Hi Gardeners
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| Dahlia from the Karma collection |
The solar eclipse was a big disappointment here. Here in the thumb of Michigan it didn’t even
get very dark and it sure didn’t cool down much. Steve and I watched through a pair of old binoculars
by holding the large end toward the sun and projecting the image onto
paper. Since that didn’t mean I wanted
to sit through the whole 2 hours or so holding binoculars up I was flitting
around taking pictures. In one picture I
accidently captured the image of the sun in the background. It didn’t damage the camera lens but you don’t
see any evidence of the eclipse, except maybe the odd reddish ring around the
sun.
We had some much needed rain this morning, but not enough;
I’m hoping more comes through this afternoon.
It’s been a dry month. In the
garden ligularia is blooming now, as are peacock orchids, crocosemia and coral
drops. The thunbergia vine I grew from
seed is blooming. I have a red penta
plant that I have over wintered inside for 3 years in bloom. It was looking pretty bad when I put it
outside this spring but it perked up and now is attracting hummers to its red
flowers.
My brugmansia is finally in bloom. Its trumpet flowers are more greenish than
they were last year. Usually they start
white and age to pink. It will be interesting
to see the color as they age. Now if
some of my stubborn tropical hibiscus will just start blooming I’ll be happy. I
think my deck is getting more shade than it did last year. I’ll either need to do some tree trimming or
move some plants other places next year.
The dahlias are all blooming and the colors I got in the
“Karma” mixture are all great. Don’t you
love the colors in the dahlia in the top photo? But I don’t know its variety name, since the
collection was unlabeled. The new
cutting garden is really attracting the bees and butterflies, I have seen a
couple monarchs even.
All around the yard woodland nicotiana has started to
bloom. I was worried none would come
back from seed and started a few this spring in the little greenhouse but I
shouldn’t have worried. Those little
seeds went everywhere and while they take a long time to sprout and start
growing, once they do they grow by leaps and bounds. They are in pots and beds and just
everywhere. I love the look and smell of
them although the leaves take up lots of room.
The garden is at peak harvest. We have tons of tomatoes. I’ll be taking some to the senior center tomorrow. I picked the first cabbage this week and
processed it into slaw. Fresh cabbage is
really tasty. The blackberries are also
abundant this year. We have had cobbler
and coffee cake and preserves over ice cream but you can’t eat blackberries
every day so I am freezing some for winter.
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| One day's harvest |
Time
to order spring bulbs
It may not seem like it but it’s time to pick up those
bulb catalogs and get your orders in. If
you want tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and other early spring blooming
flowers now is the time to order them. Lilies
and some wildflowers like trillium and trout lilies are also ordered and
planted in the fall. (For new gardeners there are also some bulbs you plant in
the spring, like gladiolus, dahlias and canna.)
I prefer ordering bulbs through the mail/on line rather
than buying them in the store. The
selection is better, the quality of the bulbs is usually better and they’ve
been stored correctly. Order early and
you’ll get better prices and a much better selection. The bulbs are sent when conditions are right
for you to plant them.
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| Tulips are planted in the fall |
I always compare several catalogs because prices can
vary. (There’s a list with links to many
catalogs to the right of this blog.) Be
sure to check the size of the bulb when comparing prices though. For best bloom you want top quality, large
bulbs. Also check the hardiness zone of
some of the specialty bulbs before you buy them so you know they will grow in
your zone. Some of you in warmer zones,
8 and higher, will need to buy bulbs that have been chilled for you or chose
warm climate bulbs.
A gardener can’t have too many spring blooming
bulbs. Every year some things won’t make
it through the winter so make sure to plant some every year. There’s nothing better than flowers in the
early spring. Right now your beds may
look full but in the spring there will probably be many spots bare until the
foliage of perennials fills in. It’s
your mission to find and fill those bare spots with early blooming bulbs. You can choose bulbs that will have bloomed
and died back before your perennials fill in.
Most spring blooming bulbs like full sun and you may
have more of that than you think. If
your trees are deciduous, that is they drop their leaves in the fall, many
bulbs will have all the sun they need before the trees fully leaf out. Fill in around them with quick blooming bulbs
like crocus, snowdrops, early tulips and daffodils.
In the fall I brush back the foliage of hosta and other
shade plants and plant bulbs under them.
This also helps keep squirrels and other critters from finding the
bulbs. If you stay out toward the end of
the hosta leaves when planting you won’t damage the roots of the hosta.
I occasionally dig up bulbs from the last season when
planting new bulbs because my beds are full of bulbs. But I quickly return the bulbs to the ground and
no damage is done. I do use pictures of
last year’s blooms to help me decide where I need to plant additional bulbs.
If tulips and daffodils aren’t your thing there are
literally hundreds of other bulbs and corms out there to choose from. I try to get something new to me every year
to plant. Last year it was corydalis and
I was very happy with them. So get out
those catalogs or go on line and get that bulb shopping done. Spring will be back before you know it.
Crocosemia
or Montbretia (Crocosemia
Aurea x)
Crocosemia, also known as copper tips or falling stars,
are beautiful flowering plants that are worth a spot in your garden. These flaming African beauties can be
perennial in zones 6 and higher when planted in the garden but in colder zones
they can be planted in pots or the corms can be dug and stored over winter like
glad corms.
Crocosemia leaves look a lot like gladiolus leaves,
they are narrow and sword like. Plants
grow about 2 feet high, with flower spikes adding to the height. The plants
grow from corms, which form interesting chains of corm upon corm with the
oldest and largest on the bottom. These
corms can be carefully separated to start new plants.
The flowers of crocosemia are a long tubular shape that
flares open into 6 turned back petals. They are produced on arched spikes. Generally the flowers are a flaming orange
red, but softer oranges and yellows do exist. There are actually hundreds of
cultivars. I find they have a longer
bloom period than gladiolus, beginning in mid-summer here in zone 5 and
proceeding to frost. In zone 7 and above they may begin bloom in May or June. Hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers. The
flowers can be used as cut flowers similar to glads.
Crocosemia are generally purchased as corms and planted
in the spring after danger of frost has passed.
In zones 6 and higher you can plant the corms of crocosemia directly in
the ground. If you live in zone 5 or
below you’ll need to dig the corms in the fall before the ground freezes and
store them inside for the winter. Or you
can do as I do and plant them in pots and bring the whole pot inside to store
after plants go dormant. I find this
results in better storage conditions and it’s easier than finding the corms in
the ground.
Outside plant crocosemia 3-4 inches deep and 6 inches
apart. I think they look best in clumps
rather than in straight lines or scattered widely in beds. If you are planting in containers plant 6
corms in a 10-12 inch pot. Crocosemia
prefers full sun in northern areas but will bloom in partial shade in the
south. They like a light, well- drained
soil and even, consistent watering.
Crocosemia have few insect or disease problems and are
not considered prime deer or rabbit food.
Cut bloom spikes off the plants
after all the flowers have opened unless you want seed pods to form. Do not cut the foliage down until it has
yellowed and died back. In zones 7 and
higher crocosemia can spread into large clumps and in more tropical areas it
could become invasive.
Crocosemia can be reproduced from seeds if flowers are
pollinated and form seed pods. When pods are brown and look ripe, gather the
seeds and plant immediately. Plant 2-3 seeds in a pot; you want the pot to
be 4 inches or more so that they can be left there without disturbance for a
while. The pots will need to be inside
through the first winter if you live in zone 6 or lower. The seedlings will probably germinate in a
few weeks. When a large healthy clump has formed the clump can be transplanted
into the ground or into a bigger pot. It
can take 2 years for the plants to bloom.
Medicinal,
edible and other uses of crocosemia
I can find little information on the toxicity or
edibility of crocosemia. The flowers are
crushed and used as a yellow dye in foods in Africa so they can’t be too toxic. The dried flowers are said to smell like
saffron when placed in boiling water and can be used as a substitute for
saffron.
In Africa a tea is made from sap of crocosemia leaves
to treat malaria. The plant is also used
to treat diarrhea.
Coral drops (Bessera elegans)
Do you like the odd and unusual? The tiny Coral Drops is a plant for those of you
who like to have something different in the garden. I like bulbs and I’m always trying a new
type of bulb just to see how it grows.
For most of you in the US below zone 8 this will be a plant you grow in
pots since the plants are not hardy and their small size requires the ability
to keep them in view and not lost in the garden border. They could possibly be grown in rock gardens
and treated as annuals as the corms are inexpensive.
Coral Drops are related to the onions and their narrow round
leaves will remind you of the alliums or a clump of chives. The plants are only about 10 inches tall but
the flower spikes will rise to about 18 inches. Clusters of flowers are
produced on those spikes well above the leaves.
The buds are showy coral red drops dangling from the flower
spikes and probably the reason for the common name. When they open the dainty, ‘flying” flowers have
6 red orange petals, each with a stripe down the center. In some flowers the stripe is white, in
others a darker red than the petals. The center of the flower is lighter in
color, almost white. There are 6 very long anthers, they remind me of birds
legs sticking out of the flower. The one
female part, the pistil in the center of the flower, is deep purple.
The flowers dangle downward and you may have to tip them up
to examine them closely. I could see
placing the pots so you looked up at the flowers, which would be quite interesting.
Coral drops are native to Mexico and grow where the winters
are dry with temperatures in the 50’s.
In the summer the natural habitat is flooded with rains and the plants
bloom in response to the rains. In pots
the plants will bloom from mid-summer until frost.
Gardeners will want to start coral drops from corms, which
are available in the spring from many bulb catalogs. Plant 6-8 corms in a 10”
pot about 3 inch deep in a well-draining potting mixture. Put the pot outside in full sun after danger
of frost has passed. I start mine a bit
earlier inside to get blooms sooner.
In the summer when you expect them to bloom coral drops need
to be kept well-watered, especially in pots.
A slow release fertilizer in the potting medium or watering weekly with
a weak water soluble fertilizer helps blooming.
There are no known insect or disease pests and deer and rabbits do not
like the plants.
In zones lower than zone 8 let a light frost kill the
foliage and then remove the foliage.
Bring the pots inside and let them sit in a dry, dim area that stays
above freezing, preferably between 40 and 55 degrees F for the winter. In late
April in zones below 7 I would bring the pots into a bright warm area and water
them deeply so you can get a jump start on spring. Move them outside after danger of frost has
passed. In zone 7 you can probably put
the pots outside in April and water them if it’s dry.
Gardeners could also plant the corms right in the ground and
dig the before a freeze and store them like glad bulbs. In zone 8 coral drops may slowly spread when
left in the ground. Even in pots the
corms may multiply and need to be divided every couple of years. In warm zones coral drops may form seed pods
but seed germination is said to be poor and erratic.
I like odd things and grow coral drops for that reason. I have heard that some people have kept the
plants inside as house plants and were able to get them to bloom. They do need a dry resting period
though. I can see coral drops being used
in fairy or other miniature gardens and as a rock garden plant. They are inexpensive so why not try a few in
your garden?
Herbal terms part 2
Last week I explained some herbal terminology as to what
effects herbs have on the body. This week I explain some terms relating to the
preparation of herbs.
Compress- is a cloth soaked in an herbal preparation and wrung
out and then used on the body. It can be
applied with force, like compression on a wound or just laid across a body
part, like the forehead.
Decoction – a decoction is somewhat like a tea except
tougher parts of herbs, like roots or bark, are simmered in water for long
periods of time.
Essential oil- an essential oil is distilled, it is oil
collected when plant parts are boiled in water, evaporating plant chemicals,
and the oil is collected from steam that rises and is cooled. It’s doable at home- you can buy stills or
make them, but it’s much easier to buy essential oils if you need them. It
takes a lot of plant parts to make a little bit of oil for one thing, and a lot
of time and effort. In a few plants oil
is obtained from pressing the plants with great force and collecting oil that
leaks from the plant parts.
Infusion- an infusion is also like a tea except it is from
leaves or flowers and gently simmered in water for varying times.
Infused oil- when herbs are soaked in any type of oil for a
long period of time some of the medicinal qualities of the herb are absorbed by
the oil. Olive oil and any other
vegetable oil are the preferred choices but if the oil won’t be eaten but used
on the skin, mineral oil can be used. An infused oil is not the same as an
essential oil.
Poultice- is a mashed and usually moist mass of herbs that
is pressed against the body for a wound or maybe for chest congestion. They can be either heated or cold.
Salves and ointments- when infused or essential oil (really
any oil) is added to fats or waxes it makes a salve or ointment. This makes a spreadable product that can be
smoothed onto skin. Cocoa butter, lard,
and beeswax are common ingredients in salves and ointments. Usually a few drops of essential or infused
oil is added to another “carrier oil” like jojoba oil, and slowly blended into fat
or wax.
Syrup- a syrup is made when herbs are added to a liquefied sugar
form, it can be honey, fruit juices or white sugar. Usually the herb is simmered in the sugar
until thickened.
Tea- teas are made from either fresh or dried herbs. The herb is steeped, not boiled or simmered,
in hot water.
Tincture-a tincture is generally made by adding edible alcohol
like gin to herbs and letting them sit in the alcohol for a while. The alcohol releases chemicals from the plant
and absorbs it. The mixture is left to
sit for several weeks then the herbs are strained off and the alcohol left or
tincture is used in small quantities as a medicine. Some tinctures can be made with vinegar or glycerin
in the same manner.
Tisane- is another word for herbal tea; usually this means
the tea is more medicinal than pleasurable.
Allergies and gardening
Seasonal allergies affect many gardeners. Allergies can make your gardening chores
miserable and often gardeners blame the plants they are tending for their
problems. The good news is that most
common garden plants are not the cause of nasal allergies. There are some plants, however, that you may
want to avoid. In this article we are
talking about plants that cause nasal allergies, not skin rashes or food
allergies.
Natures rule is that plants that have showy flowers, the
types we like to plant in our flower beds, have large grains of pollen that
need insects or other animals to carry them from plant to plant. They are colorful or marked in various ways
to attract those pollinating insects.
The pollen from these plants seldom floats in the wind and therefore
shouldn’t drift into your nostrils and cause distress. (If you stick your nose into them and suck up
a whiff, you could have a reaction.)
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| Ornamental grasses can cause allergies |
The plants that do cause problems are those who have inconspicuous
flowers. These plants rely on the wind
to carry pollen from plant to plant and these are the plants that produce
pollen your nostrils may intercept, provoking your immune system and causing
seasonal allergies. Plants in the grass
family, some trees and shrubs and a few common weeds are the biggest causes of
allergies.
The earliest seasonal allergies are generally caused by
trees. Trees often pollinate before they
leaf out -or when the leaves are still small.
In Michigan that can be as early as March. Willow, birch, aspen, oak, poplar, ash,
hickories, walnuts, elm, sweet gum, sycamore, maple, cottonwood, spruce, fir,
boxwood, cedar can all cause pollen allergies.
Some ornamental maples have been developed that have no
pollen. The red maple ‘Autumn Glory’ is
one. Any tree or shrub that is a female
will not have pollen. Many trees and
shrubs have separate male and female plants.
The female plant is the one that fruits.
Sometimes nurseries will label plants as male and female. Remember you won’t get fruit or seeds if you
don’t also plant a male- and deal with pollen- somewhere nearby. But if fruit isn’t important look for female
varieties of trees and shrubs if allergies bother you.
Pine pollen can cause allergies but as pollen goes it is very
heavy and doesn’t drift far. Keep pine
trees away from the house 100 feet or so and you probably won’t have a
problem. Don’t stir up pine pollen that
has fallen on cars or equipment either.
Trees and shrubs that don’t provoke allergies include those with
showy flowers such as crabapples, cherries, horse chestnut, magnolias, black
locust, redbud, catalpa, holly, lilacs, forsythia, dogwood, azalea,
rhododendron, hydrangea, and viburnums.
The female Ginko, (males are the sex most often sold) is also free of
allergy causing pollen.
When we get to late spring and summer the most common
allergy causing plants are grasses, a few weeds also begin to cause
problems. Gardeners who have seasonal
allergies may want to avoid ornamental grasses, some of which can cause
allergies. Keep weedy grasses pulled
out of flower beds before they go to seed.
Timothy and orchard grass are two prime allergy causing grasses. These are often used for hay, which may be
where the name hay fever, comes from.
In late summer and fall, before a hard freeze, the primary
culprit for seasonal allergies is rag weed.
Goldenrod, a beautiful showy flower is not the cause of allergies. Ragweed is a tall rangy plant with leaves
similar to a marigolds, and greenish ball-like inconspicuous flowers.
Pigweeds, of which there are several types, began flowering
in late June and bloom on and off until a hard frost. They can cause allergy symptoms when
pollinating. Pigweeds belong to the
amaranth family. This diverse family has
some edible seeded varieties and some ornamental varieties such as Love Lies
Bleeding, which allergy prone gardeners may want to avoid. Lambsquarters, another common weed that
blooms in late summer and fall can also cause allergy symptoms.
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| Red Root pigweed |
Other than ornamental grasses and amaranths, most garden
plants left in the garden do not cause any serious nasal allergy threat. However when some flowers are cut and brought
indoors, the pollen dries out and has a greater tendency to cause nasal
allergies, especially if allergy sensitive people are close to the cut flowers.
Lilies, members of the daisy family and goldenrod are frequent culprits
here.
Some people have allergic reactions to strong scents, which
are different than a nasal allergy caused by pollen, but can also be quite
annoying. If you have a reaction to
strong scents you may want to avoid all highly scented flowers. Usually there are varieties of the plant
which have a milder scent. Roses,
daffodils and lilies are examples of plants that have highly scented and milder
scented varieties.
After a hard frost most pollen shedding will stop. However another nasal allergen trigger may
cause problems. Mold often causes
allergies and moldy tree leaves can trigger nasal allergies. Plants that have heavy infestations of white
fly, aphids or scale insects often develop sooty mold. Sooty mold grows on sweet secretions or
excrement from insects eating plant sap.
Houseplants often have these pests and then can indirectly cause nasal
allergies.
While gardeners can avoid planting highly allergenic plants
they usually can’t control what their neighbor’s plant and some pollen can
drift a good distance. However
practicing good gardening techniques like planting pollen free varieties,
keeping the garden weeded and working to control insect pests will do a lot to
help nasal allergy sufferers continue to garden. Consult with a doctor for medical controls
for nasal allergies.
Simple Peach Preserves
It’s that time of the year when luscious juicy peaches are ready
to be picked or appearing on farm market tables. To capture the golden goodness of ripe
peaches you can preserve them in various ways, from canning to preserves.
Preserves have larger pieces of fruit and are softer than
jam. One of my favorite ways to use
peach preserves is to spoon them over ice cream, but they are excellent on
cakes, or even on hot biscuits.
You need a water bath canner for these preserves. You could also skip the canning part and
freeze the preserves in freezer containers.
This recipe will make about 7- ½ pint jars or 3 pints (or a couple of
day’s desserts without bothering to can or freeze it). It will take at least 14 hours to get the job
done, but most of that time you will be doing nothing.
Ingredients
2 quarts of fresh, ripe peaches
6 cups of sugar
You’ll also need 7- ½ pint sterilized canning jars and lids
and a water bath canner or freezer containers, a large bowl with a tight lid and
a large pot.
What to do
Peel and slice the peaches, discard the pits.
In the bowl layer the peaches and sugar. Put a tight lid on the bowl. Put the bowl in the refrigerator. A tight lid ensures the peaches and sugar don’t
pick up odors from other foods.
Leave the peaches in the refrigerator for at least 12
hours. The sugar draws juice out of the
peaches and when you open the bowl you will have peaches in a syrup type fluid.
Place the peaches and syrup into a pot and bring the pot to
a boil then turn down to a gentle boil.
Cook and stir frequently for about 45 minutes. Don’t let the
mixture scorch! The mixture should look like peach pieces in thick clear syrup
when done. It won’t be as thick as jam,
but peaches have enough pectin that you won’t need to add a thickener.
If foam develops during cooking scoop it off with a spoon.
To can the preserves ladle the peach mixture into hot
sterile jars to ¼ inch from the rim.
Wipe the rims and put on the lids.
Process jars 5 minutes in the canner at altitudes below
1,000 feet, 10 minutes for 1001 to 6,000 feet and 15 minutes above 6,000 feet.
Foggy mornings, fall is near
Kim Willis
“He who has a garden and
a library wants for nothing” ― Cicero
© Kim Willis - no parts of this newsletter may be used
without permission.
And
So On….
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