Cold beginning to February

It was 45 degrees when I walked at the Botanical Gardens this morning and I don't think it got all that much warmer all day.  I have been in and out putting up clothesline, taking care of chores and just couldn't get warm.  I was wishing I was back in Panama.

The photos are from a combined garden, zoo and nursery in El Valle, Panama.  It is the world's only inhabited volcanic crater.  The center picture is of the orchid collection at the zoo.
El Valle seems to have the perfect climate for growing most anything, and of course has rich volcanic soil.  There are countless species of flowers, trees, and mammals and reptiles and over 500 species of birds.  It would be a good place to come for a birdwatcher doing the big year, wouldn't it? 



I was thrilled to be able to show a visiting guest from Kenya our own lovely botanical gardens even in the middle of the winter. We did see some blood root starting to bloom this morning and The Chinese rice paper plants are starting to open their blooms.  They have a rich sweet floral scent .  The white flowers look like little upside down cupcakes hanging from the shrub, and then the blooms open to yellow.  You have to lift them up to smell them.

I really am looking forward to being able to have coffee on the deck again in the mornings.  I am wishing for a long long spring season this year.

Today we had a young man from the Fireplace Doctor company here to fix the leak in our fireplace.  We haven't been able to use it for several weeks.  They also coated the inside of the smoke chamber with ceramic because the mortar was deteriorating and could easily catch the house on fire, the other project was to install a new more airtight damper on top of the chimney.  We now have a chain to pull to open and close the thing.  I hope it helps with heat and air conditioning.  They say we can get an energy credit on our taxes for installing it.  It also has a lifetime guarantee. 

:Happy gardening when it is not too cold to be out there!  Seed catalogs are great mood boosters on days like today.

It is (was) leaf collecting time! (just found this in drafts)

(this must have been written at the beginning of December)


I am sure my neighbors think I am crazy, I drove up to the circle around the corner and took as many bags of leaves as I could fit in my car.  The man who was out cleaning up the yard and had carefully bagged all the leaves did give me a very funny look when I asked if I could have them.  I will go back tomorrow to collect more.  They make such great mulch for the large areas we have that need to be covered up so they don't grow weeds.  These are nice big oak leaves and will take a long time to break down, which is great for our purposes.  We can also just save some of the bags of leaves and keep adding them to the compost pile.

This morning I raked up what we had from our one remaining oak tree.  I raked the leaves off the new sod and took some back to the garden, but then left quite a few as mulch around the oak tree. I am sure that when God planned for trees and forests the creator intended the leaves that fell to be returned to the soil to nourish the forest plants and trees.  Here we are, raking them up and sending them off to landfills in plastic bags, then spending money for mulches and manufactured fertilizers.  Is there something wrong with this picture?  I think so.

This past week I have been busy cleaning up the garden for the winter.  It takes a while to get everything done.  Here is the list:

• removed a purple coneflower from the flower bed that has Betsy's buttons
• cut back the goldenrod 
• pulled weeds
• changed out the bricks at the end of the driveway for landscaping stones.  Still need about 12 or 15 more landscaping stones.
• cut back vines near the drainage area and planted the remaining osmanthes behind the little fence I placed there to prevent someone walking through and having a fall.
• pulled weeds
• put more soil that had collected in the corner of the driveway over the septic tank where we need a thicker layer of soil.
• dug up part of the flower garden next to the veggie garden as it had become pretty overgrown and weedy.  Placed a layer of leaves over the bed, and then 2 layers of black plastic .  Weighted it down with bricks to let it "cook" for the winter.  It will become the tomato bed next growing season.
• Mulched with a thick layer of chopped leaves around the carrots to keep them warm for the winter.
• cleaned out more of the garden behind the fence at the end of the driveway.
• Pulled weeds.
• Removed the browned out cypress vine from all the shrubs where I had let it grow to feed the hummingbirds when they migrated.
• Oh, and did I mention I pulled weeds?

The weather has remained so warm that the forsythia is blooming, there are violets in bloom, the Carolina jessamine looks like it is getting ready to burst out in bloom and there are jonquils up for an early show near the driveway.  It was very sunny and beautiful on Thursday, but we have had cloudy, dreary weather for Friday and Saturday.  Every once in a while the sun will burst out, but not often.  We are expecting storms on Monday and then a big cool down.

Friend Eleanor left her dog, Frisco with us for a few days and it was so nice to have him out in the garden with us to keep us company.  Eleanor also brought me a wonderful gift.  It is a  new trowel from Garden Works perennial products  and is called a Tiger Trowel.  The label says it is proudly made in the USA.  It is a 16 gauge heavy duty stainless steel blade with a handle made from recycled materials and is great for digging in hard soil or clay.  It can be used to cut back vines   and overgrowth, and the split-tip end can be used to pop out dandelions. It also has a graduated blade to measure soil depths for planting bulbs.  An altogether wonderful new and very useful tool  Thanks Eleanor! 

Back to the Garden

It has been over a month since my last blog entry and about that long since I have done anything in the garden.  The holidays just took over my life. There was a also a little excursion to Panama following the holiday,  that took about a week, then the week to recover from the excursion got included.  Anyway, I am glad to be back to the blog and back to working in the garden.

We had about a week of rain following my return, lots of it!  The weather warmed up and finally got sunny for this past weekend and I ventured out to see how things had fared and also got a little pruning done.

  I think I need to get a new lopper and a new pruning saw. The lopper is one that I borrowed from my father-in-law about 15 years ago, and it was old then.  It has finally just worn out.  I seem to need to get a new pruning saw every 3 or 4 years.  I am pretty rough on the little buggers, and the one I have now had to work overtime following the tornado.  Looks like I will be doing some shopping before I can continue to cut down the large privet bushes on the parks and recreation property behind the house.  They didn't come all the way over to the lot line when they cleaned it up last year.  I'll just help them out by getting rid on the invasives and putting in some natives.  We have lots of little oak trees starting where I don't want them, so they can have a new home on the public land.  I will have to put little protective fences around them for a while after transplanting.  I offered some to my neighbor, but he has never told me where he wanted me to put them, and this next month will be the best time to transplant.

Because it warmed up so much for a while, and we had all the rain, I have seen some plants starting to bloom that usually don't bloom until February.  There are already daffodils blooming in the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and the Lenten Roses as well.  I have one Lenten Rose in my garden that has a bloom on it.  It also looked like Rue Anemones were trying to bloom at the Botanical Gardens, although they could be the false Rue Anemones.  Anyway, I hadn't even seen hepatica blooming, so wasn't expecting those beautiful little white flowers in JANUARY.  Now we are cold again, so that will slow things down a bit I expect.

Saturday I took a little trip down to Petals From the Past  to pick up my persimmon tree.  I was so excited to get it and put it in the ground right away.  It is planted where I had okra growing last year, and near to where we lost the pine tree.  It needs full sun, and I wanted to put it to the North of the vegetable garden where it wouldn't create too much shade, but also where it would get the sun.  It will give a little bit of shade to some of my blueberry bushes.  They looked like they got a little bit of sun scorch last summer.  We now will have figs, blueberry bushes, blackberries, and persimmons.  These are all fruits that will grow in Alabama's climate with very little maintenance, and no spraying!  I do not want to have fruit that requires a great deal of time, or any poison applications.

While I was at Petals From the Past I couldn't resist and picked up another package of seeds.  It is time to plan the summer garden.  I picked up a pack of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  I plan to have some lovely little Squash Patisson 'Golden Marbre Scallop in the garden this year.  The package says that" this is a unique French scallop squash.  The fruit is a beautiful bright golden-orange color.  young fruit are very tender and well flavored.  The tall bush plants are very attractive and yields are good."
"The summer squash are grown for immature fruits which can be harvested all summer long.  Very heavy feeders., they need soil heavily amended with manure, compost or other source of lots of nutrients.  Sow in place in full sun after last frost."

If you want to request their catalog go to RareSeeds.com or call 417-924-8917.  The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company is my short list of places to visit.  They are in Mansfield, MO and have a pioneer village and farm.  http://rareseeds.com/  Anybody ready for a road trip?

Madison Indiana, Lanthier Winery

The next several posts will feature my recent vacation in Madison, Indiana and then Lake Geneva, Delavan and Williams Bay Wisconsin.  There are many beautiful gardens and nature preserves in all the areas, and I wish I had been able to visit all of them.  Readers will be getting a taste of fall in the North with these photos.

I visited my sister, Jean in Madison, Indiana and volunteered with her at the Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art.  The original Chautauqua was founded in 1901 and was a 10 day religious, literary, scientific, political, theatrical and musical mix of performances, demonstrations, sermons and lectures.  The last year the event was held was 1929.  The Great Depression put an end to it.  In the early 1970's the Chautauqua was revived as an art festival.  Now the Chautauqua is a fine arts and crafts show with 250 artists and craftsmen from all over the US.  There is also a concurrent local arts and crafts show near the Courthouse called Old Court Days. There is a lot of musical entertainment as well, and of course delicious food.

Madison is located on the Ohio River and there is a beautiful river walk and park area near the historic and vibrant downtown. Madison has been recognized as "The prettiest small town in the Midwest " by the Ladies Home Journal and the "Best preserved town in the Midwest" by the Chicago Tribune.  I agree.

This post will feature pictures of the Lanthier Winery gardens which is situated right across the street from the river park.  They have the best blackberry wine I have ever tasted.  Unfortunately I forgot to go back to get a bottle or two on Sunday and they were closed on Monday when I was heading out of town.  Good excuse to make another trip up there.  Madison is located about an hour east of Louisville, so it is about a 7 or 8 hour drive from Birmingham.

This year the weather was perfect for the Chautauqua.  70's and partly cloudy.

The Winery Retail Center

You might want to visit sometime, so take a look at:
Lanthier Winery Web Address


or

visitmadison.org/

Garden Photo Tour

 There were long lines waiting for tastings on the days of the festival.

 Espaliered Pyrycanthus

 I loved their displays of gourds and pumpkins, both in and out of the potted plants.

 One of the entrances to the winery.

Wine cork mulch!

The balloons are there only during the festival, they are not a daily display.

 These were taken on Monday after the festival at a time when the winery is closed.  They do not gate or fence off the gardens.  Everyone is welcome to enjoy them at anytime.  I was very grateful for the early morning quiet in the garden. Even though it was an overcast day it was very beautiful.

 There are many little gazebos and shelters where patrons can sit and sip wine and enjoy the garden.

The next post will be about my sister's garden and the gardens of Lanier Mansion State Historic Site.

The Lemongrass Is In Its New Home

The lemongrass that looked like it was about to swallow the birdbath is in its new home this afternoon after a big battle on my part to get it dug up then moved.  I had to work and work to even get it out.  I made several rounds of digging with both a shovel and a spade and it finally began to lift a little.  It must have had pretty deep roots to be that stubborn.  I had first cut it way back to make it a little easier to move.  The fragrance of lemon kept me alert and energetic at least.  It was so heavy when I finally got it moving that I couldn't lift into the wheelbarrow and had to drag it across the lawn to its new home.  It is now residing in the garden bed where I had okra planted this past summer.  That is the most northerly bed and is right in front of the compost piles and newest blueberry bushes.  I hope that it has survived its ordeal and will grow well again next summer.

Yesterday friend Chris and I made the trip to Petals From the Past for their open house.  It was a delicious sampling as usual of all kinds of snacks and desserts.  I chose to drink their hot cider and there were only a couple of things I missed sampling.  One of the things we tasted were very sweet and good persimmon slices. Right away I decided it would be a good thing to have a persimmon tree if they taste that good.  We talked to Jason and he was very enthusiastic about the variety he served which is called fuyu.  When ripe, they are not as astringent as most persimmons and are perfect for both eating raw and cooking.  They ripen in the fall and are a soft orange color with flattish bottoms. They can be used in breads, made into jellies, roasted, and used in salads.  He didn't have any of the smaller more affordable trees left in stock, but will get some in January and I have been put on his list for an e-mail notification. Persimmon trees (diospyrols kaki ) of the fuyu variety is  a Japanese tree that grows In zones 6 to 10 in the US and is easy maintenance with usually high yields.  It grows 12 to 15 ft. tall, is tolerant of most soil conditions, drought tolerant , doesn't need spraying , grows in full to partial sun and has buttery yellow blossoms. Since they provide fruit in the fall, it would be a good thing to have, as all of the blue and black berries and the figs are finished producing in the summer.  I purchased some persimmons to bring home for December cooking and serving.  They will last for several weeks in the fridge, but I have already eaten two or 3 of them, so if I do not have enough willpower  there may not be any left for Christmas. 

Chris and I shopped for her new shade garden and picked up a wax myrtle for the far end where she needs the view into her neighbor's garden blocked and also got three native azaleas that will have yellow/orange sweet smelling blossoms.  She has already planted 3 oak leaf hydrangeas and an Alabama croton.  I gave her the white bottlebrush buckeye that I had been saving for her and we will now have the  bones of her garden finished when she gets those planted.  In the spring we will add the smaller plants like ferns, wild geraniums, pshlox, etc.  She wants to have a beautiful spring show of all natives when the garden is finished. Next time I am there the shrubs will be in, and I will take some more pictures to show the progress.

After my struggle with the lemongrass today, I started a new compost pile.  It is time to let the older one "cook"  I made this one with some fencing material I had rescued from my son's home.  I used tent stakes to secure it and made it about a 3 ft. diameter circle.  It is right next to the old one.  This is a perfect time to start a new pile as there is lots of brown material available in the form of leaves right now.  I also threw in some spent potting soil.  If there is  more brown material in the compost (carbon based)   than green (nitrogen based) it will speed the decomposition process. Almost every time I add kitchen scraps, I try to add a layer of soil or brown material.  I try to have a leaf pile somewhere in the garden all year that I can use for this purpose.  I will be turning the old pile now more often to help with decomposition as well as adding a little bit of lime.  By spring it should have turned into beautiful "black gold" for the veggie beds.

I have been reading a book written by the man who owns Rora Farms (the best eggs ever) titled Born Again Dirt. The author, Noah Sanders emphasizes that it is the health of our soils that is of utmost importance.  Noah says that using manufactured fertilizers (instead of organic) feeds the plants but not the soil, and that instead we should feed the soil which will then feed the plants which is the natural order of things. He says that if we have healthy soil we will have more healthy plants that will be more resistant to disease and pests.  You can get his book by contacting www.bornagaindirt.com

Happy Planting,
Gma Susie

First Killling Frost

It finally happened this past weekend.  Our first killing  frost arrived after a very warm and lovely Thanksgiving Day.  All of the remaining zinnias and cosmos are now gone until next summer.  They stayed with us a good long time, and I had even seen a couple of gulf frittilaries still around last week.  I covered the basil hoping to save it for a week or two more, but it succumbed to the cold temperatures even under plastic.  The sage and tarragon, which are tender perennials, made it through for now, and I was happy to be able to use them in my soup stock this week.  We have a delicious batch of turkey vegetable soup to enjoy on these cold evenings.

Our lettuce is looking great, and sure did taste good in the turkey sandwiches over the weekend.

The pineapple sage is still blooming in the planter next to the driveway.  I am surprised that it didn't freeze out.  I think all the cement block and the cement of the driveway probably absorbs the heat from the sun and then keeps the plants warmer through the night. The knockout roses are still blooming away as well, and the lavender is still blooming.  We also have some fall blooms on the dianthus along the rock garden path that have made it through. 

On Sunday afternoon Allen chopped up leaves with the mower and I have used them as mulch to cover over the lantana  I cut back that afternoon.  We still have a lot of leaves that will fall off the oak tree and I will let him mulch some onto the lawn, but I really need them out in the back garden to help reestablish the top soil that was lost from the storm. 

I cut back and pulled out what I could of the swamp sunflower stalks and started the general cleanup of the garden behind the fence at the end of the driveway.  I am thinking that I am also going to severely prune the confederate jasmine that is getting too close to the climbing roses.  The fence needs to have waterproofing put on , and that vine is just way too overgrown. I had to cut back some of it over the weekend just to be able to clean up the end of the driveway.  I always feel so mean when I severely prune plants.  I end up talking to the plants and telling them I am sorry.  I do not apologize to privet, although I should.  It is not the privet's fault that some well meaning person brought it here where it doesn't belong.  It is so horribly invasive.

I have moved some hellibores (lenten roses) to put under the oak tree next to the Christmas ferns, and will keep moving a few plants in there whenever I get a chance.  I had to move the hellibores quickly so that they wouldn't get water seal on them when Allen worked on the fence.  They were right up next to it and there would have been no way to avoid getting that toxic stuff on the plants. He has been very careful about using tarps to protect the plants and the soil.

We had a lovely rain and some thunderstorm early this morning and then it remained cloudy all day so that the rain could soak in to the soil and not evaporate right away.  It has been so very dry here for the last few weeks and rain really beats watering for the good health of the plants.  There is no more rain expected in the forecast for the next several days and it is supposed to be near 70 again over the weekend.  I hope we get into our more normal winter weather pattern soon. I should probably be careful what I wish for!

If you like to look at plant catalogs as part of your winter entertainment, and create your wish list for the spring check out the Gardens Alive! catalog.  It is filled with great organic plants and fertilizers and pest control products.  www.gardensalive.com.  I love their little lady bug logo. I still like to have catalogs I can hold in my hand and look through.  They do send them out if you don't want to just shop online.  The phone number if you want to order one that way is:  513.354.1482. Enjoy!

Happy gardening , Gma Susie

Back at Home and Camp McDowell Musin

At home, my new little succulent garden.  It contains hen and chicks, a creeping sedum, one of the little steppable succulents and now the autumn joy sedum.  Of course, most of what is visible at the present moment is rocks, but if it survives winter, I think it will look pretty next summer.

I returned from Camp McDowell Sunday, but not before going on a sensory awareness hike with Maggie Johnston as leader.  Maggie is the director of the environmental education center at Camp McDowell, and I have known her for many years.  We first met on a trail  m aintenance trip in the Bankhead Forest when I was a member of the Alabama Trail Association.  She led us up the trail in a group, and then had us wait while she went on ahead to put somelaminated cards out on the trail.  One by one we went on and followed the directions on the cards.  When we got to a  hollow, she was waiting with paper on little clipboards so that we could write or draw about our experience.  Here is what I wrote:  


11/18/2012

I am sitting on a fallen log in the sun at Camp McDowell. I just ended  a short, solitary sensory hike.  I hugged trees, enjoyed the soft brilliant green moss along the trail, felt the texture of bark, listened to the sound of the wind in the trees and danced to thank the sun.  I listened to the sound the wind made in the trees and sounds my footsteps made in the leaves on the trail.  I thought a lot about my friend, Joe, who taught me so much of what I know about the flora in Alabama.  It was a whole new world for this transplanted Northerner.  I am thankful for Maggie who spends so much of her life teaching what she knows about this beautiful treasure so that others will appreciate it and want to preserve what is here.

As the sun hits the branches over to my right I notice a spider web sparkling between some branches and then as I look again the sunlight catches many many single strings of spider web connecting branches of the shrubs.  There are many small flying insects everywhere as well.  Does the spider know are here?  Are some of them its next meal?

Looking around some more, I see a tangle of green thorny vines growing up over the oak leaf hydrangeas.  There  are a few reddish leaves left on the hydrangeas, and looking up, the evergreen hemlocks provide a soft background for the scene.  There is a puzzle of straight trunked, leaning trunked, and and windy and bending trunked deciduous trees in front.  the small new oak behind me has some brilliant red leaves left on it that look too big in relation to its tiny trunk and branches.  The gray, fallen leaves of the big leaf magnolias look like old used rags scattered across the forest floor.

Maggie tells us there are only 3 more minutes for this contemplative time.  I do not want to leave.



  

Back at home, our snow peas are getting ready to produce. (left) We may have some for Thanksgiving dinner, or at least by the weekend.















We have many more leaves left on our oak leaf hydrangeas than were left at Camp McDowell.  They are about an hour north of where we live.Oak leaf hydrangeas are beautiful all year round.  Even when the leaves are gone they have a beautiful shaggy bark, and they are one of the first plants to start leafing out in the spring.  They have large white flowers at the end of May and into June, that turn pink and then papery and can be used in flower arrangements fresh or dried. 

(left) One of our heirloom roses that flowers in the spring and then again in the fall.  In the summer it tends to get black spot, and most of the leaves fall off.  I always think it is dying and then it bounces back like this.  The buds change color as they open.  Unfortunately I have no idea what variety this is.  Maybe next time I go to Petals From The Past, I can find it again  and this time I will keep a record of what it is.       www.petalsfromthepast.com/map.htm.
Dried rose hips from roses that have not  been sprayed with poisons may be used to make a tasty tea, and they are a good source of vitamin C. They can also be used in wines and jams. The scented petals can be used in salads, pies,syrup, vinegars, sorbets and other sweets.  Just be sure use only organic plants.  Petals From the Past is a good source for heirloom roses.

If you live in the Birmingham area, make sure to go to Petals From the Past for their open house On Saturday December 1 from 9 to 5 and Sunday December 2 from 1 to 5.  I try to go every year.  They have delicious food and drinks to try and many of the garden accessories are on sale and make great gifts for gardeners.

Their next workshop is Saturday January 19 when Dr. Arlie Powell will discuss Small Fruits in the Home Vegetable Garden.  from 10:30 AM to noon. Check it out on their website.

On Saturday January 26th, 2013 the workshop is basic design principles for creating an edible self-sustainable garden. 

I have rambled on long enough.  Happy planting and Happy Thanksgiving!
Gma Susie