joene's garden » Gardening

Morning Discoveries in the Garden

joenesgarden — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:41:03 +0000

Early mornings are wonderful in the garden. With cup of coffee in hand and birds singing wildly from nearby trees, I stroll through the garden to enjoy the blooms and observe what's going on.

Many iris are in full glory, but I'm not the only one enjoying them. Early morning strolls reveal slugs in their journey back down iris leaves and stalks after they have had a nighttime feast on the foliage and blossoms. To counter a slug invasion I arm myself with with a repurposed peanut butter jar filled partially with soapy water and a plastic spoon. The spoon easily scoops slugs off foliage and bloom so they can be deposited into the soapy water … their final home. I don't get them all but each slug I remove means fewer slug babies enter this world to feast on my plants. When the slug population really explodes, as it does during rainy springs and summers, I go on slug-fari in the evenings, too.

Clematis 'Crystal Fountain' shows off its stunning blooms. Slugs don't seem to care much for my clematis.

Strawberries, though, are a favorite of slugs. So far, the wood chip mulch surrounding my Alpine strawberries has kept the slugs away – they don't like crawling on the rough surface. The first of these tiny, sweet tasty fruits delighted my taste buds this morning.

Yesterday morning, during an extended stroll and weeding session, I heard a rustling in leaves I neglected to clean from under a holly bush. Closer inspection revealed an Eastern box turtle as the cause.

An Eastern box turtle hung out at the opposite end of my fenced in back yard gardens last year. Perhaps I cleaned too many of the leaves from the area the turtle preferred last spring, or maybe it's just a different turtle. I'm just happy to have a turtle call my garden home, even for a short while each spring, and from now on I'll be sure to leave leaf litter under the holly shrubs the turtle/s obviously prefer.

When I went out later to check on him – I think it's a him because of the red eyes – he had settled down among nearby euonymus.

He's still under the holly this morning, barely visible among the leaves and I chose not to disturb him with another photo session.

The Eastern box turtle population has taken a serious hit in Connecticut. Development diminishes their woodland habitats and roads dissect the routes female turtles travel to find preferred egg-laying locations. I'm happy to maintain areas of unraked leaves under the shrubs in my gardens for Eastern box turtles to use. They eat slugs, worms, small snakes, and fungi … there's plenty of each in my gardens. They also eat fruit. So even if resident turtle meanders to the nearby Alpine strawberries, I don't mind sharing if it helps him survive.

Garden thoughtfully …

Categories: Creatures, Edibles, Gardening, General.
Tags: Alpine strawberry, clematis, Eastern box turtle, gardening in Connecticut, iris, slugs.

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A Connecticut garden in May

joenesgarden — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:30:00 +0000

It's party day in the garden blogging world. On the 15th of each month, Carol at May Dreams Gardens hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day so gardeners all over the world can share photos of what's going on in their gardens. Connecticut gardens party hearty in May. Here's some of the blooms in mine zone 6 gardens.

Clematis, growing on either end of my front porch, are always show stoppers in May. Blue Moon graces one end of the porch. It's blossoms open with tinges of lavender pink along the edges that pale as the flowers age.

Nelly Moser, in a more pink hue, grabs attention at the other end.

Nelly is showy enough on her own but this year she is framed by a new addition, Allium rosenbachianum.

Nearby peony buds slowly expand, promising pure white blooms with small blotches of maroon.

The bearded iris 'Beverly Sills' sings sweetly, as if enticing the peonies open. Stakes hold the top heavy blooms up during heavy rains.

The whole view shows foxglove and rose campion standing tall at the rear.

The small, demure Allium karativiense grace the foot of the peony and the stachys border at the front of the bed.

In garden beds in other areas of the property there's amsonia blue star,

a grouping of a bearded iris in so pale a blue the flowers appear white,

Siberian iris amongst ferns,

strawberries blooming in a blue strawberry jar,

and, on branches too tall for deer to reach, stunning flowers of Viburnum plicatum 'Mariessii'.

These and other blossoms draw me outside each morning and greet me throughout each day. No May day should go by without witnessing the magic of May flowers.

The garden party continues at May Dreams Gardens where you can enjoy Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day photos from zones warmer and chillier.

Enjoy … and garden thoughtfully.

Categories: Bloom Day, Gardening.
Tags: allium, amsonia, clematis, Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, gardening in Connecticut, iris, peony, strawberry jar, viburnum.

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Butterfly watching

joenesgarden — Sun, 13 May 2012 03:05:37 +0000

My two-year old granddaughter excitedly summoned me yesterday.

«Mum-mum,» she called. «There's a butterfly on your pink flowers.»

«Come see.»

It's there, in yellow and black, at one-o-clock in relation to her head.

This morning (she stayed with me last night) she could not wait to get outside to again check for butterflies.

Love looking at life through the eyes of a two-year old.

Categories: Creatures, Gardening.
Tags: butterflies, gardening in Connecticut.

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Love Cilantro? You Can Grow That!

joenesgarden — Fri, 04 May 2012 19:38:55 +0000

I've yet to meet anyone indifferent to the flavor of the herb cilantro. You either love it or dislike it. If, like me, you fall into the former category I have good news … You Can Grow That! Cilantro is one of the easiest herbs to grow. In fact, growing it can provide you with two herbs for the price of one. Cilantro (the leaves of the plant) and coriander (the seeds) are both products of the Coriandrum sativum plant.

Cilantro is best grown from seed. It has a long tap root and is not particularly fond of being transplanted except when very young. For best results give it well drained soil and full sun. In my zone 6 area of Connecticut, I have sown cilantro seed from early through late spring. I sow again in late summer for a fall crop. The plant is quick to go to flower so to insure an ample supply of fresh leaves it is best to sow new seeds in two week successions. But cilantro is useful even warm weather induces it to flower and set seed. The flowers can be used in food dishes, though they have a slightly different flavor than cilantro leaves. The mature and dried seeds are coriander, also used in cooking and baking.

My favorite method of growing cilantro is a year-round process. Sow seed in planting beds in early spring. Keep a frost protection covering at hand to protect the plants from frosty nighttime temperatures. Use as many young leaves as possible and try to delay flowering by snipping off the top parts of each plant. Eventually, though the flowers win out and leaf production slows. Let the healthiest plants set seed. When the seeds are dry and turn a light brown they drop to the ground. Encourage them to drop in optimal areas, cover them with a bit of soil, and make sure they are watered regularly. Soon young cilantro plants emerge and mature in time for late summer early fall harvest. Use floating row covers or a cold frame to protect any young plants when cold autumn temperatures arrive. When in the protection of a cold frame, cilantro will continue to grow until real cold moves in, then it goes dormant. It usually survives under cover through winter when given occasional supplemental water during bouts of warmer weather. During warmer winters you may be able to harvest fresh cilantro from the cold frame. During colder winters the plants remain dormant until warmer temperatures return. Water regularly when overwintered plants begin showing signs of growth and open the cold frame when temperatures permit. Once freezing temperatures stop, remove the cold frame.

Right now, my planting beds are in a state of alteration so my early cilantro sowing (see the photo) was in pots. But as soon as my planting beds are reestablished, I'm returning to the cilantro growing method mentioned above. I adore the particularly strong flavor of cilantro that overwintered inside a cold frame. I use chopped cilantro in tomato-, cucumber- or fruit-based salsa, in egg and potato salads, as a garnish for grilled or baked fish – it's especially good with salmon and swordfish – and, of course, in guacamole.

Like so many herbs, once you experience the fresh taste of home-grown cilantro, you'll hesitate to reach for grocery store versions. Fortunately, cilantro is an easy, You Can Grow That! herb.

You Can Grow That! is a blog meme occurring on the fourth of each month. It was started by C.L. Fornari at Whole Life Gardening to remind everyone that gardening is good for people. Gardening enriches our senses, our food, and our health. Gardening fosters friendship and increases ones appreciation of nature. Read more You Can Grow That! posts by visiting Whole Life Gardening.

Garden thoughtfully and remember,

Categories: Edibles, Gardening, Seeds, You Can Grow That!.
Tags: cilantro, gardening in Connecticut, You Can Grow That!.

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Poorly screened compost … a Gardening Oops

joenesgarden — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:17:14 +0000

A topdressing with compost is a great way to begin the process of refurbishing an aging and abused lawn. A little bit, just a quarter inch, spread and raked into a grassy area provides nutrients and introduces beneficial soil organisms. My husband took on this job for a high traffic area of our lawn. Unfortunately, the task involved a bit more work than anticipated, making it the topic of my Gardening Oops – GOOPs – post for May 2012.

I believe that all gardeners make mistakes. If you are out there playing with plants you are bound to forget something, mis-plant something, or have a gardener's brain freeze that results in a GOOPs. I also believe too many people refrain from trying an idea or a new task because they are afraid of making a mistake. But if we, as gardeners, admit and share mistakes we might make new gardeners … or even each other … more comfortable with investigating the activity of growing plants.

My GOOPs this month is about purchased compost.

I make compost … as much as I possibly can. I use it in vegetable and ornamental beds and mix it into planting medium for container plants. But I have yet to make enough compost to meet all our needs, nor have I met another gardener able to do so. This forces compost users to seek other, preferably local, sources of quality compost for tasks like topdressing a lawn.

Our lawn has taken a beating over the last few years and is screaming for our attention. Lawn is not the top priority in our landscape – we tend toward the easiest form of lawn care, but we do want what's there to be healthy. So my husband found a local compost source, paid his money, and brought a pick-up truck load of compost home.

Compost for topdressing lawn should be screened to a quarter-inch or less. Do you see the larger chunks of material in this blend? These are not clumps of soil. Take a closer look.

This is the size of the partially composted material we had to hand screen, one wheelbarrow at a time, from the truckload.

This is the method I use to screen all the compost I make for my gardens, but I do small batches at a time. This job required hand screening a truck load of compost all at once, and getting it spread before ensuing rain.

The lesson here? Either make sure the compost you are purchasing has been processed through 1/4 inch screen or be prepared to do the job yourself.

Do you have a GOOPs to share? Don't be shy. Tell your tale in a comment below or share your GOOPs on your own blog and leave a teaser below.

I've declared the first of each month GOOPs day at joene's garden. Here's a peek at past GOOPs. I hope you'll join the GOOPs party. If you've not had a gardening faux pas you've not gardened hard enough.

For more information on organic lawn care peruse the information provided by the Northeast Organic Farming Association's organic land care website. You may find Introduction to OLC particularly useful. You can even download a free copy of NOFA's Introduction to Organic Lawns and Yards.

Garden thoughtfully … may my GOOPs prevent your GOOPs.

Categories: Gardening, GOOPs-Gardening Oops, Soil, Techniques.
Tags: compost, gardening in Connecticut, gardening oops - GOOPs, topdressing lawn.

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