are in pots that either have no holes or are lined with plastic- this keeps dirt out of the pond. Potting them up is straightforward- just use heavy garden soil or water garden planting medium, plant into it and cover with a half inch of washed gravel, again to prevent soil from washing out, and to anchor the plant. Slowly lower the pot onto a shelf or other structure to the proper height (some plants like no water on the surface, others an inch, other 9 inches- follow specific guidelines for your plant).

So, I will post more photos as the season progresses and let you know how these plants perform!

Happy gardening!

Plant Protection

2011-05-11T09:56:00.007-04:00

I just planted my eggplants. Have you ever planted eggplants, only to find them riddled with small holes a week later, each leaf looking like lace? That is the work of the efficient flea beetle, which seems to be able to find an eggplant anywhere. Though sometimes a large, sturdy transplant can outgrow the damage, many plants suffer the rest of the season after an attack. One season, I tried hand picking (rather squashing) the little beetles, and I got pretty good at it, but I had to do it twice a day to make a dent! So now I cover the plants with floating row covers suspended on hoops and the edges weighted down with bricks. This keeps the beetles out, as long as it is pretty secure, and has the added benefit of adding some extra warmth to the heat loving plants. Row covers do need to be removed when the weather really heats up, but I have kept them in place until it hits about 82 degrees regularly. At that point, the flea beetles may be gone, and the plant is large enough to withstand some damage and still produce fruit. I have written about these row covers before. Their main disadvantages are price and longevity- I can seldom get them to last more than one season. I am still interested in trying to use old sheer curtains instead, but need to prowl the thrift stores to find some.
Happy gardening!

2011-04-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

I got the gift of a water garden last year for my 50th birthday and I am having a great deal of fun with it. The designer told me that the best way to keep the pond clear of string pond weed was to have a gravel filter. Well, the filter has been helpful, but I read that all water gardens will eventually suffer from pond weed until the garden stabilizes, and that is indeed the case with mine. I did not like the look of green water (pond weed plus the bottom green scum) and I did not enjoy seeing the liner when I looked into the pond (see the first photo). So I bought pond dye, called Deep Water in black, and added it half strength (I wanted to see what it would do before I added it full strength)(middle two photos). Deep Water is a vegetable-based dye that is advertised as being harmless to wildlife, pets, etc. I think the black dye is nicer looking than the blue, which looks more artificial to me. I do like the fact that the dye obscures the liner (last photo), but I am still undecided. I noticed that it has already faded somewhat, only 10 days after adding it. It will fade over time, so if I decide I don't like it, I just need to wait.
Happy Gardening!

2011 Spring Ginter Plant Sale

2011-04-25T07:32:00.003-04:00

The Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale

For those of you in the Richmond area, the LGBG plant sale is this Thursday, April 28 (1-6 p.m.), Friday, April 29 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.),and Saturday, April 30 (9 a.m.-3 p.m.). IT is a pretty good sale- I always come away with something interesting! Happy gardening!

For more info, go to:

http://www.lewisginter.org/events/event_detail.php?event_id=160

Garden Politics

2011-04-23T11:00:00.003-04:00

Garden Politics
I am back to reading about early colonial gardens in the US and the founding fathers (Andrea Wulf's new book Founding Gardeners: The revolutionary generation, nature, and the shaping of the American nation was just published and I was given a copy as a gift by a dear friend- the book is amazing, especially if you love gardening and history). I had understood before the political connection with garden and landscape design (or, at least, the symbolic associations we make between gardens and politics), but Wulf has reminded me more strongly of this and has filled in some important pieces.

What I find most interesting to think about is how current garden and landscaping practices are echoes of political or civic ideals through time (bear with me here). Take the American lawn ("Please!" al la Henny Youngman! How I dislike grass!). Imagine driving through a suburban area- what do you see in your minds's eye? Swathes of green lawn marching across all the yards. In the past, the lawn was only available to the very wealthy, those who had the money to hire gardeners to cut it (in a time before power tools), feed it and rip out any offending weed before it got established (no roundup [TM] then, either). The lawn itself was large, a type of conspicuous consumption: no poor or "middling sort" could afford this, as all their land was necessary for the production of food (plant or animal), medicines or for other utilitarian purposes (storage or out buildings, and areas to slaughter animals, make barrels, chop wood, do the wash, etc). The large, perfect lawn was a sign that shouted "wealth be here!"

This symbolic meaning of the lawn-as-wealth transmuted upon its arrival to America. Of course, at first, only those who could afford a lawn had one, either as a broad area of land near the house or as an accent in their pleasure gardens. Later, the lawn became a symbol of democracy, with every household having at least a small one, fronting the house, to create the visual image of a continuous green swathe across many yards, to show all were equal and this was a democracy. [We see this very same kind of transmutation, in words, with activist groups, but in an opposite direction: they take the pejorative term for their group, and adopt that very same term with bravado and courage, as a slap in the face of those who perpetuated the negative stereotype in the first place. "We riff raff can have a lawn too, you evil despots!"]

But the American political ideals of democracy and equality went even further in gardening and landscape design. Think of the Court of Versailles, and the last King and Queen of France, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Known for their excesses, the king and queen had elaborate gardens. The gardens of Versailles, like many gardens at royal palaces, were places of excess. Not only did European royal gardens have statuary, elaborate water features, grottoes and mechanical devices to surprise visitors, but they were full of exotic plants from far-flung countries and many of these were tortuously pruned into twisted shapes, balls, boxes, hedges, fences, espalier and other unnatural forms. This style of gardening was seen by political thinkers and gardeners in America as a sign of despotism, venality and autocratic rule and, hence, was rejected by Americans. Thus the American style of allowing plants, most especially trees and shrubs, to grow as they will, with a little helpful pruning, to form their own, natural shape, was born: this was viewed as an analogy for freedom. (Remember the Liberty Trees in many communities? Also that the sign you were a revolutionary was wearing a pin or medallion representing a tree?) Wildness and wilderness were viewed as quintessentially American

There are many other examples of the garden as a political act. People grew a substantial amount of produce through Victory gardens during World War II and having a Victory Garden was a mark of your patriotism (indeed, of all the homeland efforts during WW II, including rubber and metal drives, saving household fats to use in the war effort, only Victory Gardens made a substantial contribution). Prior to WWII, the Utopian movement in America (and abroad) often focused on gardening, agriculture and other natural aspects of self-sufficiency. These Utopian movements can be thought of as a way communities of individuals tried to assert themselves against social trends with which they disagreed. Currently, the Slow Food movement and the impetus toward community gardens and farmers' markets are also political, as well as social, acts.

I believe it is now time for a new political ethos of American garden and landscape that echo earlier notions of wildness and freedom. Today a lawn (as well as other modern, garden practices) is costly, in time, money and environmental degradation. I have written about this before, that a lawn uses a lot of water and chemicals and is a good as a desert for many native creatures to feed. The lawn can now be rightly seen as representing the opposite of freedom and democracy: that is, it is a new kind of oppression. This is the oppression of neighborhood conformity (can anyone say "neighborhood association?") coupled with the oppression of being beholden to large chemical companies that make the crap that is spread on our lawns, and larger lawn care outfits who spray this stuff for a fee. Lawns commit us to pollute and tie us down to repetitive work for little gain (OK, I guess to some the lawn does look pleasing when it is at its optimally sprayed and watered self, though when I see a perfect green lawn, my reaction is not to want take of my shoes and run about it with bare feet- my reaction is yuck, wonder how many chemicals I would pick up if I walked there?).

You can have a low-care yard of trees and shrubs, like my friend Mary- her yard is a no-care collection of lovely pine trees, whose needles blanket the ground suppressing weeds, and azaleas that bloom in spring. No mowing, no care, just occasional work to remove limbs after storms. Talk about freedom! Or you could have a yard that DOES something, grows flowers or food to feed you or wildlife. Gardening does something for you too- soothes the soul, improves your health and grows food, which is important for poor families or those wishing to be more self-sustaining. Yes, this involves more work, but so does lawn care. Care to re-think your lawn this spring?

Plant More Plants: Always Good Advice

2011-04-16T11:00:00.001-04:00

The Chesapeake Club is encouraging homeowners to plant more plants. Why? Planting more plants reduces storm water runoff, cleans the water and air, reduces the amount of fertilizer runoff (less lawn, less fertilizer) and creates a home for wildlife. Plus it's just prettier and more interesting! So take the pledge to plant more plants! Go to:

http://www.plantmoreplants.com/

Happy Gardening! And thanks to Betsy Franzen for this info- she's at: Metro DC Lawn and Garden Blog
http://www.metro-dc-lawn-garden-blog.com/

Love It Or Hate It (Part 4): The Ubiquous Bradford Pear

2011-04-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

In mid-March, the 'burbs are full of the ubiquitous Bradford Pear in its bloom. This tree, known for its early, reliable white flowers and desirable shape (an elongated lollipop tree), is everywhere... as is its unique "scent." What do you think? Love it or hate it?

My response: I give the Bradford pear two thumbs down. It is pretty and reliably blooms, but has the scent, once described to me by a child, of "stinky shrimp" and, indeed, it smells to me like rotting fish. This is not a desirable attribute in the spring time (or any time). But the Bradford pear has another strike against it- its wood is brittle. The day after an ice storm or heavy snow, I can walk the neighborhood and find anything from huge limbs to quarter sections to entire Bradfords down on the lawns. Sometimes the tree seem to torque as it splits, leaving large limbs and shredded trunk everywhere. It may bloom reliably, but it also falls apart reliably too- oh, and it is highly susceptible to wind damage. Here is a photo of a Bradford that, a few years ago, lost about a quarter section of the tree to ice.

There are better trees out there, that are not as susceptible to winter storm damage, like flowering cherries. Though these are more expensive to purchase at first, they might save you time, trouble and money by being stronger overall.

Happy gardening!

A new take on invasive species

2011-04-05T14:56:00.001-04:00

A new take on alien or invasive species (not sure I agree, but...):

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/opinion/03Raffles.html?emc=eta1

Love it or Hate It? (Number 3): Invite to the Forsythia Ball?

2011-04-02T11:00:00.001-04:00

Love It or Hate It? The Forsythia Ball

I found many examples of this in a short walk around the corner today- a example of the tidily, geometrically pruned shrub, in this case, forsythias (I found many more examples of highly pruned versions versus the natural form). What do you think: love it or hate it?

My response? I feel sorry for the poor plant. The true beauty of these early spring flowering shrubs is when they are left alone, with minor pruning to reinvigorate the plant (a few stems removed at ground level, dead or broken branches removed) so that the lovely arching branches form, covered with flowers (no matter how brief the bloom time, the forsythia is a welcome early spring flower). Here is an example that is a bit better, in a better setting- the forsythia is planted somewhere it will not get in the way, and the branches allowed to arch over a fence:

I completely understand why a homeowner would severely prune a shrub. You buy a plant that is little more than a stick with roots in a pot and have difficulty imagining its final size. I have done this with a few passalong plants, for example bridal wreathe spirea. Forsythia can grow to be 10 feet tall and very wide around, and it is hard to keep it in a tightly constrained area and have it still look good- this is why people resort to pruning it into balls, boxes or rectangles. The moral- gardener, know thy plants! Do some research, and learn what the final size of a plant will be before you plant it. And don't plant it if you don't have the right site requirements for it- look for another, more suitable plant instead. You may end up doing what I have had to do in the past- fully removing a plant that is in the wrong space, which is a waste of time, money and energy! [Side note: in a tiny, postage stamp garden, it may work to severely prune some shrubs-I'll see if I can find examples this next week]
Happy gardening!

Saturday Lagniappe: Springtime and broken hearts

2011-04-02T10:51:00.004-04:00

Springtime in Virginia is destined to break the gardener's heart. Beautiful "Bridal- Wreathe" Spirea :-) , and cold-blasted wisteria buds :-(

Love it or Hate It? (Number 2)

2011-03-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

This is number 2 in my new occasional feature "love it or hate it?"
I saw these phalaenopsis (moth) orchids first being unloaded at the floral section of a local grocery store and had an immediate reaction (below). I took this photo at an orchid display in the conservatory at Ginter Gardens on March 15. The label has the name of the plant, then reads "color enhanced by chemicals" meaning that blue dye or a chemical that eventually turns blue was added to the plant. Moth orchids are becoming very inexpensive to buy due to cloning- most every one you get at a grocery or big box store is a tissue cultured clone. So, what do you think? Love it or hate it? My reply:
This is a definite hate it. I have never enjoyed artificially colored or enhanced flowers- nature does a great job and we just muck it up. Green carnations on St. Pat's Day, glitter poinsettias at Christmas- you can keep 'em. And keep this blue orchid too. This is one effect of cheap orchids-they are so cheap we can now make them look cheap, too.
Happy gardening!

Participate in Earth Hour

2011-03-24T09:59:00.004-04:00

Saturday, March 26 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM is the world's largest climate change event called Earth Hour. To participate, turn out all unnecessary lighting (and any unnecessary energy-using devices) to show your commitment to sustainability.For m0ore information, go to:
http://www.earthhour.org

Sunday Lagniappe: A Little Something Extra

2011-03-20T14:05:00.003-04:00

An excellent short video on sex and deception in orchids is at:
http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/

Love it or Hate It? (Number 1)

2011-03-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

With the idea of creating a new feature to the blog, I thought I would show various garden, landscaping, plant and house plant photos and ask you what you think, do you "love it or hate it?" So, here is my first entry, a tightly pruned holly. I guess the idea behind this style of pruning is to produce a holly tree that takes on the conical form of a child's image of a Christmas tree- holly, with its red berries is a botanical decoration for the holiday and has some symbolic elements that comemorate the season. Think for a moment- love it or hate it? Or feel somewhere in between? My answer:
I am big on allowing plants to have a natural form and I don't like this holly. At best, it can look cute one month a year, but after that it has a tortured look. Let the holly be a holly and a Christmas tree be a Christmas tree. This aversion goes toward all those Disney-esque sculpted trees and shrubs called topiaries- cute at Disney or an amusement park, but silly in the home landscape (though, if some one is passionate about them go for it).
Happy gardening!

Annual Tree Plea

2011-03-14T15:13:00.004-04:00

Crape Murder
This is my annual plea to stop killing crape myrtles through destructive pruning practices (see first two photos above-the third looks like decent pruning practice). These severe pruning practices harm the tree and can kill it, plus it ruins the lovely, sculptural form of a crape myrtle. For more information and to learn how to do prune correctly, go to this Cooperative Extension flyer at:

http://oak2w.vcu.edu/usermail1/jmthomas.nsf/iNotes/dd0ee8c8be749a82653bc80b09011777/Body/M2.2/Pruning%20Crape%20Myrtles%20VCE%20pub%20430-451.pdf?OpenElement

I am happy to add that my university is now enlightened. They are going to begin proper pruning practices and will replace any trees badly damaged by the old pruning guidelines. Now, if only the local parks people would follow suit!

Happy Gardening! And keep those power tools away from Crape Murderers!

Overwintered potted plants

2011-03-06T13:32:00.005-05:00

I overwinter a lot of plants- some in my attic under supplemental florescent light, some on a kitchen windowsill and others in my garage. These garage plants are a little sturdier than the ones I over winter inside, plus they usually cannot stand the dry conditions inside a house (I once read that to provide indoor air moisture equal to outdoors, you would have to mist inside plants a hundred times per day). Another reason to overwinter in my garage is when the plant is dormant and needs just a little extra cold-weather TLC. Potted plants are especially vulnerable to the freeze-thaw cycle (which also cracks ceramic or clay pots). The roots of potted plants are essentially above the ground and can freeze badly and dry out easily if left outdoors all winter. Going into an unheated garage or shed can provide enough added protection to allow the plant to survive.

If you overwinter pots this way you may encounter the same problem I have- the potted plant seems to break dormancy early in these sheltered conditions. This is a problem- these plants cannot adequately photosynthesize in the dark conditions in my garage nor will they come into proper bloom. I don't want to set them outside without protection: after all, they were protected from the harsh, outdoor conditions all winter. So, this is what I do- I mass the plants in pots near the house and cover them with pine straw (I tuck pine straw under, between, behind and over the top of the pots-see photo above). The house provides a wind break and some heat pools. This protects the plants and pots, allows rain and some warmth from the sun, and it conditions the plants to the outdoors. If the plant is truly early, this may slow its growth down just enough. Some people put potted plants in a cold frame- my cold frame is too small for the 15-20 large pots I have (even if it hadn't gotten loose from its rope and stake mooring in a windstorm and flew up 10 feet and broke apart!) You can also trench your potted plants- that is, put them in a trench and cover with straw, hay or leaves for a month or so, until it warms up- perch them on brick for drainage. In a month, your plants will be truly ready for spring...as will we all!

Happy gardening!

Philosophical Musing? Or Not!

2011-02-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

Maybe it is the recent thaws, the signs of warming or the advancing of spring, or the influence on my student's project on horticulture therapy, but I have been in a more philosophical mood lately. I have been thinking about the question "what do gardens mean?" What are the many meanings of gardens to people?

This is not a new question, nor am I the first to ask it. When I think of it, I can divide the meaning of gardens in three categories (or metaphors):

The garden as drudgery: as a culture we have a dominant philosophy, an ideology even, that "labor saving" is a good goal- doing less work is having more. As with all beliefs, I guess there is a germ of truth in this: in the past, outdoor labor was literally "back breaking." People wore out early from intense levels of labor they had to do to survive. Many people today (OK this is anecdotal) seem to view outdoor work as undesirable labor, work to be avoided or assigned to teenagers as a chore (cycling the hatred to the next generation?). And when the labor is repeated (and seemingly pointless) mowing, weed-wacking and trimming, I believe they have a point. I don't include lawn care in my notion of gardening and neither should others who say they "hate gardening." Lawn care is pointless drudgery, and lawns are costly in time, water and chemicals. That's why we have whittled our lawn (actually a collection of mowable, green weeds) down each and every year we have lived here. I would guess that people who view gardens in this way (drudgery) are fully able to appreciate botanical beauty, a walk in the woods, joy at the sight of that first crocus. So maybe a different definition of gardening is needed here? [Side note: is this notion of outdoor work as drudgery related to being overweight? And another side note: we want to have "labor-saving" life options, just so we can pay that gym membership and go to the gym???]

The garden as a near-holy, mystical setting in which to commune with nature: OK, I love gardening to get to that state of "flow" and this has a Zen-like quality. A garden does represent labor, but if it is a labor of love, then that is no work at all. But think about it, gardens are a highly artificial, man-made contrivance (even if you have a "native plant" garden). Human beings decide what to put where. We bring plants from all around the world (sometimes with bad consequences) to stick in our created places. I guess this does not make then less mystical, but it does somewhat counter the the idea of "garden as nature." Sure, there is nature in the garden, but a garden is not all "nature."

The utilitarian garden: I have been reading about Colonial gardens in the US. Aside from the few show gardens of the rich, every home, if it had dirt, had a garden to grow food, medicines, dyestuffs, material for weaving and other utilitarian purposes. No mysticism here (for the most part), just practical needs being met. Sometimes these gardens did produce something pretty (calendula or "pot marigold" flowers), but that was not their first purpose. The purpose was to grow things you could not buy, to feed your family or to save money. There is a movement in this country to take back the front and back yards from the dominance of green lawn to a place to grow food, herbs and flowers- to delight the senses as well as feed the body (counter to all those restrictive homeowner association rules!)(for more, see the book "Food Not Lawns" or google "edible landscaping")

I will ponder this more...I am sure there are more meanings and metaphors for the garden to find....till then... Happy gardening!

Horticulture Therapy

2011-02-21T13:23:00.006-05:00

I am mentoring a student who is doing an independent study on Horticulture Therapy (Therapeutic Gardens). Here is a blog I wrote for her on my current thoughts on HT. If you know of any gardening-as-therapy interventions in your area, please comment and let me know where (this can include school gardens, prison gardens, gardens in residential facilities or garden programs to teach social skills, reduce anxiety, etc).

As a near-lifelong gardener, I know that working with plants, outdoors in a garden setting, is one of the most blissful experiences I have had. Being in the garden is a Zen experience for me- I experience a clear and intense focus (what Mihaly Csíkszentmihály, the cognitive psychologist, calls “flow”) along with a sense of meaning and purpose, as all my cares fade away. Gardening has other benefits for me, I believe, including health benefits from stretching, hauling, digging and lifting, not to mention eating home grown organic produce at the peak of perfection. But a key word in that previous sentence was “believe.” As a gardener, I believe these things to be true from my own experience (which is, however, only anecdotal). As a University instructor, I need to find evidence for a practice that goes beyond the state of anecdote or belief. I need evidence that fits at least some of the rigorous requirements of science, though perhaps true empiric and experimental evidence would be hard to find for this multi-faceted practice, i.e. the one we call horticulture therapy.

I have not been able to do an extensive review of the literature on this subject: that is my student's job. The literature I have looked at comes more from what I described to my student as “the heart” versus “the head.” The heart is an important component of social work and all social services: without the heart, we cannot have productive relationships with others. But our hearts need some guidance from our heads. We all see and filter phenomena through special lenses and we need science to make sure the lenses are the clearest and most objective possible.

There are some indications that horticulture therapy is a useful adjunct to other treatments and is useful in itself, but the field appears to be in its infancy. Even developing a definition of HT is difficult. What is HT? What are its methods? Actual gardening, lessons on foods and nutrition, school-garden-to-cafeteria-table initiatives? Using the plant metaphorically as a symbol of growth and change? Simply using the garden as a neutral environment to discuss emotionally-charged or difficult problems? What are its goals? Reduction of psychological distress? Meditation to reduce stress? To improve physical health? Vocational training? Improvement of social skills and socialization? What populations do we use it with? Children, the elderly, prisoners, and those in residential care facilities. Anyone or everyone else?

The last question is how do we study it? There seems to be qualitative and exploratory work in the literature, but few reports of specific HT interventions compared to non-HT interventions and controls. Until we have this kind of evidence, we do not know if it works…and isn’t this the bottom line? You want your physician to objectively know what works and to use those methods, right? And so it goes with HT. So, to refer back to the title of this blog entry, my clumsy paraphrase of Gertrude Stein when speaking of Cleveland (I actually love Cleveland) “is there a there there?” Is there really something to the positive, therapeutic effects of horticulture, or is it just a nice thing to do?

Happy Gardening!

Garish Garden Show

2011-02-20T09:42:00.003-05:00

The Peoria, Illinois area parks people are hosting (though March 6) a conceptually brilliant event, the Garish Garden Show! It is complete with garden gnomes, plastic flowers and the ubiquitous pink flamingos! I think this would be a hoot to put together and to see. For a few photos (enough to tease, not satisfy-I am still looking!) go to:

http://www.pjstar.com/photos/x2089517830/Garish-Garden-Show?foto=1

Happy Non-Garish Gardening!

Rain Gardens

2011-02-14T08:54:00.001-05:00

My university is installing a rain garden, an ecological way to deal with storm water runoff (it is in front of a building that has flooded on the first floor in the past due to topography). To learn about installing a rain garden in your yard, here's one source:

http://www.raingardennetwork.com/about.htm

Happy Gardening!

Books Reviews:Yes, BookS

2011-02-13T11:00:00.000-05:00

Three Quirky Books:
Del Tredici, P. (2010). Wild urban plants of the northeast: A field guide. Ithaca NY: Comtock Publishing.
Alcorn, J (2006). An enthusiasm for orchids: Sex and deception in plant evolution. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Smith, A.F. (1994) The tomato in America: Early history, culture and cookery. Columbia SC: University of South Carolina Press.

I love odd little gems and over the past few years I have found these three books. The first is available at most major bookstores, but you will have to search to find the other two. When my son was younger, we used to go to DC often and would head right to his favorite place, the Natural History Museum at the Smithsonian. We LOVED that bookstore and over years I came away with odd and interesting books, including the latter two listed above.

I listed the urban plants books first, because it is the most useful for the gardener (the other two, while interesting to the amateur scientist/naturalist in me, most decidedly have little practical import tot the US gardener, except to interest and delight). Even though we are in the Mid-Atlantic region, with many rural areas, Del Tredici's book is useful and relevant to us- after all, urban plants of the urban northeast set seeds and show up in a wider geographic region. What I like most of this book relates to my sorry state of knowledge of names and type of "adventitious" plants (a.k.a. weeds). I know if a plant is a desirable one, or a weed and I know some of the common types- dandelion, wood sorrel, cinquefoil, pokeweed, nutsedge, and crabgrass among a few. But Del Tredicis book shows the many types of adventitious plants, along with photos (OK, my one gripe- not so great photos, but good enough to help you identify the plants). He tells you the common names, botanical name, how it grows, where it came from, characteristics, fruiting, etc, but, most interesting to me, the "ecological functions" and "cultural significance" of each plant. For example, the entry for Paulownia (a distinctive plant we have all seen countless times, and probably did not know what it was): "...Introduced into North America in 1844. Its spread through the East was supposedly facilitated when seeds used as packing material to protect imported Chinese porcelain were discarded. The species is hyped in Sunday newspaper supplements as a "wonder tree" that grows 6 feet...a year." Love it!

John Alcorn is a professor of life Sciences at Arizona State University. He is a entomologist, that is, he studies insects, but makes the point that you cannot fully understanding insects without understanding plants (part of the broader notion of inter-connection of living things). As an evolutionary biologist, he is able to tease apart the connections between plants and animals and show what has been variously described as a "dance" and "an escalating arms race" between living organisms, all with the goal of reproducing their own kind. Alcorn is apparently smitten with orchids, especially the odd and unusual ones that grow in parts of Australia. I love books in which the writer's passion shines through the words, and this book is one of them- plus it is full of great photos of some very strange plants, and stories of their strategies to get insects to assist in their (the orchids) reproduction (check out the photos of "the flying duck orchid" and "the hammer orchid" they are fascinating!) This book has helped me become a better observer of nature and in the garden, to see the unusual plant "behaviors" we have right under our noses.

The tomato is often polled as the favorite garden vegetable to grow. You cannot get a good tomato unless you grow it yourself or are very lucky (store bought tomatoes are picked green, chemically ripened and chilled, which ruins any flavor they might have acquired. Want a sure fire way to ruin the flavor of a garden tomato? Refrigerate it). Smith is a garden "hobbyist" turned historian of tomatoes and thus book is fun and interesting, tracking down the myth, lore and history of the introduction of the tomato to the US. Plus, he gives historical recipes (tomato wine and tomato marmalade are my favorites- I make and can a tomato jam, the forerunner to ketchup)! I have actually found myself citing parts of this book at social gathering (and no, people don't run away!) (my sure fire, non-controversial topics at faculty gatherings? Gardening, crafts and dog stories)(well, non-controversial unless I meet another passionate gardener with definite ideas-crafts and dogs seem a safe bet).

If you have any useful or quirky gardening, botanical or life science books to recommend, please do!
Happy gardening!

Forcing flowering branches

2011-02-11T17:25:00.004-05:00

From Andre Viette, a method to force branches of flowering trees and shrubs indoors (quince, peach, apple, forsythia, apple, etc)(I've done this with peach and it works!)(above photo: Moonglow pear, it can be forced indoors!)

Warm Method:

Bring the cut branches inside and place them in tall containers filled with warm water (90-110ºF).

Place a tent of plastic over the branches and the containers and set them in a dimly lit, warm room for 24 hours. The warmth and humidity will encourage the scales covering the flower buds to expand and activate dormant buds.

Re-cut the ends of the branches at an angle and arrange them in vases filled with fresh water.

Remember to check the water levels often and top them off if needed.

Happy Gardening! Winter is half over and spring is coming!

When To Start Seeds!!!

2011-02-05T06:53:00.005-05:00

Here is a a great seed-starting chart from Organic Gardening Magazine:
(sorry my earlier link did not work- I checked it and it was the url to the page, but???)

YOUR SEED-STARTING PLAN
The Spring Frost-Free Date in My Garden is_______________
CROP	WHEN TO START INSIDE	WEEKS FROM SOWING	SAFE TO SET OUT TIME (RELATIVE TO FROST-FREE DATE)	SETTING OUT DATE
Basil		6	1 week after
Beets*		4-6	2 weeks before
Broccoli		4-6	2 weeks before
Cabbage		4-6	4 weeks before
Cauliflower		4-6	2 weeks before
Collards		4-6	4 weeks before
Corn*		2-4	0 to 2 weeks after
Cucumber		3-4	1 to 2 weeks after
Eggplant		8-10	2 to 3 weeks after
Kale		4-6	4 weeks before
Kohlrabi*		4-6	4 weeks before
Lettuce		4-5	3 to 4 weeks before
Melons		3-4	2 weeks after
Mustard*		4-6	4 weeks before
Okra*		4-6	2 to 4 weeks after
Onions		6-8	4 weeks before
Parsley		9-10	2 to 3 weeks before
Peas*		3-4	6 to 8 weeks before
Peppers		6-14	2 weeks after
Pumpkins		3-4	2 weeks after
Spinach		4-6	3 to 6 weeks before
Squash		3-4	2 weeks after
Swiss chard		4-6	2 weeks before
Tomatoes		6-8	1 to 2 weeks after
* These crops are usually direct-seeded outdoors, but they can be started inside.

Happy gardening!

Tips from NBG http://www.norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/home

2011-02-02T15:18:00.004-05:00

From the Norfolk Botanical Garden:
February Tips

by Director of Horticulture Brian O'Neil at

The word for the month of February is "prune." Any time this month, as weather allows, is the time to prune back the spent stalks of perennials and ornamental grasses. Shrubs that bloom on current season's growth such as butterfly bush, beautyberry and roses may also be cut back now.
Prune watersprouts and suckers from fruit trees, flowering plums and cherries. These stems tend to clog the inside of trees reducing air flow and promote weak growth and disease. Prune for an open center that a bird can easily fly through.
Now is the time to apply a slow release organic fertilizer or a compost topdressing to beds and borders. A light covering of your favorite mulch helps keep spring weeds at bay.
Take a look at your winter garden to determine where you lack some evergreen structure or winter interest. The bones of the garden are readily apparent now.
Complete your catalog seed orders this month to be ready for planting the vegetable garden. Some seeds, such as English Peas, can be planted toward the end of the month.
Happy Gardening!

HE SAW IT!!!

2011-02-02T09:18:00.002-05:00

Happy Groundhogs Day!

Punxsatawney Phil (the official United States Groundhog) saw his shadow,

so spring is just around the corner!

'Shrooms

2011-01-30T17:21:00.005-05:00

Indoor Mushrooms
I gave my sister-in-law an indoor Portabello mushroom kit for Christmas- she wanted it, but I was doubtful that it would do much. I had no experience with this product and thought she would need a dark, damp basement to make it work...and that it was a bit of a gimmick She got the kit. It was a box containing a fungusy, webby material (the "root" or "mother" of the fungal colony). Instructions were to wet down the contents, and to add some wetted soil-less mix that was included. She followed instructions and began misting it each day with tap water. By the way, she keeps it in her kitchen- no damp, dark basement needed. She got her first mushroom in about two weeks, and wondered if that was it, but 4 or 5 days later, more baby mushrooms budded up and, as you can see by the photo, she has quite a crop. As long as she keeps misting, the box should produce for many months to ?, until the spore is spent- then it will be time to compost the contents (and get a new kit from me!). It is possible to kill the mushroom "mother" by letting it dry out. Kits are not shipped in summer, so maybe overheating is a problem too. But so far, this seems to be a success!

Addenda: a recipe: Roasted Herbed Portabellos:
Take 4 Portabello mushrooms, wash and remove stems. Place gill side up in glass or ceramic roasting pan. Crush one clove of garlic into each cap and add a pinch of coarse salt. Mix 1/2c olive oil, 1/4 c balsamic vinegar (or red wine), 1 t sugar, 1/2 t salt and herbs to taste (basil, oregano, black pepper, I love marjoram). Pour over mushrooms and some onto the pan. Roast at 400 for 25 minutes, turn over and roast 10 minutes more. Good served atop mashed potatoes, on crusty bread, over rice or pasta. Can also roast with quartered onions and bell peppers in the same pan. (This is an overall nice marinade for veggies- chunked white or sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips...)
Happy (indoor) gardening!

Gardening Versus Landscaping

2011-01-12T08:18:00.004-05:00

I have been checking out garden books for winter book reviews, settling on several books with "easy" in the title or description (a sign of age?). These books have reminded me of the distinction between what I like to do- gardening- versus landscaping. Many books about gardening are really about landscaping and follow the "House Beautiful" model, that is, the model that purports to show the reader how to achieve perfection, when it is really about cultivating desire. Now there is plenty of desire in the type of gardening I do (mostly to eat perfectly ripe and exquisitely tasty produce, but also to feed and nourish the bees, birds, butterflies and souls who see it), but this desire is not about comparison to neighbors or achieving "Martha" perfection. I do not do landscaping, I garden. I garden for the sheer pleasure of planting and watching the plants grow, for eating that luscious tomato or raspberry, for getting my hands in the dirt and my face in the sun. To me, landscaping is more static- creating some relatively stable group of plants, that are chosen for durability and set along the foundation or in and island bed. Gardening is far less controlled, and contains many more surprises (some good, some not) and allows for greater spontaneity. Above are two photos- the front yard when we moved in: it looked like every yard in the subdivision. The house had a boring lawn, a large pine tree and foundation shrubs. The next photo is the controlled chaos 8 years later. You decide which you like better.
That's all for now. Next week I will write about dealing with winter storm damage on trees and shrubs. Happy gardening!

Meyer Lemons

2011-01-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

I had written an earlier post about hand pollinating my Meyer lemon plant last winter (taking pollen from one flower to others on a fine paintbrush) and getting two lemons. (The other day I hand pollinated about 10 blooms- we'll see what I get this year, though the plant had a bit of an bad adjustment to lower light conditions indoors this year).). This was very easy, and the lemon plant summered outdoors and the lemons grew very plump and fragrant. They are pictured above with the sliced lemons for a Shaker lemon pie that I made at Thanksgiving. Here's the recipe:

2-3 large lemons, organic Meyer or other
2 c sugar
3 eggs
1 pie crust

Slice lemons, rind and all, very thin (the Shakers valued all parts of the then rare and expensive lemons). Mix with the sugar and allow to soak, in fridge, overnight. In the morning, blind bake a pie crust till golden and allow to cool while you beat the eggs until light and add to the lemon mix. Pour filling into crust and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, then reduce to to 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes until custard is set. This is delicious, tart and sweet treat!
Happy gardening and cooking!

2011-01-02T11:00:00.002-05:00

Book Review: Eddison, S. (2010). Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older. Portland: Timber Press

As I launch further into my 50's, I realize that I already have some functional limitations in regard to gardening. Bad back, arthritis...I cannot go into the garden in the morning and emerge 8 hours later, all perky, like I used to do in my 30's. But I still manage and now have several strategies to get most of the work done- work in small bursts, use a wheeled garden stool, prioritize. So I was curious when I found this book on the library shelves. Sydney Eddison is a long-time gardener and garden writer. Eddison is a good writer: clear, understandable and from the heart. She describes both loss and plunging ahead to continue to do what she loves for as long as she can, an admirable philosophy (I mean, you can either grump over what you cannot do or do what you can). Her book reflects the aging gardener and at the end of each chapter she gives pithy advice for all of us. I recommend this book- a quick read, great advice. Some of my favorite bits of advice? "Accept imperfections" "Pick your battles" "Make the hard choices" "Gardener, know thyself," and find possibilities in what you have. If only we could, in all areas of life, follow that last bit of advice.
Happy gardening!

Winter blooms

2010-12-26T19:47:00.008-05:00

Winter Blossoms
I go a little crazy at Christmas...well, winter really. Not to do with the holidays, because I never do much shopping, I mostly make gifts. No, I go crazy in the winter because nothing is blooming, the garden is quiet and static and I cannot get my hands into the soil. One thing that helps is to have some blooms in the house, and I don't mean cut flowers. Every fall for the past 5 years, I have purchased between 25 to 50 paperwhite narcissus bulbs. They are not expensive (don't buy them in a paperwhite kit, a pricey way to go) they are easy to start and quick to bloom. I often plant them in a vase, half filled with gravel and water, with their ends in the water (do not submerge them). Place them near or in a sunny window and voila, in two weeks, they will grow and bloom. I buy so many, because I like to start a few every week to insure months of bloom. Paperwhites are also very fragrant. It is comforting to see and smell flowers in bloom. If you haven't tried starting narcissus, give it a go! The same with amaryllis, which, unlike narcissus, can be summered outdoors and brought back into bloom for a few successive winters.

About 4 years ago, my students gave me this hibiscus. Though the plant loses leaves when brought indoors in the fall, it reliably puts out a bloom or two (sometimes more) each month it is indoors. It is a relatively care free plant- it needs food, water and sunlight outdoors in the summer and just minimal care when inside.

So, if the winter gets you down, try these cheering plants! And remember, the solstice has passed, so days are getting longer now!

Happy Solstice and happy gardening!

Favorite "Garden" Gift

2010-12-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have written in the past about favorite garden gifts. Well, this doesn't really qualify as a garden gift, but....My dear friends know that my interest in gardening is partly due to an intense interest in food. I started cooking as a teen and have not stopped. My mom was always willing to let us try new fruits and produce- this was in the 70's when some "exotic" fruits were beginning to hit markets in the Northeast. I remember my first kiwi and carambola (star fruit). But more importantly, I remember the revelation of a home-grown tomato when I was a small child. It is a cliche to say it, but this was a near-spiritual experience that set me "going down the garden path" for life. Even back then, I was a foodie.

A dear friend has given me this 1934 Metropolitan Life booklet on nutrition. This was during the Great Depression, so it has some helpful advice on purchasing food. But what is so interesting is the different philosophy and food advice from today. though I can see the threads of current-day "nutritionism" as per the food writer Michael Pollan (the misguided focus on individual nutrients versus whole foods and a balanced diet). The book was written prior to the obesity epidemic of the last 20 years, and emphasizes getting adequate intake, not tips on reducing intake. The most amusing recommendation in the booklet is that everyone should take between 2 to 4 teaspoons of cod liver oil per day! Ugh! 1934 nutrition supplement advice!

That's all for now...happy gardening!

Winter Friday Lagniappe

2010-12-17T09:58:00.007-05:00

So far, the waterfall is keeping an open-water area in my pond- don't want it to freeze solid, because that may distort the sides of the pond. I have put some pots of boiling water on top of the ice to melt through and the pond heater (with above 45 degree shut off) is coming soon. But the ice is very pretty outside my kitchen window! And the birds are enjoying their water source!
Enjoy the snow! Happy gardening if you can!

Mid-Week Lagniappe: Door Swag

2010-12-15T09:06:00.000-05:00

Door Swag
A little lagniappe for you ("something extra" in Cajun). Every early December for the past 10 or more years, I have gone outside with my pruners and created a simple door swag (actually, is this a swag? Or a bunch of greens? It's not a wreathe) for the holidays. All you need are some greens, some string and some recycled holiday ribbons and...voila...a holiday decoration! This year I used a base of eucalyptus, some holly, some box wood and a pine bough with two opposite pine cones. I laid them all out on the ground, tied them together with a loop in back for hanging and covered the string with ornamental ribbon. It is pretty, imperfect like me, but especially meaningful, as it all comes from my yard. It was also free and will be recycled in January.
Happy gardening!