Beauty & The Beast

What's up with the drama in the title?

So maybe referring to potatoes as “The Beast” in this context is reaching a bit, but stand just about anything next to a passion flower and it’s going to look like a mud fence.

For me, there is nothing more beautiful that just about any member of the Passiflora family. Some of the common names for member of the Passiflora genus are Passion Flower, Maypop (my personal favorite) and Granadilla.

More practical information would be that they are hardy or semi-hardy perennial vines that can reach up to 30 feet. They carry stunning flowers, generally of white and purple (although many other varieties exist) that bloom from late summer to early autumn. Those members of Passiflora who fruit, will carry sweet and juicy egg shaped fruits in the autumn.

The Handbook of Herbal Formulas describes passion flower as having been used “as a sedative for treating insomnia and leaves no hangover. As an antispasmodic, it is helpful in Parkinson’s disease, asthma, seizures and hysteria. It relieves nerve pain in conditions like neuralgia and shingles.” It has been stated that American Indians used passion flower root as a poultice for boils, cuts, earache and inflammation.

I’ve read a lot about the difficulties of starting passion flower from seed. Some sources state that the seeds can take up to a year to germinate, if they ever do at all! Yikes. They say the easiest way to grow passion flower is from cuttings or from nursery plants. Passion flower is a perennial, hardy to Zone 6. While the USDA classifies our area as on the border of Zones 7 and 8, I can say with relative certainty that there are micro areas of Rogue River and Wimer that could be Zone 6.

Passion flower likes well-drained or sandy soil with full or partial sun. It will grow in relatively poor, sandy or acidic soils but reports indicate that it does best with a slow release fertilizer like cottonseed meal at the time of planting. Since this is a vine, choose a location where a permanent trellis can be constructed or installed. This plant produces for several years, so your trellis will need to last at least that long.

Johnny’s Selected Seed Co. of Winslow, Maine offered us the following guidelines for starting passion flower from seed:

Germination for passion flower from seed can be slow and erratic. Sow seeds in flats at a depth of about a half-inch. Keep the seeds moist and maintain a temperature of 85 to 90 degrees. Seedlings benefit from a heated seed mat. Nighttime temperatures should not go any lower than 70 degrees. Germination usually begins in 30 days and could take several months. When the true leaves appear, transplant the seedlings into larger cell trays. The United Kingdom Gardener’s Guild recommends soaking the seeds for a day or two before planting.

In the later spring, when dangers from frost have passed and seedlings are three to four inches tall, transplant outside in well-prepared locations, twelve to eighteen inches apart. Have your trellis in place at the time of planting, as passion flower will spread quickly through its runners once established.

Once your plants are established, you can make cuttings to share with your friends in the late summer or early fall. Gardeners experienced with passion flower pretty much agree that this is the preferred method. Provide bottom heat and mist your cuttings regularly. Use a rooting hormone powder when settling the cuttings into the rooting medium. Rooted cuttings are generally ready in three to six weeks.

Back in June, I wrote about growing potatoes. Someone said to me, “Why are you giving us this information when we can’t use it until next spring?” Soooo…without further adieu…let’s revisit the potato.

Potatoes are one of the easiest root crops there is to grow. They’re fun and a small area or container or trash can or even a trash bag (really!) can provide a nice yield of this popular veggie. Early spring is the best time to plant them, so here is some information on some of the best ways to grow them in the garden.

Choose the varieties that work best with what you cook most. We like new potatoes with peas and gravy (made with veggie broth, this is a nice, filling vegetarian dish).

Some popular varieties and their uses are:
White Rose: Good for boiling and salad, only fair for storing.
Russet: Good for baking and boiling, not so great for storing.
Netted Gem: Great for baking and stores well.
Red Pontiac: Very popular, versatile, stores well.

There are lots of other varieties that have excellent qualities as well. Of course, there’s the Yukon Golds (and other yellow fleshed varieties and the novelty potatoes. Purple ones leap immediately to mind, although the thought of blue food? I don’t know; there’s just something not quite right about blue food.

There are two schools of thought on selecting potatoes for planting. One is that you should only plant certified seed potatoes, which assures you that they are free of insects, disease and has not been treated with a growth retardant. Yes, store bought potatoes that are not certified organic are sometimes treated with a chemical to keep them from sprouting. Yum. Garden centers, nurseries, and the usual places generally feature seed potatoes early in the spring planting season.

Having said all that, I personally know people who have grown a crop of potatoes from potatoes they bought at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Yep, they bought organic. You can cut up a potato for planting as long as each piece has two, but preferably three or more, growth eyes. After cutting, let that cut surface callus up a bit before planting.

Sprouting your potatoes – also known as “chitting” – is a way to give your potatoes a head start. To chit your potatoes – either whole potatoes or seed potatoes – stand them in a light, warm place. Don’t stick them in a dark cupboard; that’s not going to work. An egg container is an excellent container for this. You will want to look for fat, green shoots and plant them when the shoots are about an inch long. Leaving several shoots on your potato will give you numerous smaller potatoes, while leaving only one growing will give you fewer, but larger spuds.

I’m going to cover the non-traditional methods of growing, rather than sending you out with a spade to dig for hours.

In straw: In the Scandinavian countries, growing spuds in straw or other material has been the norm for ages. Lay your spuds out above the ground, cover them up, water as usual. As they grow taller, add more straw/material around the base of the plants. The result: super clean potatoes with no back breaking digging.

In plastic garbage bags: The best ones for this project are those construction clean up bags; they’re thicker. Fold down the top part of the bag and put in about 6 inches of soil – either garden soil or bagged soil. Plant your spuds. As they grow taller, add more soil until your bag is ½ to ¾ full. Punch some holes in the bottom for drainage. You can place your bag any place that’s convenient and this can actually be your first crop of the year. The black plastic will help warm things up and your spuds will grow like gang-busters.

In plastic garbage cans: Use the same method as above. I like this idea a lot, but the fact that they are very heavy when full of spuds would eliminate this process, in my opinion. Wouldn’t it be easier to use the garbage bags, where your only harvesting tool would be a scissors to cut the bag open?

If you have a number of old tires lying about, you can stack those up, plant some seed potatoes in the bottom and fill the stack as the plant grows. I’ve heard that the average yield from stack spuds is around 15 pounds per stack, with one reader reporting a whopping 38 pounds of red rose potatoes.

Wire cage method: Get yourself a length of wire fencing. Probably not field fencing, but orchard fence or larger hardware cloth would work well. You want your cage to be about three feet in diameter and around four feet tall. Fasten the ends together so that it forms a sturdy cage, but one that you can open up later, at harvest time. Prepare your soil by adding some compost to garden soil, or start out with bagged soil. Set your cage at its preferred location. Add some straw to the bottom, then about 6 inches of soil. Plant the potatoes as you normally would – about three inches deep. Plant five or six per cage. As the potatoes grow, keep filling the space inside the fence with more soil and compost. Don’t bury the plants; bring that soil level up around two to three inches at a time inside the cylinder. Soon, your cages will be filled with dirt, compost and potatoes.

You won’t want to water your potatoes too much or you’ll wind up with black or hollow centers. Watering sporadically will give you some really strange shaped potatoes. As a guideline, water weekly during warmer weather. If you’re growing in cages or other containers, these tend to dry out more quickly. Poke your finger a few inches in to test the soil.

To harvest new potatoes, watch for your plants to start blooming. Then harvest. To allow for mature, storage size potatoes, wait until the vines yellow and start to die back. If you’re using bags, cut them open with scissors. Wire cages simply require a wire cutter or gloves. With tire stacks, you can pretty much just tip them over as you would with garbage cans or containers. The straw method requires only rooting around to pick out the nice, clean potatoes that have grown there.

To store your spuds, keep them in the dark at around 40 degrees.

Not all ornaments are for Christmas trees...

Whether we realize it or not, grasses are a huge part of our daily lives. The first grass to be used as an ornamental was Job’s Tears. It was grown in monastery gardens during the 14th century and the seeds used for rosary beads. Members of the family Poaceae cover the earth in fields and rice paddies. Recently, there has been an increase in interest in prairie grasses as ornamentals and as part of prairie restoration projects. Much of the North American prairie has been converted to farmland. In order to preserve the native grass species, the conservation and restoration of prairies is important. Grasses come in a variety of color and textures and inhabit a wide range of growing conditions.

Caring for ornamental grasses – what some might call “weeds” – is relatively easy. You can start out with either ornamental grass seed or starter plants. Common ornamental grasses are quaking grass, bunny tails and switch grass.

Decide where to grow the ornamental grass. These grasses generally thrive in a garden spot that gets at least 6 hours of sun a day. Till the area you’ve selected, but don’t over-cultivate. You won’t have to fertilize much since ornamental grasses don’t need much. A rule of thumb is to apply a good organic fertilizer a week or two before planting.

If you’re using starter plants, plant them as soon as possible after you’ve bought them. The quicker they get into the ground (or larger container), the better they will thrive. Make your hole for planting twice the size of the root ball. Water as needed. Most grasses like lots of water to remain healthy and to keep their color.

Mulch your ornamental grass to prevent weeds, moisture loss and to help over-winter the grasses. Fertilize once a year after the initial application. For the best results, plant in the spring. If you plant in the fall, you’ll need to mulch really well as winter arrives to protect tender grasses from freezing.

Be aware that all grass types spread and can easily take over a garden if you don’t keep an eye on it. Ornamental grasses do really well in containers and you may want to consider this to keep it from spreading to a manicured lawn or to your neighbor’s yard.

Growing ornamental grasses in containers is a great way to feature grasses without having them branch out and take over. And – if you plant them in the ground – they will. Container grown grasses are also easier to divide and they just LOOK so cool.

According to Marie Iannotti, ornamental grass specialist, the top ten picks for ornamental grasses in containers are:

Blue Lyme Grass – Imposing sword shaped leaves that bend as they grow tall and spiky flower heads.

Blue Oat Grass – Bring a cooling blue-gray to your garden, a lovely rustling sound in the breeze and a very nice texture.

Red Fountain Grass – Filling the pot with it’s arching habit, the rich burgundy colored “Rubrum” has made it a favorite even in those zones where it can only be grown as an annual.

Japanese Forest Grass (Hakone) – Once you see Hakone grass, you’re going to want it. Just about everyone does. If you don’t have the moist, partially shaded conditions it thrives in, definitely grow it in a pot.

Bamboo Muhly – This is a Southwest native. It gets its name from its notched stems and feathery foliage. It thrives in the sun and heat and can take a bit of neglect in a container.

Feather Reed Grass – Has tall flower plumes that are eye-catching as a focal point – perhaps on your patio – when grown in a container. Although feather reed grass needs a bit of protection from the hot sun, it does well in containers over winter.

Leather Leaf Sedge – Sedges don’t get the attention they deserve. Grown in containers, their bronze tinged leaves gleam in the sun while the blades pick up the slightest of breezes.

Japanese Silver Grass – This is one of the most popular ornamentals and does very well in containers. The airy growth habit of this grass has a softening effect and the white of the leaf edges really pops. It is also available in a variegated variety.

Japanese Sweet Flag – Sometimes a container calls for something short. At around a foot in height, Sweet flag adds color and it’s lovely sweet scent. Likes more water and some shade when it’s grown in a container.

New Zealand Flax – For spiky form and lots of colors, these are the most versatile container grass-like plant there is. Color range includes greens, reds, coppers and golds. Very attractive.

Holiday Plants

OK. So your friend has given you a gorgeous poinsettia plant for Christmas. Now what?

In Mexico, the poinsettia is pretty much a weed. Really. In the rest of the world, nearly 100 million of them are sold every year for the Holidays, in spite of the fact that 60% of the public incorrectly believes them to be poisonous! More on that later.

Poinsettias don’t really like temperatures below 50 degrees, so generally, if you’re comfortable, your poinsettia will be as well. They also don’t like drafts or cold winds. The brighter the room, the better – they like it light. Water them just when they go dry and use room temperature or slightly warm water. For poinsettia, it’s better than cold, right out of the tap.

Poinsettias will start to drop their leaves in February and will then go dormant for a period of time. You can reduce watering then and as soon as frost is not a threat, you can move the pot outdoors. Prune them back by about 50%, transplant to a larger pot and resume regular watering. When you see new growth starting, you can feed them with a good organic fertilizer or even Miracle-Gro.

Getting them to bloom again can be a challenge. The Redwood Barn Nursery in Davis, California advises us that from late September, poinsettias require 14 hours of complete darkness (not even light from a light bulb!) for several weeks to trigger blooming. Any deviation from that requirement will prevent reblooming. Rather a pain.

Are they poisonous? No. Not at all. Not even a little. Television gardeners have taken to eating leaves on their shows to prove it. No part of this plant is poisonous. No amount of leaves fed into lab animals was able to produce a toxic reaction. In short, the poinsettia – everyone’s favorite Holiday plant, has gotten a bum rap for years. No deaths from this plant have ever been reported.

Research studies at Ohio State University have proven that poinsettias present no health hazard. Do we still want to let little Billy munch on them or let Fluffy or Fido graze on them? Probably not.

Lewis Carroll, in his classic “Alice in Wonderland” made the correct statement, “If you drink enough from a bottle marked “Poison”, it’s bound to disagree with you sooner or later.” While poinsettia is not poisonous, best to keep pets and little people away from them anyway.

There are, however, a number of other Holiday plants that pose a greater risk factor.

Holly – Holly is an excellent garden plant that prefers protection from the hottest sun. Male and female plants of the English varieties are needed to get berries. Some varieties of other species set berries reliably without cross-pollination. Hollies generally do well if the soil is amended when they are planted and aren’t stressed by drought.

Holly is considered to be moderately to severely toxic, both to pets and to humans. Eating 1 or 2 berries won’t really hurt you, unless you’re a puppy, kitten or very small child. More than 2 berries can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. Poison Control tells us that 20 berries can actually kill a child.

Ivy – Ivy is being used more and more for winter greenery and as filler in winter decorative arrangements. Ivy can be grown into wreaths, cones or other topiary shapes with relative ease. It makes a great indoor plant if it is washed off periodically to prevent spider mites. It is hardy in our climate and can be kept outside as well. Ivy can be very invasive in the garden, so keep yours in pots.

The leaves and berries of ivy are extremely toxic and the symptoms are very unpleasant.

Jequirity Bean (also known as Indian prayer bean or rosary peas) – You will find Jequirity Beans in many dry arrangements. They are quite striking in appearance, with their black tipped and scarlet coloration. Beware though, they can be deadly! They can be swallowed whole, but can be life threatening if they are chewed prior to swallowing. Vomiting and abdominal pain occurs within a few hours of swallowing, followed by some other exceedingly unpleasant symptoms.

Jerusalem Cherry – Every part of this plant contains toxic substances. Eating the fruit or foliage can adversely affect the heart as well as cause vomiting, skin redness, drowsiness or restlessness and hallucinations. Seizures are possible, but thankfully, rare.

Mistletoe – Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that grows entirely on other plants but also goes through photosynthesis to create food for itself on it’s own. The species of mistletoe we see most often in our region is of the genus Phoradendron, and it’s found on sycamore, oak, poplar, willow, ash, walnut, persimmon and birch trees. It can be quite a nuisance if you have livestock. It has been my experience that sheep or goats and mistletoe don’t make a good match. Birds, however, love the berries and spread them from tree to tree in their droppings.

Mistletoe is considered to be fairly toxic to both pets and humans alike, although the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences refutes this. “That doesn’t mean mistletoe berries are edible,” says J. Robert Nuss, professor of ornamental horticulture. Mistletoe should be hung out of reach of children and pets and berries that drop off should be removed from the floor immediately. A quick solution to that would be to place your mistletoe in a net bag or net wrap so that you don’t miss any.

Pyracantha – You could eat large numbers of these berries before getting a stomachache. Why anyone would want to is anybody’s guess. I’d avoid them. Like the poinsettia, experts consider this plant safe.

Amaryllis, Narcissus and other lily plants – When your amaryllis is done blooming in the house, you can plant that bulb in your garden in partial shade or early morning sun, in average soil. They will then bloom for years to come in the early summer. Watch out for slugs and snails, who love to devour amaryllis! It is possible to get them to bloom for future Christmases by forcing them into dormancy in the late summer by withholding water. This doesn’t always work, however.

The fragrance of narcissus and their related varieties is powerfully sweet. This bulb multiplies very freely outdoors. If yours came in a growing kit, keep watering the pot they are in until they finish blooming. The brighter the light you keep them in, the less floppy the leaves will be. After the Holidays, plant them in the ground. They’ll multiply freely in the sun or light shade and will increase for years.

A favorite of those plant bulb kits, these are popular gifts at this time of the year. Pet owners should be aware that these plants are toxic to pets, sometimes with severe symptoms. These would include gastrointestinal issues, heart problems, tremors and even convulsions. Poison Control classifies narcissus bulbs as “causing major toxicity.”

Azaleas (Rhododendron species) – Azaleas found in the nurseries and grocery stores at this time of the year are a little tender in our climate and might be damaged in freezing weather, unlike their hardier garden relatives. Typically, they are grown in soil with a large amount of peat moss, which makes it challenging to water them correctly. They are also usually incredibly root bound. It’s generally best to set them in a bowl to catch the water and help the plant keep itself hydrated. If you’re going to plant these in the garden, amend the soil heavily with a mix that is specifically for acid loving plants. Separate the roots well when planting to reduce that root bound condition. Water very carefully as you go into the warmer months and make sure to water the root ball very thoroughly about twice each week.

Azaleas are poisonous, no doubt about it. “Major toxicity,” were the words used by the representative at Poison Control. The foliage can also cause a rather unpleasant rash.

Yew – The leaves, seeds, bark and twigs of this evergreen can be toxic, causing breathing difficulties, uncontrollable trembling and vomiting.

Evergreen and/or Christmas trees – Evergreens are considered mildly toxic. Oils in evergreens can be irritating to the mouth and stomach, causing drooling or vomiting. Tree needles are not easily digested either and can cause vomiting, obstruction or puncture. Generally, the amount of trouble depends on how much is consumed. Many times, pets don’t consume mass quantities of tree materials. I have yet to witness a toddler gnawing on a Christmas tree, so I think we’re pretty safe in that area.

If a child or pet accidentally ingests these plants, consult a physician or veterinarian immediately. Do no induce vomiting without the advice of a doctor. If a plant containing corrosive juices has been eaten, vomiting can damage the digestive tract. The good folks at the Poison Control Center are there to help you if you need them at 1-800-222-1222.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Yikes! Christmas trees seem to fall from the heavens, before you’ve even had a chance to get your Thanksgiving turkey out of the oven! We were away for Thanksgiving and saw truckloads of them traveling around the Wednesday before!

Which type will grace your home this year? How do you choose? Fir and balsam and pine. Oh my. Here is some information to help you make that choice and to keep that fresh tree – and your home – safe during the Holidays.

The first thing I think about is how that tree looks. Aesthetics. Some evergreens hang out through the season better than others. Take a few minutes to consider your choice of tress before choosing the fattest or most fragrant.

What you’ll find out there as popular evergreens:

White Spruce – Similar to the Colorado Blue Spruce. These trees are pretty with a bluish green color. They are native to the Northern US. They hold their needles well but have a rather unpleasant odor when the needles are crushed. Not my first choice.

White Fir – You used to not be able to find White Fir as a Christmas tree, unless you cut your own. These are becoming more popular. They are a blue-green tree with needles around an inch and a half long. They smell great, hold their needles well and are very attractive.

White Pine – These are great trees if you have someone at home who may have an allergic reaction to the more strongly fragranced trees. White Pine has little to none on the fragrance scale. They’re getting harder to find since the tree farmers are having a time keeping them healthy. They are a very full tree.

Norway Spruce – A very pretty tree. Not so much in the area of needle retention.

Balsam or Canaan Fir – These are usually the most reasonable, cost wise and the most commonly found cut tree. They have a silvery cast to their dark green, short, flat needles. They are a long lasting tree and very fragrant, although that fades faster with this variety than with others.

Douglas Fir – Beautiful dark green-blue variety that holds it’s needles and is very fragrant.

Colorado Blue Spruce – The needles on this tree can be so stiff they scratch. If this is your choice, be careful when hauling that tree in from the car! They are beautiful, dark green to a powdery blue and hold their needles well. However, if you keep a warm house – look out! They’ll drop quicker from this type of tree than some of the others.

Scotch Pine – This is one of the most popular trees out there. The branches are stiff with dark green needles. These trees are sturdy, hold their needles for as long as four weeks and usually won’t even drop when they’re dry. Plus, they have a fabulous lasting fragrance.

A few things to consider before you drive off, single mindedly, to BRING HOME A TREE:

* Be sure you know how tall your ceiling is BEFORE you go shopping.
* Know WHERE you’re going to put that tree when you get it home. If one side is going to be against a wall, then – by all means – go for the one that looks incredible from over here, but not so much from over there.
* Be sure to bring a tape measure or yardstick with you.
* If you’re going to a tree farm, bring a few pieces of colored yarn with you to mark your possible choices while shopping the selection. Obviously, green is not a good choice and be sure to remove your markers when you leave.
* Make sure your green has a nice straight base, about 6 inches long, so you can make a fresh cut and still have room to put the tree in the stand.
* Make sure you bring something with you to tie your tree to your vehicle.

Once you get it home THE MOST IMPORTANT THING is to keep that tree watered. Seriously. Not watering it will cause it to dry out before it’s time and will make it a fire hazard. Cooler temperatures in your home will also cut back on needle loss. If your tree is going to stay outside for a bit, put it in a bucket of water.

I know this sounds silly, because we all want to put that tree right in our front windows for the whole world to see, but try to keep it away from direct sunlight and sources of heat. Don’t locate your tree over a heater vent if you can possibly avoid it. And putting it near the wood stove? Not a good idea.

If your tree is pre-cut, make a fresh cut at the bottom about one inch up. A nice, clean cut will help your tree absorb more water more readily. Fill the tree stand with lukewarm water after setting your tree in it.

In a heated room, a tree can absorb up to a quart of water a day. Check your tree AT LEAST daily and refill your tree stand often. If your tree loses 20% of it’s moisture content, it won’t recover.

Any tree will burn if it comes in contact with fire. Christmas trees become a fire hazard when their moisture content falls below 50%. That means your lights could set your tree on fire.

Don’t forget to recycle your cut tree. You could have it collected and converted to mulch. You could use it as a temporary bird refuge and feeder in your yard (be sure to take off the tinsel, if you used any). You could also cut off the branches and use them to protect perennials in your garden.
My personal preference in a Christmas tree: A LIVE one! You can plant that tree on your property after the Holidays are long gone.

Points to ponder:
What type of tree do you want on your property? Dwarf evergreens may be a better choice for a small yard. Maybe a yew, juniper or even a holly tree.
Mature size, color and texture.
Growth rate and mature height and width.
Firs are excellent cut trees, but might not like growing conditions in your yard.
Pines are good Christmas trees, but get really huge.
What grows well here? White and Scotch pines are nice, but White pines are currently suffering from decline. Norway Spruce might have issues with drying out while it’s in the house.
Don’t select the largest tree. Smaller trees should be in better proportion to the size of the root ball and stand a better chance of survival. Whatever variety you choose, consider trees recently dug, were container grown and they need to look healthy. A bargain leftover tree may be in a stressed condition and not recover.

Caring for your live tree:
* Store the tree in a cool area.
* Make sure the root ball does not dry out.
* Keep your live tree away from radiators, vents or fireplaces.
* Will do best at around 60 to 65 degrees.
* Keep your tree indoors for as brief a time as possible; generally not more than two weeks.

Digging the hole. The fun part, right? Riiiiight. Dig your hole ahead of time, if you can, otherwise you might be digging through snow and ice. The depth of the hole should be the measurement from the bottom of the root ball to the soil level. The width should be twice the size of the root ball. Place the soil you remove in a container or tarp and store it until you need it. Keep the hole mulched and covered so it doesn’t fill in or freeze. Do not add amendments only within the hole. This will not encourage the roots to reach out. If the soil in the area where you are planting is not fertile and well drained, amend an area about three times the size of the root ball in advance of planting. Plant the tree at the same depth of the container. Be sure to remove the burlap wrapping, if your tree has one. I know that sounds obvious; humor me. Try to gently loosen the outside roots and direct them outward. Refill the hole with the soil you removed and gently heel it in. Water thoroughly after planting and every month or so if the temperatures remain mild, if precipitation is light and especially if there is a thaw. Apply 3 to 6 inches of inches of mulch as a blanket for the rest of the winter season.

Remember the most important thing, the Spirit of the Season is not just for The Season.

And don’t forget to water that tree!

Caring for fruit trees and growing chrysanthemums

With so many of us growing apples in the Rogue Valley, I find some thoughts on caring for them not an unreasonable idea.

Apples require regular management for producing quality fruit. Early spring will be the time for such maintenance activities as pruning and the spraying of a variety of oils to control pests. I’ve included a non-toxic, friendlier recipe for dormant oil later in this article.

Many of the sources I’ve interviewed about dormant oil have told me that it only need be applied once. However, several orchardists I’ve spoken with at the extension office have advised two applications; once when all of the leaves have fallen (late November or early December) and again in early February before the buds begin to swell. I hear that in some instances, gardeners are successful with only one application during the period of early December through late January. If the infestation or disease was very bad during the previous season, two sprayings would be the best bet. There are more details on stone fruit trees later on.

Pruning your apple trees is an essential practice since trees that are regularly pruned show improved fruit quality and size and the tree itself will be stronger and better able to support a load of fruit. Pruned trees are easier to work with if you keep the size and shape of the tree in check. And lastly, apple trees that are pruned on a regular basis are far less likely to have as many pest issues as trees that do not get as much attention.

Dormant pruning can begin in February and should be completed around the first of April. Each tree is an individual, just like people, and not every tree can be pruned exactly the same way. The general rules of pruning are to remove all damaged or diseased branches. Cut out the water sprouts. These are the quick growing upright branches that will clog up the center of the tree. And last, remove the suckers that will spring up around the base of the trunk.

Many other plants benefit from dormant spraying. Aside from pest control, potentially deadly fungal infections can be kept in check with dormant spraying. Deciduous trees, shrubs and roses – especially if they experienced an infestation or disease during the prior year - would all benefit from dormant spray.

In the spring, stone fruit trees should be sprayed when the flower color begins to appear on the end of the buds. Apples should be sprayed when the green tips are clearly visible on the leaf buds. It’s a good idea to delay spraying pears until the blossom cluster starts to separate and the individual buds are visible. If your pear trees were sticky and turned black last summer, add Thiodan to the spray. The pear russet mite is much slower to develop and generally emerge from under the bud scales and other hiding places.

With fruit trees, it is vital that all insecticidal sprays be completed before any blossoms open. Once the blossoms open, honey bees start to visit the trees. Although most oils are not harmful to honey bees, some of the other products that are mixed in with the oils are fatal. With all of the concerns about hive collapse, everyone needs to be a little more focused on the honey bee. Remember, honey bees are responsible for pollination. No bees, no food.

Spray on a clear day when there is little or no breeze. The ideal temperature for spraying is between 40 and 70 degrees. The perfect day would be 55 degrees that would remain constant for 24 hours in order to get the oil to spread out to cover the tree or shrub and soak into all the crooks and crevices. Complete coverage is necessary for effective control of over wintering pests. Apply this spray with one of those pump sprayer things. For insect control, use Dormant Spray Oil, Volck Oil or the dormant oil I’ve listed here. These will smother insects and their eggs in the same places as fungus and their spores. You can also mix in some lime sulphur for excellent control of insects and disease. Organic gardeners generally use only the oil, but other gardeners have found that diazinon increases the effectiveness of the oil product. Because these are OIL based products, you need to shake, not stir them to make sure they are well blended.

It is essential that you always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations when using any chemical product. Limit your spraying to those trees, shrubs and plants that had issues last season. If your roses had curl or black spot or mildew last year, dormant spray would certainly help that. However, widespread spraying can have an adverse effect on many beneficial insects that reside in your yard and garden areas.

Always wear a mask when spraying your plants with chemicals. Never use a dormant oil on evergreens. The chemicals are much too strong and caustic, and the evergreens are far too fragile to be able to cope with them. Annuals growing near or under the plants being treated should be covered before spraying, lest they be destroyed.

Finally, fungus spores can also over winter in fallen leaves. Be sure to rake and dispose of leaves if you’ve had any kind of disease problem. Besides, it’s just a good preventative measure.

Most commercial dormant oil products are made with kerosene of other petroleum oil products. A much less toxic and more sustainable approach is to use a renewable resource such as vegetable oil.

Take a cup of vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons of liquid soap (I prefer Ivory for use in the garden) and a gallon of water. Combine the soap and oil and blend thoroughly. Add the water a bit at a time, stirring as you go. Since water and oil, don’t really blend, the soap helps with this process. Pour the mixture into a clean garden spray container. Be sure to shake the container frequently as you spray.

Mum’s the word…

In the fall garden, chrysanthemums are the big diva showoffs, blooming prolifically after other garden plants have given up for the season. Aside from their obvious beauty, chrysanthemum is a favorite ingredient in Chinese herbal teas. In fact, tea with mums has been used for centuries for warding off sore throats and helping people recover from the flu.

Once mums are established, they are fairly easy to care for. Apply a liquid fertilizer, like fish emulsion, when your mums are blooming every three weeks. Some gardeners treat mums as annuals and replace them year after year while others prune them back and let them rebloom as biennials. In the right climate, mums can even be perennials. Be sure to dead head the flowers as they become spent to encourage more blooms and do discourage seed growth. If you’re after seeds, remember that they are incredibly tiny and you will have some work ahead of you to separate the seed from the brown foliage.

Mums like full early sun; at least 5 hours daily. Mums are susceptible to mildew. Keeping the plants dry is a priority. They need lots of air circulation, drainage and morning sun to dry the dew from the leaves and the stems. Don’t plant in low-lying, we, compacted, or boxed-in areas with poor air circulation. Mums blooming occurs in response to shorter days and longer nights. Avoid planting near streetlights or other nighttime light sources. They like a soil pH or around 6.5. Mums are pretty tough and can thrive on their own. They do benefit however from light and frequent feeding with a balanced fertilizer during the growing season.

Under perfect conditions, mums should be planted in early spring, after the danger of freezing weather has passed. They can really be planted at any time, though, as long as the roots have at least six weeks to become established before exposure to extremes of either hot or freezing weather. Mums are available at garden centers in up to one gallon containers. Choose bushy plants with plenty of leafy stems branching out at the base.

When planting, be sure to dig a hole at least twice the size of the root ball. Incorporate plenty of compost to help with drainage. Plant the mums at exactly the same depth they were in the pot to avoid water collection around the stems. Larger plants will require support structures and try not to walk in the mum beds to avoid compacting the soil.

Once you get them growing well, there’s not much you can do to stop them. To keep them looking great through the growth and bloom seasons, you’ll need to do some pruning. When they are done blooming in the fall, you should cut them back to 8 to 10 inches of the soil surfaces. Then in the early spring when growth starts again for the season, do another shearing. This will encourage lovely bushy full growth. Not pruning will give you leggy, floppy mums. As the season progresses, pinching off the tips of all the growing stems will promote side branches, fullness of growth and more blooms in the fall. As a general rule of thumb, stop pinching mums expected to produce large flowers around mid-July. Smaller types can be pinched until mid-August. Pinching after these dates will mean that you’re removing the developing flower buds.

Now that daylight has lessened and fall has settled in, these usually retiring plants will often take command of the garden and bloom into full glory. What a way to say goodbye to the growing season with one of the most popular perennials in the world!

Three Sisters & Squill (No, that's not a circus act...)

I know that we’re in the middle of fall, coming up on winter, the morning fogs make you feel like you’re a’wanderin’ the moors of Scotland and the damp seeps into your very bones. But what can it hurt to think ahead? I even thought (yeah, it does happen from time to time) that a gardener could make the mounds for the Three Sisters using the lasagna gardening technique over the winter so that they’d be ready when time came to plant in the late spring. If you’re going to try this, space your mounds three to four feet apart. They don’t have to be round, either; you could make them square. I’m thinking of doing mine the size of a sheet of newspaper, since I’ll be using that as some of the layers.

The Three Sisters are the three main agricultural crops of some Native American groups in North America: squash, maize, and climbing beans. In one technique known as companion planting, the three crops are planted close together. Flat-topped mounds of soil are built for each cluster of crops. Each mound is about one foot high and 2 feet wide, and several maize seeds are planted close together in the center of each mound. In parts of the Atlantic Northeast, rotten fish are buried in the mound with the maize seeds, to act as additional fertilizer where the soil is poor. When the maize is about six inches tall, beans and squash are planted around the maize.

The three crops benefit from each other. The maize provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles. The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants utilize and the squash spreads along the ground, monopolizing the sunlight to prevent weeds. The squash leaves act as a "living mulch," creating a microclimate to retain moisture, and the prickly hairs of the vine deter pests.

So, this is how to do this…

In May or June, when the soil has warmed, either make your mounds or have your lasagna mounds ready, and plant eight to ten corn kernels in the center top of your mound. Water them well and tamp the soil down firmly so that they don’t wash away the next time it rains.

Since all corn grows on good, strong stalks, the variety you choose is entirely your choice, based on what you want from your corn. I like those super sweet bi-color varieties, but I’ve heard that the extra-long eared white Silver Princess is very flavorful as well.

About two weeks later, when your corn reaches about six inches high, plant your bean seeds – 8 to 12 of them - around the flat top of your mound. Push the seeds deep into the soil. Obviously, if we’re wanting those beans to use the corn stalks for support, we’d better be planting pole beans! The Park Company has a couple of varieties that I like; Smeraldo is a flat-pod pole bean that tastes great and is lovely in minestrone. Pods can grow up to 10 inches long on 4 to 6 foot vines. The other one is a super early variety called Kwintus that is stringless. Of course, there is the classic Blue Lake that is stringless and even available in organic seed form.
One week or so after you plant the beans, you’ll be planting your squash. Plant these on flat ground. You can go all the way around the mound or just in the direction where you have the most room. Six to eight seeds in a ring around the base of the mound is usually plenty. The traditional squash to plant is pumpkin, but you should go with what you like – patty pan, crookneck or zucchini are all great.

When everything begins growing, you should thin your corn plants down to the five strongest, with no more than two bean plants per stalk. You’ll need to help the beans get started growing up the stalks with some gentle guidance. The squash is going to do what squash does which is to take up every available bit of space…no, wait, let me rephrase that…The squash can be thinned down to what you expect to consume, donate to the hungry and simply give away and how much walking space you need in your garden.

Three sisters is fun, it looks cool and it’s a great way to try out lasagna gardening to see it that technique is for you.

The long and short of squill – This delicate in appearance plant is actually one of the hardiest bulbs around, self-seeding and naturalizing in vast colonies if left undisturbed over time. It doesn’t get any taller than about 6 inches, but the gorgeous blue color of the blooms packs a quite a bit of impact if planted in large numbers. Squill has the added bonus of being repellant to moles and other burrowing vermin, er, critters. They’re super easy to grow, come in white and double flowering varieties, in addition to the blue and I hear the deer won’t touch ‘em. Plant them three inches deep and four inches apart in well-drained soil in the fall (right now!) and plant them everywhere.

Giant white squill is a winter growing plant. Leave first appear in November as a green spike. In December, the spike starts to open with many leaves. By mid-spring, the plant – grown from a bulb the size of a child’s head in most cases – will stand around three feet tall and three feet high. When the temperatures start to rise, the foliage starts to fade. Once the leaves are dry, remove them so they don’t interfere with the blooming process. Don’t cut them off either though because the bulb needs them. Leave the bulb as dry as possible for about a month in either June or July.

Shallow irrigation during the summer will encourage and enhance the flowering process. One bulb produces one flower, but WHAT A FLOWER! Flowering occurs in August or September and will appear from the bulb about the size of your little finger. From there, this flower stalk is going to grow to around FIVE FEET in less than a month. The hotter it is, the faster it grows. These stalks can grow two to three inches a day. When the stalk reaches about 80% of its height, florets will start to open from the bottom. If you’re going to cut the stalk and bring it in the house, this is the time to do it. You’ll need a taller, heavy vase for this. Each day, another two to three inches of florets will open, ending up with a mass of tiny white flowers over a ten day period. Staggering the water in the summer can extend the flowering period between bulbs.

After you cut the stalk, it will continue to grow six to eight inches after it is cut. As a response to it’s own weight, it will twist and turn and present a truly unique cut flower centerpiece for your holiday parties.

For information on where to find giant squill OR if you have a suggestion for something you’d like to read about, send an email to thegardengrrl@gmail.com.

A fungus among us or Growing Your Own Mushrooms

Actually, I just like saying, "There's a fungus among us!" It's fun, it rolls off the tongue really well and I get a kick out of chasing my kids around saying it. Admittedly, we are more than a little weird.

In Asia, folks have been growing their own mushrooms for more than 1,000 years. It’s catching on in North America as well. Long associated with witches or hallucinogenic drugs, growing your own mushrooms has culinary mavens sprouting their own on this side of the globe as never before. As with the gardens we grow, this is all about producing a superior fresh food.

The easiest way to start with growing your own mushrooms is with a kit. Since fall is here and winter not far behind, this is a wonderful tabletop project. Depending on the kit you choose, you can grow a number of kinds of mushrooms in a few weeks. The popular ones are oysters, shitake and a variety of button mushrooms. Once you’ve mastered growing with the kit, you can take that knowledge and go to a larger outdoor project, like growing shitake on an old oak log. You can even introduce some varieties to old compost heaps or shady areas of your garden where they can do their own thing pretty much unsupervised. Success with these friendlier species can lead to trying your hand with the more exotic ones – black poplars, morels or chanterelles.

An expert from the University of Wisconsin tells us that mushroom growing is “more art than science.” It involves a lot of watching, tinkering and figuring out what works. Mushrooms may be slower to fruit than most veggies, but once you find a site that works for them, they will stick around for a while – often for years.

The best part? You can start with a mushroom kit right away, grow it indoors and use the leftovers (the spores) to start a colony outside later on. The founder of Fungi Perfecti of Olympia, Washington tells us that “mushroom mycelium is hungry.” It wants to grow and multiply. A good strain of mushrooms will keep going and going if presented with favorable conditions.

Mushrooms are actually fungus and grow much differently from plants. They start out life as dusty little spores released from other mushrooms. Mushrooms spend much of their lifecycle as mycelium – fibers that utilize enzymes to attach to wood or other appropriate organic materials. Mushrooms are pretty much the opposite of plants. “Reverse photosynthesis”, says Paul Staments of Fungi Perfecti. “Mushrooms take in carbon and consume oxygen, whereas plants consume carbon dioxide and produce carbon and oxygen.” Wood, being high in carbon, is a perfect anchor for culinary mushrooms since it breaks down so slowly. Staments further states that “Fungi govern the decomposition cycles and make it possible for natural biological systems to operate. They are tremendous allies for the health of people and the planet.”

Of the thousands of mushrooms on planet Earth, only around 250 are considered “safe to eat”. Most of these are impossible to grow at home and have to be found in the wild, rather than cultivated in the basement. With the right ingredients – a strong strain of mushroom suitable to our area, a good place to feed, a moist and shady place to live, water and the right temperature – anyone can produce mushrooms superior to those available commercially. Fresh is always best.

Barbara Pleasant, of Mother Earth News, offers some helpful information on mushrooms:

“The easiest culinary mushrooms to grow at home are oysters, shiitake, wine caps and portobellos, but many more possibilities exist.”

Oysters: Are very mild in flavor and texture which makes them difficult to ship due to breakage and flavor change. These are delicious sautéed. In their natural habitat, oysters like newly dead trees like cottonwood or poplar. They grow fast and are versatile and will grow on straw or sawdust that has reached the right level of decomposition. Kits for oysters are generally a sticky mass of mycelium that has been introduced (or inoculated) onto a bundle of straw and enclosed in a perforated plastic bag. Keep it moist and humid and you have a gang of oysters in no time. When you’re done with your kit, take what’s leftover, mix it with damp sawdust, coffee grounds and some straw, fill some paper milk cartons poked full of holes and put THOSE into some plastic bags in a dark corner of the garage. Keep them moist and in a few months, you should be flush with mushrooms. Something else you could try would be a section of an oak log, with large holes drilled into the trunk and stuffed with the mycelium mixture above. Remember, oysters really want to grow on trees – that’s their natural habitat. Oysters kept outside will fruit from mid-spring to early summer and again in the fall.

Shiitake – are smoky in flavor and dense and meaty in texture. They are particularly well suited for cooking in stronger flavored dishes. You can dry them as well and keep them sealed in your Food Saver bags for use later. These mushrooms really prefer growing on a log and they seem to taste better. The growing logs are also an attractive feature to have around. Stack your inoculated logs into a tipi shape. An ideal log for inoculating shiitake is 40 inches long (they like oak the best) and 4 to 6 inches around. If you can get them at the right time – late winter or spring – when the natural sugars are at their highest and the bark left intact – so much the better. You can purchase plugs of spawn from several sources (more on that later). Drill 1 inch deep holes 5 inches apart all around the log. Insert the plugs into the holes. Cap the holes with a thin coating of melted paraffin to keep the plugs moist. Stack your logs in a shady place and water them heavily twice a week.

It is said that one whole summer must pass before the logs produce mushrooms. If you inoculate your loges in the spring, you have to soak them in water for 24 hours to get them to produce. If you have a pond or creek on your property, you can tie the logs to a block and sink them for 24 hours. If we’re lucky – like right now – and get a nice, soaking rain that will take care of things just so, and in a few days after the soaking, mushrooms will appear. If you rotate your logs during dry times in the 24 hour soakings, followed by six weeks of resting, you should have daily harvests of shiitake.

If you happen to have a home woodlot on your property, you can use the stumps for inoculation. Another method I’ve seen is to take slices of fresh hardwood logs, six inches thick, and build a totem pole with sawdust inoculated spawn in between each layer. Wet it down thoroughly, cover it in plastic sheeting or a trash bag and eventually, you’ll get mushrooms.

Wine caps: You can grow these right in your garden, just like a regular veggie crop! They can grow just about anywhere from garden soil to piles of wood ships to a compost heap. Little wine caps, grown in the shade, are a lovely red-wine color, but fade out to beige in brighter light. Give it a head start indoors with a kit or patch. Grow your mycelium at room temperature for a few weeks, then plant chunks of it wherever you want the mushrooms to grow after the soil temperature has reached 50 to 60 degrees. Be sure to harvest these mushrooms early – when they are buttons – so that your soil community of insects doesn’t beat you to the punch.

Other kinds of mushrooms – You can grow your own button mushrooms indoors – including the common white buttons and the more flavorful criminis (baby Portobello). This means your mushrooms are ORGANIC! Most commercial grower use pesticides. A kit for these types of mushrooms will give you your first crop within three weeks of starting it and should produce for around eight weeks. When the kit is done, use the leftovers to enrich your garden soil. It’s possible that a mushroom or two from this kit will pop up in your garden, but not likely. These types of mushroom need live compost to grow and it is quite labor intensive to produce the right environment.

Mushrooms are very low in calories, with very little fat and cholesterol. Five mushrooms contain 2 grams of protein, almost as much potassium as a banana and three important B vitamins. They are also a good source of selenium, which is usually found in meat and is in short supply in most vegetarian diets.

This is a fun and rewarding activity that is beneficial to your health, your diet and your general well being. It is also something that will make winter seem not quite so long, while you’re waiting for the gardening catalogs to show up!

Here are some reliable sources for kits, supplies and information:

Fungi Perfecti, Postal Box 7634, Olympia, Washington 98507

Mushroom Adventures, 355 Serrano Drive, Suite 9J, San Francisco, California 94132

Garden City Fungi, Postal Box 1591, Missoula, Montana 59806

Mushroompeople, 560 Farm Road, Postal Box 220, Summertown, Tennessee 28483

As The Growing Season Slows To A Crawl...

A whole new crop of chores springs up.

One of those is pruning your fruit trees and getting them ready for their coat of dormant oil spray. I have little knowledge about pruning fruit trees, but I have a friend that owns an apple and peach orchard. It is my understanding that when an apple tree is pruned, the bottom four limbs should form 90-degree angles and be approximately 2 feet off the ground. This allows the "picker" to walk into the center of the tree and allows for the maximum number of major limbs coming off the trunk.A second factor concerns the "height of the tree". When a trunk or limb is trimmed on the end, its "length" stops growing. The trunk/limb will start to form "outward shoots". I am told that the "ideal tree" will not be taller than the pickers highest reach. Instead, the tree is encouraged to grow outward until its limbs can support the total production desired... Ideally, the apple tree should produce FOUR bushels of apples per tree. The idea behind pruning fruit trees is to allow the apple to grow to maximum size without stunting production. Since apples are produced upon "2nd year" and older limbs, this would involve pruning the unnecessary "new sprouts" and removing the older limbs that are "too close together" and/or showing signs of damage. This allows the tree to direct its energy into fewer limbs, making the apples grow larger and maintaining the desired production. I guess it all boils down to this. You want a short, fat tree with relatively few healthy, stout limbs and limited offshoots to produce the apples. More limbs are not necessarily better.

Hydrangeas – I love hydrangeas. Absolutely love them. Bigleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, also called French, Japanese or Snowball hydrangea, is found in the yards of homes all over the Rogue Valley. We also find them in grocery stores, wrapped in brightly colored foil or cellophane with big bows on them. More about those later.

Hydrangeas like sun in the morning, shade in the afternoon and moist, well-drained soil. They are more sensitive to frost that some other plants. Damage to the buds occurring in winter and late spring can be avoided by covering the plant with and old sheet or blanket or a large cardboard box when temps drop past freezing. Hydrangeas are excellent patio plants and do very well in containers. You can move the containers indoors on very cold nights.

When planting hydrangeas, prepare the soil in a very wide area. Hydrangea should have a whopping 50 pounds of composted organic matter per ten square feet and that should be incorporated into the top foot of the soil with a shovel. Organic matter holds nutrients and water in the soil and helps prevent the stress that occurs in fluctuations in soil moisture.

Science tells us that the actual mechanism that determines color variation in hydrangeas is due to the presence or absence of aluminum compounds in the flower. If the plant has aluminum, the color is blue. If the quantities are smaller the color is somewhere in between. If it is absent, the flowers are pink. When your soil is more acidic, aluminum is generally more available to the roots and your blooms will be blue. When your soil is more alkaline, aluminum availability is decreased and your blooms will be pink. To change you blooms from pink to blue, you can broadcast ½ cup of wettable sulfur per 10 square feet and water it in. To make the flowers pink, broadcast on cup of dolomitic lime per 10 square feet and water that into the soil. Both of these treatments can take up to a year to see a noticeable difference. A quicker way to achieve these changes is through a liquid drench. To make your blooms bluer during the growing season, dissolve one tablespoon of alum in a gallon of water and drench the soil around the plant in March, April and May. To make the blooms pink, dissolve one tablespoon of hydrated lime in a gallon of water and drench the soil around the plant during the same months as above. White, cream or those lovely green hydrangeas don’t generally change color no matter what you put on them.

Occasionally, hydrangeas will fail to bloom. If this happens, there could be a number of reasons why. Frost damage to the flower buds or pruning in the late summer where you may have actually cut off the forming buds is the most common reasons. If your hydrangea is planted in shade, which is too deep, it won’t bloom. If your fertilizer is too high in nitrogen, bloom will be affected. And, finally, your plant may simply not be old enough.

Let’s talk a bit about “gift” hydrangeas. Hydrangeas that come wrapped in colorful foil are beautiful. There are, however, pitfalls that come with these plants.

The most prevalent problem comes from trying to water them properly. Most of the “gift” hydrangeas you purchase are already root bound when you bring them home. The roots have so overgrown their pot that they dry out and the plant wilts much more quickly than we think it should. So we water it. This fills up the foil around the pot and can lead to root rot. Root rot causes the plant to wilt and we wind up thinking we haven’t watered it enough, so we give it more as the health of the plant deteriorates.

Let’s say that we’ve done all the right things with our “gift” hydrangea. We got it out of its foil wrapper, it’s gorgeous, it’s been watered as it should have, and it’s gotten plenty of light. Now we can take it outside and plonk it into a hole in the ground, right? Maybe not.

These hydrangeas have been grown in a greenhouse and have been bred specifically to produce a ton of blooms in a frost-free environment. The producers of these plants don’t really care if the plant lives 25 years; they are only concerned with lots of blooms. You may or may not get a plant that will survive in your garden. If you like a challenge, it’s worth a try. The results are less predictable if the hydrangea you’re putting in your garden came with a bow versus one that was born and bred for the garden.

Either way, the best time to plant hydrangeas is mid to late spring, when the chances of frost are negligible.

Old, established hydrangeas can be divided in the early spring by digging them up and dividing the clump with a shovel, much as you would divide a perennial. This way, several plants can be obtained from one mature clump. Be sure you water the plants very well and keep watering all summer. Perhaps you have a friend with some gorgeous hydrangeas who could use the help in dividing them and maybe will give you one or two in exchange.

Something Old, Something New

Frequently, we get very wrapped up in seeking out the next “new” and “cool” thing. Sometimes, it’s better to take a step back and check out some of the “old” things that we’ve forgotten, taken for granted or never even knew about.

Take lungwort for example. Not such a great name, eh? Lungwort is a flowering plant of the Pulmonaria genus and is native to Canada, Europe and Western Asia. There are a bunch of varieties and many of them do well in several different zones, including the multi-zoned Rogue Valley. Common names for Lungwort are Soldiers and Sailors, Spotted Dog, Jerusalem Cowslip or Bethlehem Sage.

This plant grows from a rhizome and has been used for centuries for it’s medicinal properties. Due to the shape of its leaves resembling a lung, the plant was used to treat a variety of lung ailments. Of course, the Center for Disease Control finds no scientific proof that lungwort is in any way beneficial to those with lung ailments.

Lungwort is a smaller plant that grows to approximately one foot in height. The growth is in close set bunches of speckled, deep green spear shaped leaves resembling the shape of a lung. The leave can be either slightly bristly or have soft hairs on them. It also has hairy stems without branches that are topped with blossoms. Some lungwort plants appear to have blossoms of both pink and blue at the same time, however it’s been found that the blooms start out pink and deepen into blue violet as they age. They’re quite a lovely perennial to have around the garden.

Lungwort likes partial shade and should be planted around 18 inches apart to give them enough space for sprawling. Lungwort also like a fairly rich soil, likes to be kept moist, doesn’t like wet feet – so good drainage is a must and blooms in the early spring. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the lovely blooms.

Most gardeners purchase their plants from the nursery to ensure they’re getting the colors they desire. Pruning is vital for lungwort. Trim off those old browning leaves to allow for fresh to emerge. Trim the stems after the flowers are done blooming, not just dead-heading. Cut them at the base of the stem but be aware to not cut into the main plant stalk. Lungwort needs lots of water, even in average garden conditions. I would grow it in containers on the patio, keep it watered regularly and enjoy the color. It’s a good idea to mulch lungwort in the fall and helpful to apply a thin layer of organic fertilizer in the spring. This plant is somewhat delicate, so be mindful to keep the fertilizer from being directly applied to the plant and only to the surrounding soil.

Lungwort is a lovely addition to the garden, especially if you’re planning on attracting butterflies, bees and hummers. With only a little effort, all can enjoy it. It is also a way to step back and embrace something old from another time.

Since we’re still looking back, let’s look at another old favorite – the snowdrop. While we don’t have snow on the ground yet, we have had our first spotty frosts, so we know it’s only a matter of time. For many gardeners, the first snowdrops herald the beginning of a new flowering season. If you don’t already grow these delightful bulbs, think about it. They are both whimsical and charming.

Snowdrops are one of the first bulbs to bloom in your garden, right alongside the crocus. They are small and not particularly glamorous, but they do make a nice foil for the more brilliantly hued crocus.

Snowdrops belong to the genus Galanthus that comes from the Greek gala (milk) and anthos (flower), so the literal translation is Milk Flower. Our name for them – Snowdrop – comes from the German “schneetropfen”.

There are a number of varieties of snowdrops. Relateivs of the daffodil, these small bulbs also closely resemble a daffodil bulb in appearance. Most winter/spring flowering bulbs actually like drying out over the summer. Not Snowdrop. They prefer relatively moist soil. This translates to a relatively short shelf life at the nursery center. If you’re buying your snowdrops at the garden center, bring them home and plant them immediately or your bulbs will shrivel. Once they get established in your garden, they maintain an active root system year around.

I think since snowdrops are so closely related to daffodils could be the reason that they are one of the best choices for naturalizing in lawns and among shrubs. Plant them in clusters in a sunny or partly shaded location, about 2” apart and about 2” deep. You can transplant them if you choose and are best moved while in leaf rather than waiting until the leaves fade. Like daffodils, they do not appear to be attractive to rabbits and deer.

The most frequently grown species is the common snowdrop (G. nivalis). Depending on where you are, they may bloom from January into April. You will often note the first appearance of snowdrops within days of the last snows of winter. Snowdrops are quite hardy and face late frosts and snow with valiance.

And now for something completely different….

Raspberry jam from green tomatoes. Really? I know what you’re thinking and, while I may be certifiable in just about every other area in life, this is not one of them. Jill Nicolaus from Dave’s Garden has provided the method and it’ll give you something entertaining to do with those last green tomatoes.

I’m sure that, with the recent threats of frost, you fled to the garden to save those last tomatoes. Maybe you’ve got some set aside to slowly ripen. Maybe you’ve been making fried green tomatoes, green tomato chutney and green tomato pickles. Run out of ideas? Round up your kids or grandkids – it’s time for something totally fun!

This jam is perfect to make with kids. Three ingredients, no canning – just some chopping and stovetop cooking. Be sure to gauge how much help your helpers are going to require. Move a chair or step stool to the stove so they can reach for stirring.

Admittedly, “red raspberry” jam from green tomatoes likely won’t bring home a blue ribbon from the county fair compared to Mrs. Nesbit’s very best quality raspberry preserves. However, the seeds give it an authentic look and the tang of the green tomatoes makes a nice counter to the sweetness. A recipe attributed to Southern Living magazine reduces the amount of sugar to 1-1/2 cups and increases the amount of tomato to 2-1/2 cups. I’ve heard that you can add a packet of unsweetened raspberry Kool Aid drink mix for extra zing. For us, that red dye could be an issue, but moderation in all things is the key!

There’s an entertainment factor of epic proportion by transforming green tomatoes into something that tastes and looks like red raspberries. Imagine the kick you and the kids will get out of revealing the “secret” of your homemade “raspberry” jam. Imagine the kids giggling themselves silly attempting to explain to their dad that he’s just eaten a peanut butter and tomato sandwich! Whether or not you have kids to help you, give this recipe a try. Faux food recipes are not only tasty, but they’re really amusing to serve to unsuspecting guests. You Red Hat Ladies – whip some of this “jam” up for one of your teas. After all, it’s the right color!

Green Tomato “Raspberry” Jam

2 cups minced green tomatoes
2 cups sugar
1 – 3 oz. Package red raspberry gelatin

Wash and stem or core the tomatoes and remove any bad spots. Then dice or shred the tomatoes. A food processor to roughly mince them also works well.

Put the tomatoes and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil to dissolve the sugar and reduce the heat. Simmer 20 minutes. If you diced the tomatoes, cook them long enough so that they don’t look chunky anymore.

Add the raspberry gelatin and bring to a boil. Now the jam is ready to be poured into clean jars. This is not a shelf-stable recipe and you have to store it in the refrigerator or freezer. This recipe makes about a pint and you can totally double it if you wish.

One last thing…

With the current financial situation that exists in this country, the prices of food are going to continue to rise. Hunger is going to be a problem that is very likely already touching every community. The national statistic is that one in four children goes to bed hungry EVERY NIGHT! I don’t know that there is a food pantry program in my town; I haven’t honestly researched it. I know I didn’t have any place to take my kid’s out-grown clothes that would directly and immediately benefit my own community. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was no food pantry program to benefit our community’s immediate needs.

I’ve heard from folks who participate in the Plant A Row campaign that pantry programs are grateful for everything they can get. Maybe we should consider some other kinds of fruits and vegetables other than the summer standards of tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squash. I imagine that salad greens, spinach, green beans, carrots and new potatoes would be particularly welcome.

This spring, why not plant an extra row in your garden to help produce some nutritious food for those in our community who cannot provide for themselves or their kids? I’m sure there are folks around my local community center who know people who are struggling. If you attend, ask at your church – or better yet – ask why your church doesn’t have a community outreach to feed and clothe those who are struggling with this economy and unemployment situation. Aren't churches supposed to be about doing unto others? If they can send bibles to Mexico and missionaries to Kyrgystan, surely they can help feed and clothe some struggling families right here at home!

We could wait for the government to straighten things out. Right. Sure. I’ll be waiting for that – holding my breath – cause I look so good in blue.

Many pantries and food programs work with the “Plant A Row for the Hungry” campaign of the Garden Writers Association. This helps raise awareness of the need for donations of fresh produce. The Plant A Row campaign was born from one member’s realization that if every gardener would plant just one extra row of vegetables, hunger could be greatly alleviated and those who are struggling would have access to fresh food that they might otherwise not be able to afford. The difficulties many are experiencing are not going to go away overnight. Consider planting a little more than you need; an extra row of bush beans or carrots. We don’t have an active Plant A Row campaign here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t help out. Or even start one. I challenge every gardener this spring to give something back in the form of garden surplus and I challenge every church to identify families and seniors who would benefit from that surplus. In times like these, we have to take care of each other in every way that we can. Isn’t it just the right thing to do?

Meanderings...

I guess even garden girls can suffer from writer’s block. While I really love the rain and the cooler weather, it’s does rather put a bit of a cramp in the inspiration one has for digging in the dirt and watching things grow since all of that gets curtailed with this weather change. Bear with me while I meander around, hoping to provide you with something worth your time to read…

First off, October 12 has been tagged as “International Scream of Frustration Day.” Might be a useful bit of information, if your life has been going anything like mine. October also happens to be Spinach Lover’s Month, Vegetarian Month and Celebrate Sun-Dried Tomatoes Month.

Since we’ve arrived at autumn, many of you have tomato plants that are on their last legs. We don’t want to waste those last ‘maters, but what to do? Sun dried tomatoes are not only tasty and dense in nutrients, but are easy to prepare as well. Anyone who has purchased these from the stores knows that they aren’t exactly cheap.

Here’s the quick way (OK – so they aren’t “technically” SUN-dried) to make sun-dried tomatoes in your oven. Roma tomatoes are really the best for drying because they are more solid and have less seeds than other varieties. You can totally use any of your favorite homegrown beauties.

First, cut off the stems. Then, cut your ‘maters in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Put them on a cake rack on a baking sheet with the skin side down and sprinkle them with salt and pepper, if you wish. Bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for 8 to 12 hours. Whatever you do, don’t leave them unattended. Check on them to make sure they’re not turning into crispy critters. They should be shriveled up but still soft, like raisins.

Once they’re cool, pack them in freezer bags and store them in the freezer for up to a year. If you’ve got a Food Saver or Seal-A-Meal gadget, vacuum pack them. You might also want to store some in the fridge, packed in good quality olive oil with some minced garlic, fresh thyme or basil. Packed in oil, they’ll be good for around 3 months.

If you happen to have one of those stackable food dehydrators, then you’re way ahead of us – certainly light years ahead of me – and don’t need any of these instructions.

Last week I mentioned botanical or “species” tulips. Lots of folks view the tulip as the Queen of the spring blooming bulbs (I like fritillaries, but I digress). A hundred years or so of hybridizing has given us as many hybrids as there are years of the process. We’re not talking about those.

In the wild, 100 or so species of tulips occur. These are not native to Holland, as most people think – they are native to the Eastern Mediterranean, Asia Minor and other points east. These climates are cool and wet in the winter and baking dry and hot in the summer. (Gee, sound just like the Rogue Valley!) In most gardens, we don’t have those kinds of conditions, so those tulips that want the baking summers are not generally or easily found. There are, however, enough botanical types available for us to explore and be quite pleased with.

The botanicals are somewhat shorter than the classic Dutch tulip and usually live longer. They are best planted in groups of 5 or 7 and look great in rock gardens or in the front of border plantings.

The earliest of the botanicals to bloom are known as water-lily tulips (t. kaufmanniana). The popular hybrids of this botanical are ‘Ancilla’, ‘Concerto’, ‘Fashion’, ‘Heart’s Delight’ and ‘Stresa’ and run from white and cream to red and bright yellow.

T. greigii, another botanical, bears blooms that are quite large in relation to this size of the plant. The wild version of this tulip bear Vermillion-red blooms, but the modern hybrids boast blends of red, orange and yellow. They are quite striking.

Emperor tulips (t. fosteriana) are very popular and most closely resemble the classic tulip except that their blooms are more elongated. Emperor hybrids come in the color range from white to red and variegated. All three of the tulips described above bloom just before the standard tulips.

True species tulips range from easy to grow to…um…royal pains…er…rather challenging. A couple of the qualities of species tulips that I really like are that they seem to multiply rather quickly through bulblets and seed. Also, the bulbs produce clusters of two to five blooms! Definitely more bang for your buck! T. Turkestanica produces lovely star-shaped flowers in clusters of up to 12! How cool is that? The colors…well, they are generally pretty vibrant and unique in their combinations. Fluorescent orange, orange-red with white variegation, magenta-pink or red-orange with blue centers.

While the botanicals are not as classic in appearance as the hybrids of today, they are certainly unique and worth a look and a go.

October 21st is Apple Tuesday. In 1905, the New York Fruit Growers Association tried to get the 3rd Tuesday in October set up as a national holiday in the hope that every American would eat at least one apple on that day. Well, it didn’t work out that way, but it should have! Support your local grower on that day, or better yet…plant an apple tree of your own!

Really, the best apples are the ones you pick yourself, right off of the tree. The question I hear a lot is, “How do you know when they’re ripe?” Well, if it’s a red or pink variety, it’s pretty easy to tell. Some stay green or yellow, so color isn’t always a reliable indicator.

Lois Tilton tells us that observing the seed development is a very reliable method. Check the progress of the apples and look for changes in color. Nearly ripe apples are tart, but edible and the seeds are white. When the seeds start to turn dark, they are almost ready and when they are completely dark, it’s time to start picking. Also, if you can lift an apple off of the tree without pulling hard or twisting it off, that’s ready to pick.

When you’ve picked your apples, be gentle with them. Don’t plunk them into a bucket or sack. Ripe apples are easily bruised and bruised apples may rot.

These days, most of us grow dwarf fruit trees so we can get to the fruit without a skyhook and a trampoline. However, even these trees can grow taller than you expect. If your apples are growing out of reach, a stepladder is useful. For heaven’s sake, don’t stand on tippy toes on the top of the ladder to reach that one apple – usually the most attractive one on the entire tree – that hangs just…out…of…reach. We don’t want to be reading about you in the fire calls, with an apple induced broken arm. It is frustrating to see your fruit so high up in the tree and sometimes entirely out of reach. The solution may be to prune back the tree instead of climbing higher. Be safe and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Anyone interested in a very simple apple crisp, cooked in the crock pot, can email to thegardengrrl@gmail.com, with APPLE CRISP in the subject line. This recipe is simple, super tasty and makes your house smell divine.

Fall Bulbs For Spring Blooms!

There are few things that you can plant in your garden that give as much as spring-blooming bulbs. They truly are the earliest show offs of the year and come in such a wide variety of types and colors, most gardeners can’t resist putting some in. Of course, some of us – who have invited and welcomed in the neighborhood deer – will not have tulips but rather a very nice display of leaves and blossomless stems. “They are bold, those deer!” – says the gardener who recently had a deer ON HER FRONT PORCH, snacking on a Tropicana potted rose. But I digress…this is about bulbs; not deer.

Nurseries and garden centers generally have a good selection of bulbs, but you’ve got to hit the stores at the right time or the supplies will have dwindled rapidly. You’ve got to get there early, well before it’s time to plant. In this case, the early bird gets the fritillaria. Then you’ll have to hold over those bulbs until the right time to plant. They need to be stored in a cool, dry place. If you’re going to have them for a month before planting, the refrigerator would be a good place to ensure that they’ve gotten their “chill on.”

Paul James, of DIY’s Gardening By The Yard, tells us, “I like more choices and I don’t like risking storing the bulbs. I prefer to order mine. There are literally dozens of catalogs and online sources for doing just that. Many offer varieties that you won’t find in stores and they’ll ship the bulbs to you when it’s time to plant them in your area.”

Two online sources I like are www.tulipworld.com and www.bloomingbulbs.com. Each also offers a paper catalog. I love gardening catalogs. Much more than surfing a website.

If you’re doing mail-order, plant your bulbs immediately, if possible. If you can’t plant right away, it’s best to open the boxes and bags and allow air to circulate around the bulbs.

Most bulbs are sun-lovers, although Spanish bluebells prefer the shade. Early bloomers, such as crocus, do best beneath leaf bearing trees since they bloom long before the trees fill in with leaves. Generally, plant your bulb in a location that gets at least six hours of sunlight a day.

Paul James suggests a planting technique using a mattock. Wikipedia tells us that a mattock is a hand tool similar to a pick axe. It is distinguished by the head, which makes it particularly suitable for digging or breaking up moderately hard ground. A mattock has a broad chisel-like blade perpendicular to the handle. This broad-bladed end is effectively an adze that could be used as a hoe as well. The reverse may have a pointed end, in which case the tool is called a pick mattock, or instead have an axe-like splitting end, then it is a cutter mattock. In some regions of the southern USA, the mattock is called a "grub hoe" or "grub axe". Stab the mattock into the ground and pull back the soil to create a hole for the bulb. In the event that your bulbs did not come with planting instructions, the general rule of thumb is to plant the bulb three to four times deep as the bulb is tall.

When you plant your bulbs, plant the taller ones – like gladiolus – in the back and the ones with the smaller, low growing blossoms in the front. If you’re adding bulbs to an already existing bed, plant in groups of threes and fives to produce the appearance of lushness as if those plants have always grown there.
And WHEN really is the question, isn’t it? It’s really better to get your crocus and Madonna lilies in the ground around mid-September along with daffodils and the larger flowering hyacinths. This month is great for crocus, tulips, grape hyacinth, fritillaria, alliums, snowdrops, scillia and squill. Don’t forget that squill has the added benefit of being repellent to burrowing critters. Also, irises should go in the ground now.
If you’re working a whole new bed, spade up the area, work in a 10-10-10 fertilizer and 2 cups of bone meal per 10 square feet to give your bulbs the best possible start. This is especially important if you are planning on keeping the bulbs in situ for more than one year.

After the ground freezes, or after consistent frosts, set in (we’re not living in Vermont, after all!) cover your bulb planted areas with a 3-inch mulch. You might want to rake it back in early April or late March, if the weather is mild, unless the new shoots can penetrate it easily.

When your bulb blooming time has come and gone, we’re often tempted to cut back that yellow, dying and unsightly foliage. Don’t. You can remove the spent blooms, because otherwise the bulb will use up it’s energy in seed production. Leave that foliage. After the blooms, the bulb itself needs that foliage to store up food before it’s next dormancy. The leaves will provide nourishment to sustain the bulb through dormancy and growth of the bulb itself. Camouflage that fading foliage with bright annuals, maybe pansies, zinnia and some spreading sweet allysum.

Favorites in the bulb world are daffodils, voted #1 in Sunset magazines gardening survey year after year, followed by tulips of all kinds. My personal favorite of the tulips are the botanical Parrot tulips. I just love them! It’s tough to beat the hyacinth’s sweet fragrance in the spring. These come in many shades of purple, blue, pink, red and white. They are also easy to force in a dish of gravel, as are narcissus. One of the first flowers to usher in spring is the crocus. Their lovely, cup-shape blooms come in colorful shades of yellow, orange, purple, blue, and white. Their small size makes them easy to tuck pathways, or at the front of the border. The bold lollipop types of allium are what most gardeners are familiar with. The allium family is huge and offers gardeners a great mix of plant sizes, shapes, and colors. They are a deterrent to a number of pests and burrowing critters. I mentioned squill earlier, but it’s worth a second look. It is one of my favorites. Siberian squill features easy-growing ways and incredible blue color. It's spring's finest blue hue -- and an incredibly easy bulb to boot. It grows just about anywhere. Crown Imperial - with a name like this, you know it has to be an eye-catcher! Crown imperials offer a beautiful cluster of downward-facing flowers in warm, Hawaiian shades. They're topped by a tuft of leaves. Though beautiful and dramatic, they're also a bit stinky – helpful in keeping those who would munch on your garden away. Graceful little bulbs, anemones are the very breath of spring, popping up cheerfully from ferny foliage. They bloom in shades of pink, white, and blue -- and work well in virtually every garden. They’re under used and under rated and definitely are worth considering. I really enjoy the fragrance of freesia, but I do find them rather finicky albeit fabulous and worth the effort. They grow well in containers.

Bulbs offer variety, loads of color and ease of growing that are unsurpassed. I just love them!