joene's garden » Bulbs

A tad early for narcissi in Connecticut

joenesgarden — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 20:03:24 +0000

A quick stroll around my Connecticut gardens brought this surprize.

That's right … narcissi bulbs already poking their inquisitive heads out of the ground as if to say, «Is it time?»

My response when I first spotted them on January 2? A resounding, «NO!»

The calendar says January. We should have snow on the ground and be bundled up in front of a roaring fire.

But, outside of a couple of below-freezing days earlier this week it's been ridiculously warm. Today it's 50 degrees outside and there is no snow or winter-type cold in the forecast.

Obviously, bulbs don't follow the calendar. They follow a mysterious internal clock that signals when it's time to grow.

From their point of view they had snow (it came in October), they had some cold here and there, and now they're responding to a stretch of spring-like warmth.

Maybe I should listen to what their presence is suggesting. Maybe … though it's January … mild temperatures will continue. Maybe narcissi will be blooming in February.

I'm not ready to buy this. I still expect to get slammed with a nasty stretch of winter weather. Of course it will hit when all New Englanders have really let their winter guard down and lost their winter blood. That's just the way these things work.

So I did what any mother hen gardener would do.

I covered my early risers hoping a conifer blanket will hold the chill in the soil and slow the bulbs' growth.

Time will tell if this tactic works.

At the very least it makes me feel that I've done my best to fool the young whippersnappers back to sleep.

Categories: Bulbs, Gardening, Seasons.
Tags: gardening in Connecticut, narcissi.

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Re-GOOPs: a review of 2011’s gardening-oops

joenesgarden — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0000

Welcome to January 1, 2012. The first of each month is confessional time. Time to fess up to a gardening blunder, or gardening oops. GOOPs for short. I share one of my gardening mis-steps and hope you'll do the same.

This is Re-GOOPs month, when I look back at some of the GOOPs from last year.

The GOOPs that drew the most comments is from June 2011. I described how the landscape fabric we installed, as directed by the block manufacturer, while building a retaining wall planting bed became blocked with fine soil silt. It hinders drainage to the point of making the bed virtually unplantable (new word?) during rainy springs/summers. Most of the comments to this post mentioned similar and other landscape fabric issues. I even had a manufacturer suggest we had installed the landscape fabric incorrectly …. we didn't.

To use the bed last season I dug out some of the soil so large clay pots would rest on the fabric layer. I filled the pots with new soil and planted them with hot peppers, cherry tomatoes and eggplant.

Trailing nasturtium seeds and coleus seedlings went into the remaining soil surrounding the sunken pots.

I promised, back in June, to report whether my scheme worked.

The hot peppers thrived, the tomatoes did okay, and the eggplant was not happy.

I planted bush and pole beans between a couple of pots at the far end but, with such a wet growing season, the soil remained too moist for the beans to really thrive.

The nasturtiums and coleus, however, had a banner year.

No aphids … not one.

The nasturtiums went wild, they never had a mid-summer slump, and the coleus grew mighty tall and bushy right up to first frost.

Eventually I plan to remove all the soil from this bed. I'm on the lookout for decorative planters that will fit the space and style of the surrounding block. The planters, which I'll fill seasonally, will sit in the raised bed on top of and within decorative stone. The stone will facilitate drainage and the planters will add seasonal interest and break up the visual impact of the long, narrow bed. I can also add other interesting accents – think cool rocks, shells, candles – at my whim. The new design is still germinating in my idea seed bank but, in the meantime, the sunken clay pots work as a temporary planting solution.

My GOOPs tale of voles eating crocus bulbs and deer nibbling on crocus and Tete-a-tete narcissi garnered a number of sympathetic comments. I think the photos of bright, cheery blooms followed by shots of stubby green leftovers helped in the sympathy department. Isn't this sad?

My solution for the narcissi is to cover newly emerging shoots with upside-down apple baskets each night and to keep a sharp eye out for marauding deer during daylight. For the crocus issue I've taken the advice from Nell Jean at Seedscatterer. I planted tommies (Crocus tommasinianus Ruby Giant and Barr's Purple).

I won't know till spring whether voles left the tommies alone. Keeping fingers crossed and praying to the bulb gods.

The last Re-GOOPs for today is Don't count your tomatoes … a gardening oops. It's another tale, and another sad photo, of creature damage. This time from those cute, fast-moving, devilish chipmunks.

They have superb ripe-tomato radar. The only way for me to beat them to the fruit was to pick before the tomatoes were totally ripe and let them finish ripening on a windowsill. So far the chipmunks haven't figured out how to get into my kitchen. Keeping fingers crossed and praying to the fox gods.

Looking back reminded … though I didn't really need it … that weather had a huge impact in 2011. Three GOOPs posts - February, March and November - involved snow and I hurricane/tropical storm Irene prevented a GOOPs post on September 1 (no power for seven days).

I suspect 2012's GOOPs will also involve weather and creatures and creatures and weather. At least that gives me the chance to blame something besides my own actions.

I hope you'll join the GOOPs party this year. If you are REALLY gardening then you must have made a GOOPs or two.

Either add your GOOPs tale in a comment below or post your GOOPs on your blog and leave a teaser in a comment below.

Happy New Year. Garden thoughtfully.

Categories: Bulbs, Edibles, Gardening, General, GOOPs-Gardening Oops.
Tags: Bulbs, creature damage, gardening in Connecticut, gardening oops - GOOPs, landscape fabric, tomatoes.

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Onion & garlic braids

joenesgarden — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:30:41 +0000

Do you think early New England settlers braided onions as a means to store them after harvest? I wondered this when faced with the trays of onion and garlic bulbs harvested a couple of days previously and set on a covered porch to dry.

I've braided bulbs before but had not planted and harvested quite the number of bulbs I have this year. So with bulbs and twine at hand, I positioned myself in a shady spot out of the hot sun.

Braiding onions should be a no-brainer for anyone who knows how to braid hair. However, my previous braids often unwound from the bottom unless secured with twine. A handy onion braiding guide recently published in Organic Gardening magazine's email newsletter explained how to start the braid so it will hold without twine at the lower end.

Before braiding, though, bulbs must be brushed free of clinging soil … a rather slow, tedious task that allowed my mind to wander back to the era of American settlers. I imagined what a colonial woman had to go through to prepare her garden plots. Gardening tasks fell to the women so my imagined colonist, Prudence, had to loosen her beds by hand, add manure from the family's animals, weed, watch, hope for ample rain and finally harvest the onions (from what I've read, early colonists did not grow garlic) that would help feed her family for the next year.

After harvesting she probably let them rest on the soil in the sun to dry and cure for a day or two. Prudence surely would have sought the cooling shade of a large tree to rest under while brushing her work-worn hands over each precious bulb to remove clumps of clingy soil. As she braided, Prudence probably monitored the nearby gardening or animal tending chores of some of her children. She may have had a daughter by her side to teach the youngster to braid.

I suspect Prudence enjoyed the brief set-a-spell rest she was able to enjoy, and that her braids looked much neater than mine. While braiding, her mind likely wandered to all of the other tasks she needed to complete that day - beans to pick and a stew to stir.

I saw Prudence briefly admiring her finished braids as she hung them on a dry interior wall of her small wood-frame home, then she scooted off to her next chore.

My braids, no doubt, are not nearly as attractive or proficiently done as Prudence's, but as I see them hanging in my modern kitchen with all its conveniences I have an overwhelming appreciation for the fortitude Prudence's people … my people … brought to this land.

Categories: Bulbs, Gardening, Harvests.
Tags: gardening in Connecticut, garlic braids, onion braids, Organic Gardening.

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Spring Bulbs. What’s not to love?

joenesgarden — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:07:06 +0000

Planted once. Little care. Enjoyed year after year.

Now's the time to take note of bulb holes in your garden beds. Either draw a simple diagram of the current locations of spring blooming bulbs or use your digital camera to document where current bulbs are planted. Then peruse bulb catalogs for varieties that will spruce up your beds. Watch for early bird specials. Most bulb suppliers offer discounts to gardeners who plan ahead and order bulbs during spring and early summer. When it's time to plant newly arrived bulbs this autumn, refer to the diagram and/or photos so you don't disturb already planted bulbs.

Over my many many gardening years I've purchased bulbs from many suppliers. I've tried the cheap bulb deals and found bulbs of low quality – they didn't bloom the first year or just didn't survive. You get what you pay for and bulbs are no different than anything else. Spend the extra money for high quality bulbs that will bring cheerfulness and beauty to your gardens year after year. The bulbs in these shots, a mix of all types of daffodils and narcissi planted in 2004, were part of 'The Works' from White Flower Farm (I purchased the group early at the pre-season price). I've also been very happy with bulbs from John Scheepers, Inc. (last autumn I picked up some great online bulb deals from Scheepers – can't wait to see the blooms). I've not once regretted spending a little extra green for high quality bulbs.

What's your bulb growing experience? Had any luck with cheap bulb deals? Who is your favorite bulb supplier?

Categories: Bulbs, Gardening, Seasons.
Tags: gardening in Connecticut, John Scheepers, spring bulbs, White Flower Farm.

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Shades of yellow, blue, violet and green and the best blossoms of all

joenesgarden — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 09:00:00 +0000

Spring is off to a slow but welcome start in Connecticut. All the blooms in my gardens are still pretty much at ground level, but if you look closely … beyond the cheerful daffodil and narcissi … you'll see some colorful treasures. My trusty camera caught a few blooms to share on this April 2011 Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. I snuck in some buds and greenery, too.

My little clump of Tete-a-Tetes survived early deer browsing and sent up a mass of happy flowers, though a keen eye can still see the evidence of deer nibbles.

Close inspection reveals one or two common periwinkle blossoms peeking from behind leaves.

The still tight bud of grape hyacinth.

Naturalized scillia demurely hiding by a back corner of the house. Looks like these scillia leaves also had an early visit from deer.

White lilac buds are making promises. They've come a long way since last month.

Low-bush blueberry buds are just starting to swell.

Raspberry leaves are a shade farther along.

Chives add bright touches of green.

But the best blooms of all did not originate from my gardens. They came from a friend's kindness … one of the most precious gifts of all.

Yep, that's a strawberry leaf and blossoms in the center of a bunch of happy-faced violas. Thank you, Amanda. Just like your friendship, this truly is a gift that keeps giving.

Now head over to May Dreams Gardens, where Carol hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Check out the flowering gifts from all over the planet.

Categories: Bloom Day, Bulbs, Gardening.
Tags: a basket of friendship, blueberry buds, chives, daffodils, grape hyacinth, lilac buds, narcissi, raspberry leaves, scillia, vinca.

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