The Arum have appeared/ Baby Boks

 Arum (Araceae itlalicum)


Arum has tuberous roots, likes full or partial shade, and appears in the fall and disappears in the summer after producing a spathe type flower (think Jack in the Pulpit) and then a cluster of bright red berries on a stalk after the leaves fall off.  It's variegated,  arrow shaped, 6 to 8 inch  leaves are very beautiful all winter and it spreads slowly.  It is a good pass along plant. It can be dug up and the tubers divided easily to propogate. I have it in several places around our property. And can divide it again this fall.  It is one of the plants I intend to move to the front garden as I've always only had it in the back.

 Isn't this a beautiful leaf?

 Cool Season Crop :  Bok Choy 

Yesterday I planted baby bok choy (Brassica family)  .  Bok choy is an ancient Chinese cabbage, and has a more mild flavor than head cabbage.  It is full of vitamin C, fiber and minerals and it great in stir fry, or just sauteed on its own in a little bit of oil, or steamed and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  The inside of the stems, or hearts are considered delicacies. Both the leaves and stems are edible.  The plant has been cultivated in China since the 5th century.  It should be grown from seed directly in the garden and likes to be kept moist and cool.  I purchased  Botanical Interest seeds from Petals From the Past and got a hybrid smaller version of the plant, or Baby Bok.  It is supposed to be ready to harvest in 30 days. When it comes up, I'll post some pictures.  All the rest of the fall veggies that I planted last week  (except carrots) are starting to come up and some will even need to be thinned soon. I have lettuce, spinach, bok choy, beets, and snow peas and carrots. We'll have some good early winter meals if the critters don't get them.

Green Beans and Pork Roast

 Happy Monday!


This morning seemed like a good time to pull up the last of my green beans.  I always plant bush beans and usually plant a few patches at varying times during the summer  as I pull up the early spring plantings.  There were still a few beans on the vines this morning , and I had a few in the fridge, so I decided to stick them in the slowcooker with a couple of small pork roasts.

I don't usually use recipes, just throw what I have into the pot.
So this is what we have today in the slow cooker:
2 small pork roasts
several new potatoes, skins on
1 medium onion cut into quarters
4 cloves of garlic, whole
1can diced tomatoes and l can water
green beans from the garden
2 tablespoons flour to thicken liquids
Penseys Spices 33rd and Galena pork and chicken rub sprinkled over the top.  I did not measure, just sprinkled until it looked right.

 The Packer football game is on TV tonight so this will be our game night feast!  I hope it tastes OK,
if not delicious.  How can you go wrong with onions and garlic ?



Tomorrow I will plant more bok choy where I pulled out the beans!

 New Zealand Picture Below!

Not my garden!  This is one of the gardens at Hobbiton in New Zealand.  I took this picture last fall when we were on a Lord of the Rings fan tour.   Aren't the Nasturtiums beautiful?  I still have only the leaves in my patch, no flowers.

Bits of This and That/Petals From the Past

This has been a weekend of doing just a little bit of  this and that, like moving a few rocks, doing a little weeding, a little pruning out deadwood.  No big projects done, although there are lots of them waiting out there for me.  The temperatures are a little bit cooler, but not so much that I want to spend the whole day in the garden yet.  That can wait for later in October.

 It is a little early to start putting in shrubs and trees, but friend Chris and I did a scouting trip to Petals From the Past in Jemison, AL and made our lists of what to come back for at the end of October. Check them out at petalsfromthepast.com  We also got information about the vines she should plant at the trellised end of her shade garden,Cross vine (bignonia capreolata) is just what she wanted, so she picked them up Saturday and can plant them right away. They will bloom with red outside and yellow lobed inside trumpet shaped flowers in spring and then again in fall, and the hummingbirds love them.  Just 2 plants will eventually cover her whole 16 ft width trellis.

I found a yellow trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) to put by the mailbox to replace the one I lost, and also several seed packets.    Some seeds are for early next spring, but also the carrots and the bok choy  I wanted to put in now.  The carrots were planted last night. The honeysuckle is a native and not to be confused with the invasive and unwanted Japanese honeysuckle which will take over the whole garden if you let it.  Hummingbirds love the honeysuckle, and Bobwhites, Northern Cardinals, Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, Goldfinches and sparrows love the seeds according to my Lone Pine Wildflowers of Tennessee the Ohio Valley and Southern Appalachians guidebook. 


Petals From Past has a lot of native plants in stock and also carries a good selection of organic seeds, and garden tools.  They have wonderful demonstration gardens and also sell produce such as blueberries, blackberries, figs, persimmons and pears when they are in season.  They are known for their expertise, customer service and heirloom roses.

 The very first Swamp Sunflower blooms.  It is mixed in with the Goldenrod in the back garden. It was very windy Saturday morning when I took these, so I had a difficult time getting a good shot.  That, and the fact that they are way over my head. Around 6 ft. tall.

Goldenrod (Solidago gigantia) is not only a beautiful fall bloomer, it also hosts beneficial insects like assassin bugs and big eyed bugs which help to control harmful insects leading to less need for  pesticide use.

 The Spider Wort is having a second bloom period.  I had cut a lot of them back because they had become too tall and were falling over other plants.

Sun Loving Zinnias Are Butterfly Magnets

 Zinnias (Asteraceae)
love heat and sun.  They are easy to plant by seed after all danger of frost has gone and after the soil warms.  Mine usually re-seed themselves for several years.  This summer they have just kept spreading to numerous places in the garden, and are migrating off our property and onto the city property behind our house.  They are so cheerful looking and come in the bright colors of orange, purple, pink, yellow and white.  The one to 3 ft. tall plants will last until frost and then die back.  Zinnias are great in summer cut flower arrangements, and butterflies love them.  I noticed this week that we have many, many small yellow butterflies in the garden.  Zinnias tend to get powdery mildew if they are frequently wet at night.  It is best to water them from the ground instead of overhead sprinklers, and to water in the morning.( Too bad we can't control the rain and make it water almost everything at the roots)They like to be fed once a month, and you can deadhead to keep them blooming longer, but are otherwise easy care and are an asset in any sunny garden. They keep blooming when others have quit!

Planting and Planning

 In a previous blog about the first signs of fall, I mentioned the Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) (left),  isn't the color luscious?  and the Dogwood berries (Cornus florida)  (below)
but I did not have pictures at the time, so here they are!

 Planting

 Yesterday morning I had time to get some of my fall veggie seeds in.  The soil was dry enough to work in and we are expecting rain today(Sunday) and lots of rain on Monday.  After weeding,  I mixed organic fertilizer and dry grass clippings into the existing soil and then put in snow peas, beets, spinach, onions and mixed leaf lettuce.  I thought I had carrot seed, but couldn't find it, so will have get some later in the week. I also had some garlic in the kitchen that was trying to sprout so I found a place for that as well.  There were  4 potatoes in my potato stash that were starting to sprout so I added them to a freestanding compost pile that was cooking along quite well.  We'll see what happens.  After I finished planting , I said a little prayer of blessing for the seed and the garden, and did Reiki as well.  Asking blessings for every project seems to make things go and grow better.


After I finished with my chores at home, I headed over to friend Chris's house.  She had built a retaining wall and created some usable space in a very shady area behind her house.  She wants a garden and sitting area that is filled with native plants, and I agreed to help.  She already has a pretty clear idea of what she wants and it is lovely to have a blank canvass to fill in.  The area is about 60 ft long by 16 ft in width.  In the summer it receives only dappled sun.  There is a tall lattice work at one end, and a chain link fence at the other that gives a view into the neighbor's property so the goal is to have an evergreen screen at that end.  We plan to plant two climbing vines one early bloomer and one late bloomer at the lattice end, and that is where the sitting area will be as well.  This fall we will put in some native azaleas and some oak leaf hydrangeas at the back of the area, and wax myrtle and Florida Anise at the far end where the privacy is needed.  We plan to lay out curvy paths and then plant the lower growing plants like ferns , Solomon's seal, spider wort, and wild geranium in the spring. We will also need some lower growing shrubs for balance.  Chris is not in a hurry, and plans to finish the shade garden in stages.  I am excited to be included in the project.


 Chris's   Shade  Garden

lattice area for vines
   

evergreen screen needed here

steps leading down from upper patio and fountain.

View into the woods from the steps











Back at Home!

Back in my own garden, the pineapple sage(Salvia elegans) is blooming in the planter along the driveway.  The bright red blossoms are so pretty when they bloom  in the fall, and attract hummingbirds.  The leaves smell of pineapple and can be used in cold drinks and in fruit salads. This plant is a tender perennial in the south and likes quite a bit of sun. It does die back in the winter, and I mulch it heavily after the first frost.  This one has lasted for many years, but I am sure that being protected by a retaining wall that soaks up, and then radiates the heat from the sun in the winter has had something to do with it withstanding a couple of pretty long cold spells.

Pineapple Sage (Salvia elegans)







Happy planting,
Susan

Mystery Purple Bean-type plant

The weather has changed, at least temporarily to less humid and cooler. It is actually now quite pleasant to walk in the morning and be out in the garden past 7:30 AM.  If it doesn't rain before Friday I will be able to get some of  my fall veggie  crops in this week.

I'm starting to think about cooking stews and soups, so it must be nearly fall.  Time to get the chimney sweeps here to clean out the fireplace for the winter fires, and do a safety check.  Have you done yours?

The moonflowers on the front porch and back deck are full of blossoms , and delightfully beautiful.
I had Sunday night guests for dinner and book club who were all entranced by the vine on the front porch.


There is a beautiful purple bean type plant growing larger and larger by the day on the fence between my house and my neighbor's back yard.  I had planted it to grow up a tripod next to the fence, but it escaped and is now everywhere.  The seeds had been given to me by my friend Anna Lu, last year, and it didn't get nearly as large in it's location last summer.  I saved seed, and replanted this year. I do not even know what the name of the plant is.  I guess I will have to take some up to the county extension agent at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.  I am certain that it is not a native plant.  It is not growing anywhere else, except right where I planted it,  so I am also fairly certain that it is not an invasive plant.
 I also think that it is a decorative plant, and not edible.  I certainly don't want to try eating the beans until I find out what it is.  There was just no extra time to investigate last year, and I didn't think about it,  over the winter or even this summer.  Too busy, busy , busy.

Mystery bean type plant

  If anyone out there knows what this plant is, please send me a message.  Thanks!



This past monday night I went to a program of the Wild Flower Society at the botanical gardens.
The speaker did a program on the survival  adaptations of plants and insects over the millennia.
This was particularly about the passion flower vine, and the Gulf Fritillary butterfly.  The plant developed toxins to protect against the caterpillars, the caterpillars adapted to be able to process the toxins in a way that made them immune to harm, but also made them less attractive to predators.  The plants also developed a protection that made them attractive to ants, which don't harm the plant  when they feed, but then they take the eggs of the Gulf Fritillary and move them off the plant, so the butterflies lay their eggs on nearby plants if there are ants on the passion flower vine.  All fascinating information.  I can't imagine being patient enough to do all the hours and hours of research and field work to complete this project, but I am glad there are people who feel the need.  This universe is so amazingly complicated with all the checks and balances built in to every bio system.  It becomes more fascinating the older I get !   The program reminded me that I do not have passion flower vines in this garden as of yet, and that it is time to get some!   My friend Marty says that she has seeds, so I will have to get some from her.

Peace,
Susan

Oh no! The Lemon-grass is Eating the Birdfeeder

 Lemon grass

Cymbopogon citratus

I have had a good lesson in planning where to  plant things and paying attention to how big they grow.  I found a little pot of lemon-grass (Cymbopogon citratus) at the nursery this past spring, and liking all things lemony, and lemon grass tea , picked it up and brought it home to plant in the herb area without researching how big it gets.  It can grow up to 5 ft. tall and spreads quite a bit as well! I think it will be moved by next spring!  I moved the bird bath next to it, and the plant really does look like it is trying to consume the bird bath.

The leaves of the plant can be put in all kinds of dishes where you want lemon flavor, but then be sure to pick them out before you serve it, (like you do bay leaves)  It is a tender perennial grass plant that comes from the tropics, and it likes full sun.  If you live in a cold climate you could put it in a pot and take it in for the winter.  I am going to try to keep mine alive through the winter  with lots of mulch. It likes moist soil and can be divided to propogate it.  Lemon grass gets added to perfumes and soaps, and its oil is good in bathwater.

                                                   Moss

This afternoon I was very excited to see that the moss is starting to come back under the oak tree in the natural area of the front yard!  Before the tornado we had 3 big oaks and the dogwood tree, lots of monkey grass and moss,  and not too much grass would grow anywhere out there.  Now that we have so much more sun, we have zoysia sod in the very front, and have tried to keep a natural area toward the house.  I don't know why people think you have to have grass everywhere, it is mostly a bother to mow, and water and so many folks try to maintain grass under their trees.  Where there is lots of shade, moss is much better.  I can't help but think about fairies when I see large expanses of moss under trees and on rocks there is something magical about it.Moss looks good with  ferns and other shade loving plants and around ponds. and it helps you to feel cooler  when you can  look at it in the heat of the  summer. Mosses are bryophytes and can spread by spores (like ferns) or vegetatively, and usually stay green all year.   Southern Living magazine had a good article on moss in the August issue and the article by Steve Bender recommended mossandstonegardens.com and tripplebrookfarm.com as places to order and to learn more about mosses.  Check it out!

Happy planting,
Gma Susie

First Signs of Fall

It is just now the first week in September here in the South where we tend to have very long falls, for which I am very grateful.  In the past I have had impatiens blooming into the beginning of December. Summer is my least favorite season here.  It is way too hot and humid for this transplanted northerner, even after all these years.  I melt, walking and working out in the humidity wears me down, I feel as though I am walking through molasses for most of the summer. I am grateful for the long growing season though, and that we can actually have second plantings and fall and winter crops.

I have seen the first signs of fall in my neighbor's front yard and in my garden.  The berries on the dogwood tree (Cornus florida) are starting to turn red, the berries on the beautyberry bush at my neighbor's (Callicarpa americana) have turned their luscious shade of blue/purple (I have never seen that color anywhere else, even in a 64 count crayon box), and my mist flowers (Conoclinium coelestinum) are starting to bloom. 

Mist Flower

                                                            Conoclinium coelestinum
                                                                      (blue flower)

Mist flowers are  wildflowers that  spread from rhizomes. They can be very vigorous, and I sometimes have to pull up the extras that appear where I don't want them.  They have a pretty, blue, delicate looking flower, and look particularly good when planted near the tall, swamp sunflowers that bloom yellow/gold  in October. They are usually found in moist areas, but mine don't seem to mind where I put them, dry or wet.


It has been raining here for the last few days, the remnants of Hurricane Isaac do not want to leave.  It is good to have the wet soil for weed pulling, but a little too wet to work the soil for planting.  The rain is finally supposed to leave for a day or two and then we'll have a cold front come through.  Perhaps over the weekend I'll be able to begin to  get some seed in for lettuce and spinach and snow peas. The nights are supposed to start getting cooler.

I am starting to see mums for sale everywhere, another sign of fall.  Perhaps I'll get one or two this year.  Last year was the first time in years I didn't have any.  I usually put them in ground for the next year's garden, but all of my previous plantings have disappeared.

Happy planting,
Susan