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| Buttered Popcorn plant - Cassia |
It’s a
warm muggy day here and we are even getting some sun. Our weather has been swinging wildly from
cold to warm. We’ve had lots of
rain. I don’t think we are going to have
a good year for fall color because many trees are dropping their leaves already,
with little color. But there are some
places where the maples and other trees are coloring up, but color is still
less than 50% here.
The
landscape roses have a flush of new bloom and many annuals are still going
strong. I have clematis showing a second
flush of bloom. The anemone and toad
lilies are still blooming. Mums are
blooming and Maximilian sunflowers. The sweet
potato vine that went crazy this year is almost totally filling my water trough
pond, fighting with the water hyacinth.
No water is visible anymore.
One of
the annuals that always puts on a good fall show is Woodland nicotiana, ‘Only
the Lonely’ is a common name. Mine come up voluntarily each year in all sorts
of places. They are late coming up,
germinating only when the soil is very warm, usually July. But they make up quickly for the late start. In
sun in good soil they can get 5 feet high and wide.
Only
the Lonely has huge, broad light green leaves very much like smoking
tobacco. It puts up stalks with clusters
of white dangling trumpet shaped flowers which are very fragrant in the
evening. It will keep blooming until a hard
frost. They abundantly produce very fine
black seeds which must blow in the wind or be carried in the fur of animals
because they will pop up everywhere in the garden. Once you have a couple plants you’ll probably
always have them.
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| Only the Lonely |
It
looks like fall inside my house right now.
My hibiscus and a few other plants are dropping their leaves like crazy,
yellow leaves all over the floor. They
are also blooming abundantly. This is a
reaction to being brought into different light conditions and I’m sure they
will recover but its messy right now.
I have almost
filled the porch now, I brought in a dozen geraniums, my ginger and jasmines
and a few other things. I’m leaving a
couple open spots because there are a few pots of tender bulbs to come inside;
crocosmia, rain lilies, peacock lilies, ground orchids, eucomis. My crocosmia did not bloom at all this year,
maybe they will bloom inside.
If you
haven’t been feeding the birds in the summer, it’s time to get the feeders
filled. Many birds will be migrating
through and full feeders help you spot unusual species and helps them keep
going.
What the Americas gave to the world
Columbus
Day was observed yesterday. I have long
disliked this holiday because we know that Columbus did not actually discover
America, that honor probably goes to Amerigo Vespucci, who the continents were
named for, although Vikings found it even earlier. (There is some dispute over
who found the actual continents and not islands like the Bahamas and Cuba.)
Columbus
didn’t even explore or see much of the continent, perhaps the tip of Florida,
and when he left he was still convinced he had found India. He did establish a colony on Hispaniola (now
Haiti and the Dominican Republic) where he enslaved the native people and drove
then to extinction.
In the 100+
years between Vespucci’s exploration and mapping, and the settlement at
Plymouth Rock, numerous explorers from many countries travelled across both
North and South America. The French settlement of Quebec and its fort were
built in 1608, well before the Plymouth Rock colony struggled to take hold. (1620)
Early
European explorers did not find continents devoid of humans, rather these
explorers described huge cities, we know some indigenous cities in the early
1500’s had 15,000 or more people, cities both here and in South America. They
also described numerous smaller cities or villages of people spread across the
lands. There were trade routes and
commerce.
Cabeza
de Vaca, an explorer from Spain in 1527 described a city in what is now
Arizona, of Pueblo people, who he said, had cotton blankets finer than those at
home, permanent homes and great stocks of grain. French explorers in the north described large
settlements of native people farming land and managing fruit and nut orchards
along the St. Lawrence river and down along the Mississippi river. They described large, well-tended farm fields
covering many acres.
The
people of North and South America had a number of cultures and languages. They knew of each other and trade between
cultures was frequent. Some cultures
were nomadic, following game and moving with the season, others were
agricultural and settled permanently. They wove and made pottery, mined metals
and made intricate jewelry, turned maple syrup into sugar, which became a trade
commodity, gathered wild foods, fished- dried oily fish from the Pacific coast
were also widely traded inland, and also farmed enough food to feed large
populations.
But by
the time the Europeans became successfully established, which they couldn’t
have done without the help of the first people of the land, and moved further
inland, the First People’s populations had been drastically reduced. Diseases brought in by those early explorers,
measles, influenza, cholera, and others had swept through the populations, who
had no immunity to them, killing millions.
Fields were abandoned and homes crumbled into dust.
When
200 years or so later early European pioneers began migrating from those
initial coastal colonies into what they thought was unclaimed and untouched
wilderness, they were merely seeing what nature does to heal itself when humans
leave. People before them had introduced
new species, changed the soil and topography and managed wildlife hunting. But now those efforts went unseen. It’s a myth that the Americas were largely untouched
by humans before Europeans arrived.
What the America’s gave the world
The
Iroquois tribe’s system of government contributed greatly to our Constitution,
Articles of Confederation and Bill of Rights and was recognized for that
contribution by Congress in 1988. Field
and ice hockey, and lacrosse were Native American sports. The science of ecology is based on the Native
American spiritual beliefs of being connected with and working with nature.
Jerky
making and freeze drying are food preservation techniques from the
Americas. Syringes, toboggans and
snowshoes are pre-European Native American inventions.
Sign
language used today is based on Native American sign language. Our spoken language contains many words from
the languages of First People, including: barbecue, caribou, chipmunk,
woodchuck, hammock, toboggan, skunk, mahogany, hurricane, and moccasin. And of course, many place names in North
America are from Native American names.
But the
Americas really changed the old world in the realm of food. Explorers introduced
the world to many new foods, some of which profoundly changed cultures. Some of
these were corn, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, peanuts, agave, quinoa,
arrowroot, sunflower, Jerusalem artichoke, pineapple, pumpkin, cocoa bean
(chocolate), vanilla, cranberries, cassava, papaya, avocado, turkey, and
muscovy duck to name a few. They also
gave us tobacco, and coca (cocaine).
Potatoes
in particular, were partly responsible for the Industrial revolution in
Europe. They allowed people in cold
climates to grow a nutritious food that was calorie rich and that was easily
prepared and stored. This kept larger populations fed and ready to work. Tomatoes
and peppers became essential parts of local cuisines. Corn was another crop that revolutionized
agriculture. Chocolate, tobacco and coca, (cocaine) also radically altered old
world civilizations.
There
are two ways the day now called Columbus Day should be thought of. It could be a day of recognition and mourning
of the great Native American civilizations that were lost by European invasion. Or it could celebrate all the wonderful
things the Americas gave to the world. And it should definitely be renamed.
Fall Bulb Planting
If you
want pretty daffodils and tulips in the spring, you need to plant them in the
fall. Now is the time to buy those bulbs. While we all are familiar with the
common bulbs like tulips, crocus and daffodils why not try experimenting with
some of the “minor” bulbs such as snowdrops, corydalis, English bluebells,
Dutch iris, iris reticulata, anemones, winter aconite and other tiny treasures.
Plant the small bulbs near the house and in places where the snow melts first
each spring. Or buy a few spectacular larger focal bulbs like foxtail lilies or
crown imperials to set off the spring garden.
Gardeners
can also find things like lily bulbs, which bloom in summer and ephemeral
wildflowers like trilliums and trout lilies offered for fall planting. Peonies and some other perennials may also be
available.
Bulbs
can be planted up to when the ground freezes and most will survive. But it’s good to get your bulbs into the
ground at least six weeks before the ground freezes in your area. This gives
the bulbs time to grow a root system. If
you can, plant them as soon as you get them, especially lilies. If you can’t plant them right away store them
in a cool, dark, dry place. Your refrigerator crisper is a good place. Don’t
forget about them though!
Note:
if you live in planting zone 8 or higher you will need to buy “pre-chilled”
bulbs or chill them yourself. Spring
flowering bulbs need a cold period to bloom with soil temperatures around 35-40
degrees or lower. Those in warmer
climates can put bulbs in the refrigerator for 14 weeks before planting.
For the
best results with bulbs buy top size or top grade or bulbs labeled jumbo and
buy them from a reputable company. I recommend mail order catalogs unless you
have a good garden shop nearby that sells bulbs. Unfortunately, the bulbs you buy in packages
in Walmart and other stores are usually not top grade and because they often
sit for months in hot stores they shrivel or mold and are not going to perform
well for you.
Buy
your bulbs in larger quantities. Except
for a few unusual and expensive bulbs, I recommend quantities of 25 or more
bulbs of the same kind. Bulbs look
better in drifts or groups of the same kind.
When buying bulbs in quantity make sure you are getting bulbs listed as
top size. Some bulbs sold in quantity are smaller and less likely to survive
and bloom. These are often sold as
“bargain bulbs.”
Here’s
how many bulbs to plant per square foot to get the best display. Large tulips 5, species tulips 9-12, large
daffodils 5, species daffodils and narcissus 7-10, large hyacinths 6, large
alliums like Globemaster 2, small alliums 6-8, large crocus 8, species crocus
10-12, Snowdrops, windflowers (Anemone blanda),Muscari ( grape hyacinths),winter
aconite and scilla 15-16, Crown Imperial 1, dog tooth violet( Erythronium) 12,
Foxtail lilies 2, Dutch iris and iris reticulata 12.
You can
use a color scheme or use a cottage garden approach and blend all colors
together. To prolong the season of bloom,
start with early blooming bulbs like crocus and then blend tulips, narcissus
and alliums that have early, mid-season and late blooms. If you choose carefully you can have bulbs
in bloom from the moment the snow melts to late June and if you include lilies,
through much of the summer.
No
matter how well they are planted or how big they are some bulbs will not last
many years in the garden. Tulips are pretty notorious for this, many will not come
back for even a second year. Look for
tulips labeled perennial, these are better at returning each year, but still
expect to lose some each year. I like to add some new tulips each year and
hyacinths every other year. Some bulbs,
however will actually multiply in the garden.
Many crocus, daffodils and alliums will multiply.
If you
are planting a lot of bulbs in a spot where nothing is currently planted, you
could excavate the whole site to the proper depth. Many of us, however, will be tucking the
bulbs in among plants that are still growing.
This requires a small hole that won’t damage the roots of perennials in
the bed. Use a tool called a bulb
planter or a narrow blade trowel for making those holes among other plants.
If you
dig up bulbs from the previous season when you plant new bulbs simply replant
them. If they get cut in half or badly
damaged, you’ll need to discard them. Take pictures in the spring of your
blooming bulbs and refer to them in fall to see where bulbs are planted and
what colors you have.
I like
planting bulbs while the perennials are still growing in the garden, so I know
exactly where to place the bulbs without damaging a dormant plant. I can also place the bulbs under the outer
edge of foliage of things like hosta and daylilies. When the bulbs bloom in the spring the
perennials usually aren’t big enough to hide them but later when the bulb
foliage is dying and looking bad the perennial foliage will hide it.
The
rule of thumb is to put the bulb in the ground about three times as deep as it
is high. A bulb that is one-inch high
would be planted three inches deep. Read
the directions supplied to you with the bulbs and see if you have an exception
to the rule. You may want to plant the
bulbs a little deeper in very sandy soil and a little higher in heavy clay.
In most
bulbs there is a narrow or pointed end and that end goes up. Some small bulbs are extremely difficult to
determine which side goes up or down. As
a last resort plant them sideways. Some
bulbs will grow and eventually right themselves if planted on the side.
You can
buy a little bulb fertilizer to put in the holes as you plant if you like. Don’t
use bone meal or blood meal. These are
often recommended by older books but research has found that while they do
contribute some nutrients, they often attract pests like squirrels and mice,
who also eat the bulbs. Even dogs may
dig out the bulbs if they smell bone or blood meal.
Squirrels
and mice can be the biggest cause of bulb failure. Moles don’t eat bulbs but their tunneling
sometimes gets bulbs down too deeply to grow well or pushed out of the
ground. Cats may also uncover bulbs when
using the fresh turned soil as a toilet. Free range chickens will scratch them
up. If you are planting into an established garden the existing plants may hide
your new bulbs. If you are planting a bare area you may want to cover the area
with some wire fencing to keep animals out. Remove it in spring when the bulbs
start coming up.
By the
way, red pepper, Epsom salts, human hair, diatomaceous earth and all those folk
remedies people are fond of sharing don’t really work to keep squirrels and
other critters from eating the bulbs or digging them up. For those with past pest
problems try narcissus, daffodils, Fritillaria species and alliums which are
seldom eaten by pests. These bulbs are
poisonous though and should be kept out of reach of some less discriminate
animals like dogs, which could die from them.
If you
can plant some bulbs in pots and then put them outside in the garage or a shed,
where they can get the cold treatment they need to bloom. Once we have had 6 weeks of temperatures
around freezing or lower- usually by January here- you can bring the pots
inside to a sunny spot and start watering them.
They should bloom 6-8 weeks later for early spring flowers inside.
Keeping your pond fish happy in the winter
Do you have a small garden pond with fish in it? With winter approaching you may be wondering
what you need to do to keep the fish alive during the winter. It’s a shame to let nice koi or goldfish die
over the winter as they get bigger and prettier each year. There are two basic
options- bringing the fish inside for the winter or leaving them in the
pond.
If the pond is 30 inches or deeper you can probably leave
the fish in the pond. In the winter
outside fish go into a state of semi-hibernation and their needs for food and
oxygen decrease. They generally spend
most of their time near the bottom of the pond and may even partially bury
themselves in debris at the bottom. However, in a pond it’s a good idea to
clean out such debris before winter as it is a source of bacteria which can
harm your fish. The debris and decaying
plant parts may also provide enough nutrients for algae blooms in sunny times
during the winter, which then die off when it gets colder and cloudy, using up
oxygen as they break down.
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| Rescue koi before winter |
Decaying leaves and dying non-hardy pond plants also take
oxygen from the water so they should also be removed before really cold weather
sets in. Native, cold hardy plants that
are rooted should have all dead parts removed but can be left in the pond. You can leave clay pots or rock formations
for fish to spend the winter hiding in.
Even pieces of plastic pipe can provide hiding spots.
If you can aerate the pond in the winter this is generally a
good way to keep the fish alive through the winter. Even shallower ponds may provide safe winter
harbor if they can be aerated. In a
really large, deep pond fish may survive without aeration or an open surface
area but you are taking a chance when you try this. Aeration can be provided by a pump that puts
air into the pond or by a pump that lifts pond water and drops it back into the
pond in a fountain or waterfall effect.
Both the aeration method and fountain method should keep a small area of
the pond surface free of ice.
Another way to keep some surface area open to let oxygen in
is to use a de-icer. You can buy these
in farm stores as well as pond supply places.
They may be called stock tank de-icers.
This is usually a heated circle or loop of metal that floats on the
surface of the pond and melts any ice around it. The larger your fish and the smaller the
pond, the more surface area you will need to keep open.
Feed the fish that will be left outside well during the fall
when they are still active but stop feeding when ice forms on the water. If there is a prolonged warm spell and you
see fish activity near your open area on the pond you can give them a small
amount of food. Otherwise resume feeding
in the spring when the pond surface is free of ice and the fish are
active. Uneaten food in winter ponds is
a big source of harmful bacteria and as it decays it robs the water of oxygen.
If your pond is shallow or above ground such as a tank or
other container, you will need to bring your fish inside for the winter. You can keep them in a warm room in an
aquarium, or a spot just above freezing, such as in a basement, where they will
go into semi-hibernation as they would do outside. Aquariums for goldfish and Koi should not be
heated, the cooler the water the better.
They will need aeration and filters.
They should be lighted for at least 8 hours a day or in a bright room.
Feed the fish lightly over the winter period.
Stock tanks make good containers for holding fish over the
winter in cool areas. You can also use
various other containers such as storage or muck tubs, wading pools etc. I once made a large area for fish in my
basement by stacking tightly bound piles of newspaper in a rectangle against
one basement wall frame and using a pond liner over them.
Make sure you have about 2 gallons of water per inch of fish
that you are overwintering. You will
want to aerate and filter this water also.
The holding tank should have at least minimal lighting. If you are also over wintering non-hardy
water plants in this area you should have good lighting. Feed fish lightly and only if they are active
in the holding tanks.
Experts say that many fish manage to survive winter in
aerated ponds outside and tanks inside only to die in late spring as the
weather starts to warm. This may be
because of sharp shifts in water temperature in the seasonal weather or because
the weakened fish get bacterial infections as the bacterial count climbs in
warmer water. Make sure to keep the tank
or pond cleaned up and don’t overfeed as the weather warms.
Mulch your leaves for fewer weeds
As the leaves begin to fall I hope you have a mulching blade
on your mower. We have known for many
years that mulching tree leaves on the lawn and leaving them there decreases
the need for nitrogen fertilizer and improves soil texture. Now research done by MSU says that mulching
your maple and oak leaves into the lawn will result in 53-80% less dandelions
growing in the lawn when spring comes.
That’s because the leaf mulch covers bare spots where seeds would land
and germinate. The researchers used only
leaves from trees not treated with pesticides to avoid herbicide residue
affecting the results. They found that
sugar maples and red oaks were the trees whose mulched leaves seemed to control
weeds the best and dandelions are the weed most affected.
So, don’t rake your leaves unless you want them for the compost
pile or covering the garden. They will
do far more good if you mow them into tiny pieces and leave them on the lawn
rather than sending them to the landfill or burning them. Mowed leaves blow around less and quickly
disappear into the lawn. Even a mower
without a mulching blade will do a pretty good job cutting up leaves.
Here’s additional reading.
Salt
and sugar preservation of herbs
If you have a lot of herbs in the garden as frost nears
you may want to know a quick way to preserve some of them. Using sugar or salt will dry whole herbs and
you can use the salt or sugar in cooking also.
Harvest herbs for drying in the morning but after any dew
has dried. Before putting the herbs in
salt or sugar they must be free of moisture.
In rainy cloudy weather you may have to leave the herbs inside spread on
paper for a few hours before attempting to preserve them.
Lay sprigs of herbs or herb leaves in a non- metallic
container that has an inch or so of non-iodized salt or kosher salt in it. Do
not use iodized table salt. Cover the
leaves or sprigs completely in salt. You can repeat for several layers. To dry
garlic crush the garlic cloves before placing them in salt. Chopping herbs like
parsley finely before placing them in the salt gives a better flavor to the
salt. If the salt clumps during drying, stir it and keep stirring every day
until clumps no longer form.
You can remove the herbs when they are dried and discard
the salt, or you can use the salt, which will have taken on some of the herb’s
flavors. Leaving finely chopped herbs in the salt gives you seasoned salt. Store
the salt in a tightly closed container. Try combining several herbs. You can
use the seasoned salt as a meat rub or in other cooking.
Certain herbs that are used in sweet cooking or teas can
be preserved in sugar. Lemon balm, mints, lavender, rose petals, etc. are some
examples. Chopping the herbs first works better when preserving them in
sugar. Put an inch or so of sugar down,
then chopped herbs then a layer of sugar.
You can repeat for several layers.
Stir if clumps form until the sugar no longer clumps. Keep the container
covered to avoid attracting insects. It
can also be stored in the refrigerator.
You can sift the herbs out of the sugar when they are dry
and store them in tight containers. And
you can then use the sugar that’s left in various ways. Baking with the sugar
will make most of the herb flavor disappear, and only a light flavor will
remain. But the sugar can be added to tea and cold drinks or used to top
desserts. Adding a crushed or whole
vanilla bean to some of the herbs in sugar makes a nice touch. Please note-
cane sugar or beet sugar can be used but artificial sweeteners cannot be used
to preserve herbs.
Oriental
coleslaw
Cabbage is cheap and abundant in the fall. If you are looking for ways to use some of
that cabbage try this oriental style salad.
You’ll need to start about 2 hours before serving.
Ingredients
6 cups of chopped or shredded fresh cabbage
½ cup shredded carrots
6 sliced green onions
1 pkg. of chicken flavored ramen noodles
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup peanut oil (other oils can be used)
½ cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions
Prepare dressing first.
Mix together the oil, vinegar, sugar and the flavor package from the
ramen noodles. Refrigerate for 1 hour
minimum.
Spread the almonds and sesame seeds on a cookie sheet and
place in an oven at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove
to a bowl and set aside.
Put the ramen noodles in a bowl and pour a ½ of boiling
water on them. Let sit about 5
minutes.
Mix together the cabbage, carrots, green onions and cooled
noodles.
Pour the chilled vinegar dressing mix over the cabbage
mix and toss to coat well.
Just before serving sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds
and almonds.
Kim Willis
All parts of this blog are copyrighted and may not be used without
permission.
And So On….
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I write this because I
love to share with other gardeners some of the things I come across in my
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