After some thunderstorms and rain yesterday the heat
and humidity are starting to subside. It’s 10 degrees cooler today than
yesterday. It’s hard to believe that
July is almost over, until you notice the maturity of the gardens. While things
are still a little behind last year it’s obvious that many things are starting
to reach or exceed their peak.
Most of the lilies are gone but the sweet scent of
Casa Blanca oriental lilies are wafting over the garden. Some daylilies are
still blooming. Tiger lilies are also still blooming. The rocket ligularia is in bloom and
buddleia, hydrangeas, rudbeckia’s of various types, coreopsis, shasta daisy, beebalm,
Maltese cross, and coneflowers. The
cannas are beginning to bloom, and the rain lilies. Some dahlias are blooming
but many of my dahlias are behind last year’s first bloom time. And finally,
some Four O’Clocks are getting ready to bloom.
My tropical hibiscus ‘The Path’ bloomed this
week. I highly recommend this hibiscus. It doesn’t bloom as much as some, but the
blooms are large and beautiful when it does bloom. And it stays short and compact as a plant so
it’s easy to overwinter inside.
We are getting some nice tomatoes and soon I will try
digging some new potatoes. The expensive
corn has small ears and hopefully I will soon be tasting it. My special “girls” are actually starting to
bud. That’s another harvest I am very
interested in.
If you haven’t done it already it’s time to renovate
the strawberry patch. Thin your plants, transplant daughter plants to other
places so the rows aren’t too crowded.
Mow all June bearers down to about an inch of crown. Weed and water.
It’s also time to divide German, (bearded), iris if
you need to. For my article on how to do
this go here; http://gardeninggrannysgardenpages.blogspot.com/p/bearded-iris.html
I am finally seeing monarchs. They have been visiting the milkweed on the
property, including the plants I leave by the back door. I am also seeing Comma or Hop Merchant
butterflies. These are small
butterflies that look like a dead leaf when their wings are folded, with a
silver comma on them. The upper side is
dusky orange with black spots. They like milkweed too, for the flowers. They lay their eggs on hops and nettles.
Better butterflies than the plague of locusts (grasshoppers)
Las Vegas is seeing. The hordes of
grasshoppers flying at night are large enough to show up on radar. Lots of
pictures are online showing grasshoppers swarming under streetlights and all
over buildings and walks. There aren’t
many crops near Vegas to be consumed but I would hate to a gardener in that
area right now.
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| Hibiscus 'The Path' |
Chile (Chili) pepper may increase dementia chances
If you love your food spicy you may want to read a
new study by the University of South Australia that found a correlation in
the amount of chili pepper consumed and the incidence of dementia. They found that the more capsaicin, the
chemical that causes peppers to taste “hot”, a person consumed the more likely
they were to get dementia.
The study found that people of normal or below normal
weight who consumed 50 grams (about a ¼ cup) a day of chile peppers in any
form, raw or processed, were twice as likely to have memory and thinking
problems as they aged compared to those that did not. The incidence was less
for overweight people. The study suggests that middle aged and older adults
should limit consumption of spicy foods.
This study only examined chile peppers and did not
consider capsaicin found in other types of peppers. Since the chemical is identical however, it’s
likely all forms of peppers would contribute to cognitive problems. Chile peppers are consumed all over the world
and some cultures eat spicy chile products at least once a day. Hot sauce, chili sauce, tabasco sauce, curry
powder, and numerous ethnic sauces contain chiles. Dried or fresh chiles are
part of many Asian, Latin American and Indian dishes. Americans and Europeans
have greatly increased their consumption of chiles in the last few decades.
Because capsaicin is used to dull or deaden nerve
pain in conditions like arthritis and sprains, its very possible it may negatively
affect the nerves in the brain, causing them to work less efficiently. While less nerve activity is beneficial in controlling
pain, it’s not helpful for brain function.
The study was conducted over 15 years and was done on
Chinese adults. It’s the first study
done to measure cognitive decline correlated with chile consumption and needs
to be replicated. It should also be remembered
that studies have found that capsaicin has been found to lower blood pressure,
high blood pressure also contributes to dementia. Chile peppers have also been
found to lower blood sugar levels, another factor in dementia. There may be
some advantages that counter the disadvantages of chile consumption.
Here’s a link to the study
Cilantro and coriander- a herbal powerhouse
A new study by theUniversity of California – Irvine
found that an ingredient in cilantro, dodecenal, may be helpful in preventing
some types of epileptic seizures. Cilantro or coriander has been used in herbal
medicine for a long time for various things. It is considered to have anti-cancer
properties, anti-inflammatory effects, anti-fungal and antibacterial uses, to
be cardioprotective, a gastric health enhancer and is said to have analgesic
effects. One study several years ago
found that cilantro plants could be wadded up and used to filter contaminated
water. All of that and the herb has culinary
uses too.
Many people don’t realize that coriander and cilantro
come from the same plant, Coriandrum sativum. You either like the taste of cilantro and
coriander or you don’t. (I don’t.) The two parts of the plant have different
flavors which seem to be preferred by different cultures. Cilantro is the name for the herb or leaves
used in a wide variety of dishes and coriander is the name for the spice or
seeds of the same plant.
In North and South America, the leaves are most often
used, in northern Europe the seeds are most often used, and in southeast Asia,
Africa and India both parts of the plant are frequently used. Coriander seed is mentioned in the bible and
was used by the Greeks and Romans as a medicinal spice.
Cilantro leaves look much like parsley leaves, the
leaves are broader near the base but fine and ferny near the top. Cilantro is an annual plant, which will give
you both leaves and seeds in a single year.
The flowers are small and white and look like carrot flowers. The seeds
are small, hard and yellowish brown with a ridge down one side.
Growing cilantro and coriander
You can buy cilantro plants to put out in the garden
or you can sow the seeds in early spring where the plants are to grow. ‘Delfino’
has very fine fern like leaves. ‘Santo’
is a classic Mexican variety for salsa making.
Cilantro germinates best in cool weather. Each cilantro “seed” that you plant is
actually 2 or more seeds. It forms a
clump and clumps should be thinned to about 10 inches apart. You can harvest
the leaves as soon as the plants are big enough so that you never need to
remove more than 1/3 at a time.
When the weather turns hot, cilantro tends to go to
seed. You can prevent this for a while
by keeping any shoots that appear to be developing flowers cut off. Of course, if you want to harvest coriander
seeds you must let the plants flower and wait until the seeds dry to harvest
them. Cilantro is one of the plants that
will frequently come up every year once you bring it into the garden by
re-seeding itself. In areas with mild
winters cilantro can also be sown as a fall crop.
Cilantro needs full sun and well-drained soil to do
its best. It seldom needs fertilization and has few pests. Coriander seed should be harvested when it is
dry, store the seeds whole in a dry, cool place.
Culinary use of cilantro and coriander
In Latin American, the chopped, fresh leaves are used
in many dishes, including salsa and guacamole.
In Thai and Vietnamese cooking the leaves are often added to salads and
finely chopped cilantro leaves are used as food garnishes. They are also added to stir fried and sauteed
vegetables. Cilantro leaves are best used fresh, drying destroys much of the
flavor and freezing chopped leaves is only a satisfactory option.
While the leaves are tasty, it is the coriander seeds
with all of their aromatic oils that are said to have the most medicinal
benefits and are a valued spice.
Coriander seeds are an important part of curry powder and in European
countries, coriander seed is used to flavor breads and pastries. Coriander seed is also used to flavor a
milkshake like drink. Store well dried
coriander seed in clean glass containers and grind it just before use with a
pepper grinder. Whole seeds are often
sprinkled on baked goods. Ground
coriander seed is used in spicy dishes and in pastry and bread.
More reading
Coreopsis
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| 'Sunfire' |
Some gardeners reject coreopsis in the garden as too
common but for long lasting color in the garden there are few perennial plants
easier to grow than coreopsis. As a
native species they can fill that niche with gardeners as well as being pretty.
The common name of Tickseed refers to the tiny seeds the flowers produce, which
resemble ticks. They are seen often in gardens because there are few plants
that can match their usefulness.
Coreopsis loves sunny, hot conditions and will bloom
its heart out through the middle of the hottest summers. The bright gold colors
that native species of coreopsis feature have been altered by plant breeders
into several muted and pastel shades that make coreopsis fit into any garden
color scheme. Coreopsis are excellent bed and border plants. They attract
butterflies and birds to the garden and make an excellent cut flower.
There are several native species of coreopsis and
many hybrids of the species. All coreopsis are members of the daisy family and
the flowers have the familiar daisy look. Some coreopsis flowers are single,
and some are double, ranging from 1-2 inches wide. Most coreopsis colors are
shades of yellow, although there are pink shades and at least one white
coreopsis available. Some varieties have a contrasting color in the center.
Birds love the seeds, but if allowed to go to seed coreopsis may spread through
the garden.
Coreopsis grandiflora
and Coreopsis lanceolata have long, lance shaped leaves and Coreopsis verticillata
has fine fern-like leaves. Coreopsis plants range from about 10 inches to 6 feet
high, although most varieties are between 18 and 24 inches high. Most varieties
of coreopsis are perennials that are hardy from zones 3-9. C. grandiflora
and some of the hybrids using this species are only reliably hardy to zone 7
and behave like biennials instead of true perennials.
Growing Coreopsis
You can start coreopsis from seed or buy plants. If
started early from seed or the fall before, coreopsis may bloom the first
summer. Coreopsis plants are available in most nurseries for those gardeners
who don’t care to grow their own. Most
cultivars are inexpensive, and you will get a good show the first year you set
out plants.
If you want to start from seed, there are many
varieties of coreopsis seed available to gardeners. Start the seeds indoors
about 8 -10 weeks before your last frost in a cool, (60 degrees), and bright
place. Coreopsis seed needs light to germinate so just press it lightly down on
the seed-starting medium. The seed may germinate in as little as 5 days.
Coreopsis seeds can also be sown outside where you want the plants to grow in
the fall or spring. Plants grown indoors can be hardened off and set outside while
the ground is still cool and will withstand light frost.
Coreopsis needs full sun. They are not fussy about
soil and will grow well where the soil is relatively poor. Although coreopsis
is drought tolerant when established, new plants should be watered frequently.
Don’t over fertilize coreopsis or you will get lots of foliage and few blooms.
If your soil is sandy or very poor an application of slow release fertilizer in
early spring is all that’s needed. Healthy coreopsis plants are seldom bothered
by insects and have few disease problems.
Some coreopsis varieties get lanky and floppy as the
season progresses and benefit from being sheared back to about half their size
in mid-summer. This will encourage stronger stems and a flush of new blooms.
While deadheading is a chore with the small flowers of coreopsis, it will help
them continue blooming through the summer and make the plants look nicer. Some
new varieties are self-cleaning; the dead flowers just drop off. If you do
deadhead the plants plan to leave some of the seed heads alone near the end of
the season for the birds to eat
Some coreopsis varieties
There are many varieties of coreopsis on the market.
Check the zone hardiness, as some varieties are only hardy to zone 7. Varieties
that have C. grandiflora in their background may last only a season or two in
the garden and tend to be less hardy, but most varieties of coreopsis are
reliable perennials. ‘Sterntaler’ is a hardy variety with golden flowers,
marked with a reddish center band. ‘Moonbeam’ is a fern leaved, hardy coreopsis
of pale, soft yellow.
‘Zagreb’ is another fern leaved coreopsis; it has
bright golden flowers on a compact plant. ‘American Dream’ is a rosy pink; fern
leaved coreopsis with a yellow center. ‘Alba’ is a fern leaved coreopsis with
white flowers and a yellow eye. Although one red flowered coreopsis produced a
few years ago proved to be a one season dud instead of perennial, a new rosy
red coreopsis with a darker center, ‘Heaven’s Gate’, is winter hardy to at
least zone 5 and reliably perennial in zones 5-8.
Coreopsis ‘Rising Sun’ has golden yellow semi-double
flowers flecked with red. ‘Sunfire’ has large golden flowers with frilly edges
and a red center. ‘Early Sunrise’ has golden yellow double flowers. ‘Presto’ is
a very early, golden, double flowered coreopsis only 10 inches high. ‘Jethro
Tull’ is a golden coreopsis with fluted or trumpet shaped petals. Coreopsis
tripteris is a native coreopsis with bamboo-like stalks up to 6 feet high
and 2 inch butter yellow flowers.
There’s a coreopsis for every sunny garden and
there’s a good reason most gardens have some.
Does yours?
Creamed cucumbers
This time of the year you may have more cucumbers
than you know what to do with. And if you don’t grow them cukes are now very
inexpensive at the farmers markets. The
recipe below can help you use some of those cucumbers. It works well with those cucumbers that hid
from you until they got a bit yellow too.
Ingredients
6 medium cucumbers
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter
½ of finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups of whole milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill leaves
Pepper to taste
Directions
Wash cukes, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds and
then cut into 1-inch pieces. Place them
in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt, then use a spoon to toss them so the salt
evenly coats them. Let stand for 30
minutes.
After 30 minutes drain the fluid off the cucumbers-
it comes from the cukes- and pat them dry with a paper towel, set aside.
In a frying pan melt the butter and add the
onion. Cook until the onion is golden
and softened.
Add the flour, cooking and stirring constantly until
the flour turns golden. Do not let the
mixture scorch.
Pour in the milk, stirring constantly until the
mixture begins to thicken, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the cukes, turn the heat down to a simmer. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should thicken a little more.
Remove from heat, add the sour cream, dill and pepper
to suit your taste. Serve warm.
A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches
patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it
teaches entire trust.- Gertrude Jekyll
Kim Willis
And So On….
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