Stealing Ideas from a Chinese Garden
Posted on Wednesday, January 9, 2019 · Leave a Comment
Winter is a time for gardeners to rest. No weeding, no mowing, no moving plants from one bed to another. But now is a good time for planning what changes one can make in the garden, come spring and summer. I like to reflect on gardens I have visited, and see what ideas I can steal.
I recently visited the Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon. At first I looked at the garden and thought to myself, “There really is nothing here that would work in Cornish Flat, NH. Or Providence, or Rutland or Brattleboro – or any of the places my column appears.” But then I realized there were good things to learn from this very formal garden that depends so much on architecture and pools of water.
Memorial Chinese Garden by Evan G. Schneider
The Chinese Garden has a formal family shrine in an ornate building with 3 sides and opening to the garden. Inside it has a mahogany sideboard with pictures of ancestors, a bowl of fruit, and tea cups. There were chairs there for family members to repose and think about those who gone on. It’s not the sort of space I could envision for myself – or for most of my readers.
However, the idea of a place in the garden where one can sit and think about loved ones who have passed away is nice. It need not be anything like what I saw in Portland. In fact, I did something back in 2009 after my dear sister, Ruth Anne, passed away. I built a bench using a slab of marble I had bought at a yard sale. I sat the marble on 2 stout cherry logs standing upright. I planted two wild azaleas behind the bench to give the space a sense of enclosure. Then, to one side, I buried some of Ruth Anne’s ashes. Over that spot I planted an umbrella plant (Darmera peltata). I go there and sit on the bench and think of her from time to time, especially when the flowers are blooming in the spring.
Bonsai trees in Chinese Garden by Evan G. Schneider
The Chinese Garden displays a nice collection of bonsai trees. These are miniatures that are pruned and trained into special forms, and are beautiful – but very labor intensive. To show them off, they are set in place in front of a plain wall so their silhouettes stand out. I have no desire to own a bonsai tree (which may need watering every day, or twice a day in the heat of summer) but I can see using a plain backdrop to show off a potted plant. The house, a stone wall, even a hedge can be brightened up and enhanced with a potted plant.
There was a fragrance garden in the Chinese Garden. Again, I would consider taking this idea and making it my own. Instead of spreading out fragrant plants around my garden as I do now, I could cluster several together and create a place to attract butterflies – and children.
I remember visiting a rose garden in Paris that had a competition each June. One of the categories was “Best Fragrance as Judged by a Child”. I liked that idea, and introduced it as a category in the Cornish, NH annual agricultural fair. You might like to create a fragrance garden this summer in your own garden.
Another feature of the Chinese Garden were spaces enclosed by 3 walls. Although this might have been done for a variety of reasons unknown to me, I saw the spaces as good for delicate plants. Our winter winds are tough on trees and shrubs, particularly those that are marginal in our climatic zone.
If, for example, I wanted to grow a Franklinia tree, I would consider protecting it on 3 sides. Perhaps the house could be one wall, with bamboo fences on the sides. Or perhaps I could enclose it on 3 sides with a living hedge. It is a small tree that is only hardy to Zone 5. It has beautiful bark and white flowers in late summer. This winter I shall ponder where I might put one.
The Chinese Garden used vertical stones as accents. I have been placing vertical stones for decades, though the stones they used were taller and smaller in girth than the ones I use. I like the permanence of stone, and stones show off well in winter against the snow. I plant one third of a stone in the ground for stability, and usually surround the bottom portion with Portland cement – one bag, added dry to the “planting hole”, will harden and serve as an anchor.
Another feature of the Chinese Garden was the use of trees planted and growing at an angle. Most of us are very careful when planting a tree to guarantee that it is vertical – straight up in all directions. But planting a tree at a 45 degree angle can be alluring, too. Both Chinese and Japanese gardens use trees planted on angles. Such a tree does make one stop and look a little longer, just as it would if the leaves were pink or blue, or a color one is not expecting.
Chinese garden uses water architecture and trees. Homeyer photo.
The last feature I remarked on at the Chinese Garden were all the pools for fish. Water is very soothing and adds tranquility to a garden. The fish at this garden were koi, a goldfish relative, and quite large. I won’t be adding that feature anywhere in my garden, but I did appreciate them. Perhaps you’ll try one, and invite me to see it.
I’m off soon to see friends in North Carolina and Florida, and hope to see some good gardens. Winter is a good time to get away, and to see new ways to use plants.
Write Henry at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746 or by email at henry.homeyer@comcasst.net Please include a SASE if asking for a response by letter.
To Eat Better, Eat from the Garden
Posted on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 · Leave a Comment
As we go through the holidays, we tend to relax our vigilance about eating. Or at least I do. Like a woodchuck bulking up for hibernation, I find myself enjoying comfort foods during the long winter nights – and days. It is easy to gain a few pounds, even with the best of intentions, so I was attracted to Michael Pollan’s 2009 book, Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. It does not attempt to prescribe a diet that will help me to lose weight after the holidays, but I know if I follow it, it will help.
Pollan book cover
I liked the book a lot, in part, because it is a quick and easy read. I read it all in 2 or 3 hours. And it is mostly common sense, but a good reminder about things I know instinctively, but may have ignored over the holidays. As a gardening guy I put up a lot of food I grow, and sometimes it languishes in the freezer, on the pantry shelves, or in my spare fridge. The book motivated me to dig out the frozen kale and use it! Eating from my own garden is always healthy.
Pollan starts by acknowledging that it is difficult to sort through mountains of conflicting advice. Should we all be avoiding fats, or is it the carbohydrates? Is gluten bad for all of us? Should we be drinking red wine for the polyphenols? What are omega-3 fatty acids, and are they worth fussing over?
His main premise is one he elaborated on in earlier book, In Defense of Food: “Eat real food. Not too much. Mostly plants”. By real food, he means food that comes from plants or animals, not factories. What is in a Twinkie? Can you imagine the products that make one coming from natural substances that you could grow yourself? I can’t.
Pollan explains that people who eat the so called “Western diet” are generally less healthy than people who eat a traditional diet, whatever that may be (Japanese, Mediterranean, even Eskimo diets are healthier than ours). The Western diet contains “lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of refined grains, lots of everything except vegetables.” So Pollan put together a short book of rules to follow. Many of the 64 so called rules are catchy.
For example, #7: “Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third-grader cannot pronounce”.
#13: “Eat only Foods that will eventually rot”. I’m not interested in eating anything with a long shelf life because I know it’s probably full of chemicals.
Organic fertilizers contain more healthy minerals than chemical fertilizers 002
#30: “Eat well-grown food from healthy soil”. I couldn’t agree more. Chemical fertilizers aren’t necessarily bad, they are just limited. A bag of 10-10-10 contains 10 percent by weight of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, with 70 percent filler that is never specified (trade secrets).
Fertilizer will make plants grow, for sure. But a dose of compost contains 15 or more kinds of minerals needed by plants and by us, and lots of beneficial bacteria and fungi that evolved with green plants and support them. My tomatoes not only taste better than those that come in cellophane 4-packs, I believe they have more healthy ingredients.
#36: “Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk”.
#39: “Eat all the junk food you want – as long as you cook it yourself”. French fries are America’s favorite vegetable, but if we had to wash, peel, cut and fry them ourselves, we’d probably eat them about as often as we roast a turkey. I do eat a lot of potatoes because I grow them and love them. But I almost never fry them. And mine are cooked in healthy oil, and have little salt.
#63: “Cook”. If you buy frozen pizzas or even fancy frozen meals, you are allowing someone else to decide what goes on your dinner plate. They add the salt, the sugar, and the preservatives. Why is cancer so common now? My personal theory is that all those chemicals we eat affect our bodies over time.
Veggies fresh from the garden are healthy and safe
I’m lucky: I not only have the time to cook, I love cooking. I sometimes wake up in the morning thinking about what I will cook for dinner. I think about what is in my fridge or freezer, and how I can combine it with good ingredients to make something I want to eat today, and look forward to having leftovers tomorrow.
I plan to live well and be healthy until I am in my 90’s because I grow – and eat – lots of vegetables and fruits, many that I grow myself. What I buy is mostly organic, even when it’s expensive to buy. Heart attacks, Type II diabetes and many kinds of cancers are probably linked to the foods we eat, how much we eat, and the amount of exercise we get.
Gardening is good for us. It gets us outdoors, away from a desk or a TV. We get exercise and produce healthy food. Get your kids to help to grow the veggies this year, and they will be pretty enthusiastic about raw vegetables. Ask your children to pull a few carrots, rinse them with the hose and take a bite. You’ll see a big grin, and they’ll want another bite. Same for cherry tomatoes. I even know one boy that will eat raw onions straight from the row. So make 2019 and the year of the vegetable. We could all benefit.
You may reach Henry at henry.homeyer@comcast.net or PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746. He is the author of 4 gardening books.
Holiday Reflections
Posted on Thursday, December 27, 2018 · Leave a Comment
At this time of year I like to look back on the past year – in the garden, and in my life – to reflect on all the wonderful events of the year. I take time to count my blessings, look at my mistakes, and make plans for the future.
It was a good year in the garden. It started off hot and sunny, perfect for growing vegetables. Later in the summer we got a bit too much rain, which can encourage fungal diseases. But overall my tomatoes did well and produced plenty, as did my leafy greens and squashes.
My potatoes, on the other hand, were miserable. I planted them on the south side of my garden where there is a big magnolia that shades the garden during the afternoon, when the sun is strongest. Perhaps the magnolia roots were competing with the potatoes, too. No potato bugs, but still, very few spuds. And most were small. I am already buying potatoes, which is unheard of at this time of year.
Last year I harvested 100 pounds of potatoes and had plenty to give away. This year? Maybe 10 pounds. Lesson learned? Plant leafy greens, not potatoes, tomatoes or squash family veggies on the shady side of the garden. Lettuce, kale, spinach and such need less sun, but I knew that. My bad.
Catalpa blossoms
In 2017 I planted a nice 10-foot tall catalpa tree, and it over-wintered nicely. It bloomed this year, and I loved the sight and fragrance of the blossoms. It had some good growth, and I look forward to an even better display of blossoms next year. And I learned not to worry if it doesn’t leaf out early in the spring. It is one of the last to open up its leaves.
I have always loved the eastern redbud tree (Cercis canadensis). Unlike anything else I grow, it does not set flower buds on twigs. The blossoms pop out of the bark of the tree or the branches. And they are a bright magenta color. There is also a white variety, but I got the pink one.
Redbud
I had tried growing a redbud 25 years ago, but it died back to the ground each winter, and never blossomed, so I eventually gave up on it and dug it out. But our climate has warmed some, and I placed this one in a protected spot near a tall stone wall that will radiate some heat and break the winds of winter. It bloomed nicely for me this year, and I have great hope that it will winter well.
I have noticed that I am getting more adventurous as I age. I am more willing to try plants that are marginal in our climatic zone. Now I am also spending more and getting bigger trees, despite the increased costs. Knowing that I have a finite time on this earth, and that I’m past 70 years young, I want to see my trees come to maturity – and soon.
I remember helping artist and author Tasha Tudor some years ago to find some uncommon crab apple varieties when she was in her nineties, and being amazed that someone of that age was still planting trees. I use her as my role model as I age.
I am grateful to have had a young person helping me in my garden again this year. Celia is a high school student that loves working in the garden and has high energy, literally skipping from job to job. I resolve to never become a curmudgeon who says all kids are lazy or addicted to their cellphones. Many want to learn and are willing to work hard, and having a helper even 4 hours a week is a big help.
Allium schubertii
In the fall of 2017 I ordered allium bulbs because I had seen some amazing varieties at the Chelsea Flower Show in London. The Brits use alliums much more than we do, and I fell in love with them. One of those I loved the most, Allium schubertii, is not hardy in my climatic zone, but I ordered them anyway and planted them in pots. I kept them in a cold basement, and brought them into the warmth of the house in March. They bloomed fabulously.
My thanks to you, my readers, for asking me questions and keeping learning. My best wishes for 2019.
Henry can be reached at PO Box 364, Cornish Flat, NH 03746 or henry.homeyer@comcast.net.
The Japanese Garden of Portland, Oregon
Posted on Thursday, December 20, 2018 · Leave a Comment
Visiting a garden in winter allows me to see the bones of a garden, the internal structure which supports and enhances the flowers and leaves of the other three seasons. I like to go slowly through a winter garden to allow the spirit and essence of the garden to sink in. I recently visited the Japanese Garden of Portland, Oregon on a sunny, cold day. I left feeling calm and rejuvenated.
There are three main elements of a Japanese Garden. The first is stone, which provides a link to the mountains of Japan and provides a feeling of stability. The second is water, the life-giving force. For me, running water provides the music of a garden, which encourages tranquility. Quiet pools reflect sky and trees. Lastly, the plants of the garden provide the color and patterns that make each garden special. And of course, the trees in winter provide bones for the garden, along with the stone.
Japanese red maple in winter (Schneider photo)
The Japanese Garden of Portland was conceived in 1961 as a way to promote cross-cultural understanding; it was first open to the public in 1967. It is one of the best examples of a Japanese garden outside of Japan, and is fully mature now, more than 50 years after the first plantings.
Of those original plantings, some of the most impressive are the Japanese red maples (Acer palmatum). These trees are planted throughout the garden, and many have been pruned to encourage lateral growth and are often in an umbrella shape.
Now is the best time to see those maples if you want to see their form, though the leaves are wonderful in spring, summer and fall. There are many with finely cut leaves in the garden, the ‘dissectum’ varieties. Unfortunately for me, the dissectum varieties are generally less hardy; many just to zone 6 (minus 10 degrees F in winter). The standard Japanese red maple is good to Zone 4 (minus 25 or 30), and the variety ‘Bloodgood’ is the hardiest of all. I have two, and I think every garden should have at least one.
Japanese Garden (Schneider photo)
Other trees at the Japanese Garden include Japanese red pine, Japanese black pine, azalea, rhododendron, ginkgo and various large firs, cedars and hemlock. There is an advantage to having evergreens in the garden, as they provide color – green – all winter.
There are two stone or gravel gardens in the Japanese Garden of Portland. In each of these there is a “sea” of gravel. That gravel is raked to create parallel ridges around the stones, mimicking waves in the sea. One has several large stones, representing mountains – but little else. In the main stone garden near the tea house there are also moss-covered islands and peninsulas in the gravel sea. I was told that the gravel in the bigger stone garden space was shipped from Japan.Stone lanterns are commonly placed on peninsulas in Japanese gravel gardens serving as lighthouses.
Waterfall and koi pond
The Japanese Garden of Portland has streams, ponds and pools, all important elements for a Japanese garden. There is a wonderful hillside with a waterfall and a stream that feeds a pond. In the pond are koi; these resemble goldfish and can get to be quite large. Some are orange, others white, some spotted. Koi are the Labrador retrievers of the water: good looking and always looking for a handout.
I called senior gardener Adam Hart after I returned to New Hampshire to ask about flowers that bloom in the gardens in the warmer seasons. I was surprised that the gardens really do not have herbaceous perennials as part of the plant palette, with the exception of Japanese iris (Iris ensata).
Mr. Hart explained that although some of the trees bloom with colorful flowers, the plants installed should generally have 4 season interest – hence no primroses, peonies or other Japanese flowers. Just the iris, which are similar to our bearded iris, but the falls (outer petals) lie flat out, horizontally. The blossoms can be quite large, up to 6 inches across. I grow them, they are hardy to Zone 4,minus 30 in winter. They like wet soils, and will even grow in standing water. Fabulous plants. The iris are in bloom in June and July, so that would be an excellent time to visit.
For me, it is important that a Japanese garden is sparse, simple, and quiet. It should encourage a person to be reflective and have seating so one can relax and enjoy what the garden has to offer. It should have open spaces and lots of stone and gravel.
The Japanese Garden of Portland is open all year, so if you plan to go to Portland, schedule a visit. There is a discount for tickets purchased in advance, and for seniors or children. Visit the website, https://japanesegarden.org for more information.
Henry’s web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com. He is the author of 4 gardening books. You may reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net.
Magnificent Trees for the Winter Landscape
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2018 · Leave a Comment
This is not the time for planting trees in New England. But it is a good time for looking at them and deciding what to plant, come spring and summer. Since we have 5 months or so without flowers growing in our gardens, look at the silhouettes of trees, decide what pleases you, and read up on them.
Most gardeners plant some flowers, a few veggies and perhaps some nice decorative shrubs. Fine. But what about maples, oaks and beeches? Should we allow the squirrels to decide where these majestic trees grow on our property? No, we should plant them if we like them – and have space for them.
My property is relatively small, just a couple of acres, so I have been judicious in selecting trees to add to the landscape. My property came with a few big sugar maples and oaks, two American elms, one huge wild cherry and too many poplars for my liking. The elms died and had to be cut down, but the rest of the big trees continue to get even bigger, cooling the house in summer and providing food and homes for birds and small mammals.
My Merrill magnolia is gorgeous with a light coat of snow
One of my favorite big trees is a hybrid magnolia, the “Merrill”. I planted it about 20 years ago, and is near mature size now – at least 30 feet tall and wide. It blooms with big white fragrant blossoms every year in late April. It has glossy green leaves all summer, and fabulous fuzzy buds similar to pussy willows all winter. It was just 4 feet tall when I planted it.
I planted it in the middle of a lawn where it would get full sun. It is near my little stream and I worried that the high water table would lead to root rot, but it has thrived with plenty of water. Unfortunately it does spill some shade onto a vegetable plot in late afternoon. But I love it, and am glad I can see it from my windows.
I have planted several fruit trees, both apples and pears, and have several wild apples that blossom nicely but do not produce edible fruit. I think every gardener should have at least one apple tree. Books will tell you that you need 2 or more apples to get good pollination, but there are always wild apples, or apples at your neighbor’s house to provide good pollination if you have room for only one.
There are many disease-resistant apple varieties to choose from if you don’t want to spray chemicals. ‘Liberty’, ‘Freedom’, ‘MacFree’ and others are less likely to get apple scab, powdery mildew, cedar apple rust and fire blight. That said, be sure to pick an apple you have tasted and like. You can prune any apple tree to look good.
Snow covered sugar maple
Sugar maples mature more quickly than you might think. A tree with a 2-inch diameter stem can become a handsome shade tree in 20 years – they can average a foot a year or so. They don’t tolerate road salt or compacted soils, but otherwise are easy to grow. They can benefit from occasional doses of limestone for their roots, as acid rain washes calcium out of the soil, and they need it to stay healthy. Maples are, to me, the quintessential New England tree with the classic red, orange and yellows of our fall.
If you want a big oak in your yard, consider playing squirrel. A friend of mine did this, gathering acorns locally and planting a dozen or more. Some germinated, others did not, and some he had to thin out. Remember that a mature oak can reach 60 feet tall or more. Width can vary from 25 to 60 feet wide, depending on the species. One of the fastest growing oaks in the pin oak, which can reach 12 to 15 feet in 5 to 7 years.
Hemlock hedge in winter
In 1972 I planted a row of hemlocks to create a privacy screen for the back yard. I dug them up from a field when they were 3 to 6 feet tall and planted them 10 to 20 feet apart. Now, nearly 50 years later, those hemlocks are feet 50 tall and do, indeed, create a nice living hedge.
I have to admit I did no research before planting the hemlocks. I didn’t know how tall they would get, nor how far apart I should plant them. But hemlocks are very adaptable and will grow in sun or shade, and in almost any kind of soil. They have done just fine.
Today I might not choose hemlocks for a screen because the wooly adelgid, a pest that thrives in southern New England, is moving north and may eventually decimate the hemlocks. White pine might be suitable for a hedge, but it, too, is facing diseases and is intolerant of air pollution and road salt. It is not a good tree near the road.
White birch (Betula papyrifera) is also a nice, easy tree to grow, and very handsome. The young stems are reddish brown when young, but turning chalky white after age 7 or so. I think the nicest way to plant them is in groups of 3, planted a couple of feet apart, or even in one big planting hole.
White birches will grow anywhere, but do especially well in sandy or rocky soils. I planted two near my stream in moist soil, and one died, the other thrived. Go figure.
Winter is the time to dream. Ask Santa for a good book on trees with lots of pictures. Anything by Michael Dirr would be good. Dream, read and plan!
Henry is away this week, and not answering e-mail. He is the author of 4 gardening books. His web site is www.Gardening-Guy.com.
Houseplants: How to Keep Them Happy and Healthy
Posted on Thursday, December 6, 2018 · Leave a Comment
I recently visited my friend Alicia Jenks of Green Dragon Farm in Weathersfield, Vermont, to take a look at her houseplants – some 50 or more of them. Alicia considers them her “indoor garden’, her plant friends that keep her gardening all winter. She doesn’t think houseplants are hard to maintain, but asserts, “You have to pay attention to them. They can’t take care of themselves.” Good point.
Alicia Jenks with a clivia descended from one her mother grew
Alicia does not put her houseplants outside in the summer. Instead she keeps them on a covered screen porch. This allows her to regulate how much water they get, keeps them away from pests like earwigs, and keeps them from getting sun scald.
Before she brings them into the house in September, Alicia gives her houseplants a good gentle shower – outdoors, with a hose. Aphids and other pests can often be knocked off with a stream of water, avoiding the need to use a soap solution to kill them later. Of course you must get the underside of leaves, too, and rinse the surface of the potting soil, too.
Alicia keeps her best, most luscious houseplants in the living-dining area. Her Junior Varsity team she keeps upstairs in a spare room. The rest, the Club Squad, stay in the basement under lights. She gives each the same care, and any plant can get upgraded to the living room. All it needs to do is bloom.
Misting plants helps them in winter
Water, too much or too little, is what kills most houseplants. Alicia does not follow a set schedule such as watering every Sunday, though that works for many people. Instead she regularly checks her plants by placing a finger on the soil surface. If it is lightly moist, she does not water. If it is dry, or if the leaves are losing some of their turgidity and wilting, she waters.
Alicia gives a deep watering each time she waters, enough so that a little water will seep through the pot’s holes in the bottom and into the saucer it sits on. In the summer when it is hot, she might have to water some plants every 2 to 3 days. In winter once a week may be enough.
What about fertilizer? Alicia gives some liquid fish emulsion fertilizer once a month from April to September. Fish or seaweed fertilizers are good for houseplants because they have a wide variety of nutrients, including many micronutrients that are not found in chemical fertilizers. During the winter? Most plants are not doing much growth then and should not be fertilized, she told me.
Most houseplants do not need much direct sunshine. Before you buy a houseplant, read the tag to see what it needs. Bright indoor sunlight is fine for most plants. Cyclamen, begonias, Christmas cactus, poinsettias, oxalis and many others will do well in a brightly lit room, without direct sunshine.
I have read that the direct sunshine diminishes exponentially with the distance from the glass. That means that sunshine two feet from the glass is 4 times weaker than sunshine a foot from the window, and at 3 feet away, it is 9 times weaker. Keep that in mind when you place a plant. Rosemary, which appreciates strong sun, should be as near the window as possible – without touching it. No plant leaves should touch the glass in winter.
Books and websites are full of advice. Still, I find the very best information about houseplants is found in my 1969 edition of Thalassa Cruso’s book, Making Things Grow: A Practical Guide for the Indoor Gardener. Although this book was written nearly 50 years ago and is long out of print, I have never visited a used bookstore that didn’t have it. And it is available on-line.
What I like about Ms. Cruso’s book is the practical nature of it. It covers pretty much any houseplant you can buy. She has grown it, figured out what makes it happy, and will save you the trouble of experimenting – and killing- houseplants yourself. Plus, her writing is easy to follow – and sweet.
This oxalis gets afternoon sunshine filtered through a white window shade
Success is often in the details. Take those bright red zonal geraniums we often grow in pots in summer to adorn a sunny location. Did you know that they do best when their potting mixture is well patted down in the pot, compressing it? I didn’t. Or that geraniums can be made to flower beautifully indoors in winter by pinching them back regularly in summer, frustrating their attempts to blossom until winter? Ms. Cruso taught me that.
Alicia Jenks does not re-pot her plants very often. She believes that many bloom better if the roots are a little crowded, but if the roots are pushing out the top or through the drainage hole, it might be necessary.
Thalassa Cruso warns against “potting on’ a root-bound plant into a much larger pot. She explains that using a pot more than an inch in diameter larger than the pot a plant is growing in can cause root rot. Why? The excess soil material will not easily dry out – because the roots will not reach it.
I never think of myself as a houseplant kind of guy, though when I counted up my houseplants for this article I saw I had 43 plants, including a Crown of Thorns that is over 100 years old, a banana tree, a fig, an 8-foot hibiscus and an even bigger frangipane tree that bloomed all last winter!
Henry is away, and will not be answering e-mail this week. His website is Gardening-Guy.com. He is the author of 4 gardening books.
Feeding the Birds – Without Buying Seeds
Posted on Monday, November 26, 2018 · Leave a Comment
This year, given the plethora of squirrels in the universe, I feel that I should just buy a dump truck-load of black oil sunflower seeds and drop it on the lawn in front of the deck. Then maybe the squirrels would let my timid titmice get to the feeder. Maybe not. But there are other ways to ensure our feathered friends get lunch.
Long before farmers of the mid-West began cultivating sunflowers in mile-long fields, birds survived our winters here. How? They ate the seeds of our native flowers and shrubs, and the little bugs that lived on them. Let’s look at a few trees that birds depend on – not just now, but throughout the year.
Hemlock left, white pine right
Two of the best trees for birds are white pine and Canadian hemlock. Each is used by 25 to 40 species of birds. Some birds eat the seeds. Some use them for shelter, getting out of the winter wind or spending the night nestled safely in the branches. Others build their nests in them. Birds need places for all those things in order to survive.
Unfortunately, both pines and hemlocks grow to be taller than your home, given a couple of decades. White pine (Pinus strobus) grows an average of 2 feet per year, so you shouldn’t plant one near the house. But if you want to block the view of the neighbor’s rusty cars lurking by your property line, several white pines can be nice. They get to be 20 to 40 feet wide, so if you plant them 10 to 15 feet apart, they will fill in the gap nicely.
Canadian hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) will grow in full sun or deep shade, but does not do well in wet, soggy soils. It grows fast, especially in sunny locations. I’ve read that it takes 20 years before the trees start to produce cones – hence food – and then it only does so in 2 or 3 year intervals, not every year. Still, it is great for nesting and protection.
Red oaks are pretty for us, food for birds
Nut trees of any sort are loved by our birds. You might wonder how acorns can be opened and eaten by small birds like the Carolina wren or white-breasted nuthatch. Think of acorns like money in the bank. No, most birds can’t crack them open when they fall. But a few months on the ground will soften the outer shell. And squirrels are messy eaters. They’ll open a nut, eat some, drop it and go on to the next – leaving plenty of nut meat for an industrious bird. Of course, nut trees take time to reach maturity, but plan now for your grandchildren’s enjoyment when adults.
Berries of any sort are great for birds. Wild grapes, for example, may be a pain if they grow up your favorite decorative tree, but in the woods they are fine. More than 50 species of birds eat the fruit, though that is mainly in the fall. They are beloved by birds we all love – cardinals, orioles and scarlet tanagers, along with the more common woodpeckers, warblers and thrushes.
Wild brambles grow freely along the edges of fields and gardens. Most gardeners think of them as pests and pull them out, but many birds like the fruit – even if it is not as sweet as our cultivated raspberries and blackberries. So let those brambles grow. Since they are thorny, cats are less likely to prowl in brambles, giving protection for nesting birds such as catbirds and vireos, which find them attractive.
Native shrubs are generally better for feeding birds than shrubs imported from Europe or the Far East. Why? Because our birds and our native shrubs evolved together, one adapting to the other. Birds that eat berries from native shrubs such as elderberries, viburnums and native willows and dogwoods produce better food for birds than non-native shrubs.
I don’t cut down all my perennial flowers in the fall. Not because I am lazy or behind on my work (though there is some of that). I leave things like purple coneflower and black-eyed Susans for the finches. Those flower heads are fully of little seeds. My sunflower seeds get eaten by birds in late summer or early fall, so there are none left for winter – except in 20 pound bags.
DeGraf Book
Winter is a good time for planning. If you like the idea of planting for birds, you should try to locate a copy of Richard DeGraf’s book, Trees, Shrubs and Vines for Attracting Birds. I think it’s out of print, but readily available. This book lists most common native species of trees, shrubs and vines and then specifically lists the birds that use them for food, nesting or cover. Thus if you want to attract cardinals or bluebirds, for example, study the book to see which plants are used by them.
As you reflect on what trees and shrubs to plant, remember that birds need more than food. They need nesting sites, protection from the wind and those sneaky neighborhood cats. There are plenty of native plants that will look good in your landscape, and support our feathered friends, too.
Henry is the author of 4 gardening books. He lives and gardens in Cornish Flat, NH.
Eating From the Garden Every Day of the Year
Posted on Tuesday, November 20, 2018 · Leave a Comment
For breakfast I often drink a green smoothie that includes a banana, kale, some OJ, half a lime, fresh ginger, fresh mint if I have it, and water. It’s healthy, tasty, and uses kale I grew. I usually pick fresh ‘Winterbor’ kale from my garden until mid-December as even temperatures in the 20’s don’t seem to bother it. But all winter I have bags of frozen kale I can chop and add to my morning drinks – and winter stews.
Having a spare freezer – or more than one – is a wonderful way to keep eating from the garden all year. Here’s what I have in mine right now: tomatoes, peppers, green beans, broccoli, kale, strawberries, blueberries, leeks, apples for pies, peaches, applesauce and plum puree.
Tomatoes dominate the freezer. I freeze them whole, skins on, and make sauce or use them the way I would canned tomatoes. The skins come off easily – I just drop them into a pan of hot tap water for a couple of minutes, then rub the skins off. Of course you can leave the skins on, if you want.
I also have homemade tomato sauce in the freezer, complete with onions, garlic, basil, oregano and other herbs. And then there are the bags of tomato paste I cook down from tomatoes that I cut up, puree in a blender, and boil down till very thick. I freeze the paste in ice cube trays, then transfer the cubes to zipper bags when frozen.
Kale is a good winter veggie
Freezing does take some work. I blanch kale, beets, broccoli, squash and green beans before I freeze them. That means I drop them in boiling water for a minute or so, put them in cold water, and then dry them well before freezing. The quick boiling kills the enzymes that cause aging, making for a better product. I don’t blanch tomatoes, peppers, fruit or leeks. But for best results it is good to eat those in year one, not year four or five.
The easiest way to keep food for eating all winter is to store it in a cool location. I have a cold basement and a cool area in the entry area of my house. Potatoes, carrots, kohlrabi and rutabagas store well in the basement with high humidity and temperatures in the 33 to 50 degree range.
When I have lots of root crops I store them in a cement block bin with a plywood lid. The bin is big enough for six 5-gallon pails. It keeps out the mice, holds in the humidity, and keeps the vegetables at a relatively constant temperature. I keep an indoor-outdoor thermometer sensor in it, so I can monitor the temperature from upstairs. If it gets too cold, I plug in an electric heat mat I also use for starting seedlings. I put a little moist sand in the bottom of each bucket to help with the humidity.
Other veggies need low humidity and cool temperatures. Those include onions, shallots, garlic and winter squash. I keep them on a wooden rack I got from Gardeners Supply, their “orchard rack”. I have that in the main part of the house where I have a woodstove – hence low humidity. But I keep them near the mudroom, which is unheated, so they stay cool. You can also keep squash under the bed upstairs in a spare bedroom with the heat off and the door closed.
Excalibur dryer does a good job on cherry tomatoes and more
Lastly, I dehydrate cherry tomatoes, hot peppers and apples. I find the drying process tends to concentrate flavors. I cut the cherry tomatoes in half, set the thermostat at 130 degrees, and bag them up when dry, but not brittle. Hot peppers I dry till brittle, and then grind them in my coffee grinder. That way I can add just a little zing to a dish, and avoid hot chunks. I grind the pepper seeds, too.
So here is a good winter stew made from my own veggies. You can add a pound of sausage or stew beef to this or leave it as a vegetarian dish. I do it both ways. If you use meat, brown it first in oil, then drain any excess oil and add the veggies.
Chop 2 yellow onions coarsely and brown in a cast iron pot. Then add the root vegetables according to what you have and what you like: 5 medium carrots cut in rounds (about 2 cups), 1 cup rutabaga cut in ½ inch cubes, 1 cup kohlrabi peeled and cut in ½ inch cubes, ½ to 1 cup celeriac, finely chopped. If you have no celeriac, substitute celery, they are relatives with the same flavor. Potatoes will go in the stew at the end, as they tend to fall apart if cooked too long.
Next add 5 frozen tomatoes, skinned and coarsely chopped. If you don’t have your own, add a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, preferably organic. Add 3 to 4 cups water or broth, and perhaps a cup of apple cider. Add 1 to 2 cups chopped kale if you like kale. Simmer.
Garlic tends to burn easily if added with the onions, so add it after the liquid to avoid that. Use 1 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped fine.
Kohlrabi is a good winter keeper
Next add herbs, according to your supply – and your taste. I have frozen parsley, and chop a couple of tablespoons of it. I add fresh rosemary from a plant on the window sill, a nice sprig chopped fine. A tablespoon of Herbs de Provence from the Coop is good, too. Then I add some ground hot pepper to add some zing. Simmer.
Lastly I add 2 cups potatoes cut in ½ inch cubes that have been boiled for 10 minutes in a separate pot. Drain, and add to the stew. Simmer another 10 minutes and serve. Enjoy!
Henry is the author of 4 gardening books and has been a UNH Master Gardener for over 20 years.
Holiday Gifts for the Gardener
Posted on Wednesday, November 14, 2018 · Leave a Comment
“Jingle Bells” and “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” are already blaring in stores in an attempt to get us in the mood to buy holiday gifts. Good grief, Halloween is barely over. Still … here are some thoughts for all you eager beavers who now wish to buy gifts for your beloved gardeners.
Posy pin
Let’s start with inexpensive gifts. Paper whites are good. Half a dozen of these bulbs used for indoor blooming are a nice stocking stuffer at about a dollar each at the garden center or grocery store. Or if you want, fill a low bowl with marble chips and place these daffodil-relatives in it so that your loved one need only add water.
Weeding tools are always useful as we lose them, from time to time. The best of all hand tools is the CobraHead weeder, an indestructible single-tine weeder that I use for everything from teasing out long grass roots to planting crocus one at a time or stirring up the soil to plant tomatoes. Available in garden centers or from www.CobraHead.com. About $25.
If your loved one has a brick or cobble walkway, a paving or patio weeder is helpful. This “L” shaped tool has a thin flat blade that gets between bricks and gets out weeds. I bought one years ago from the Kinsman Company (https://www.kinsmangarden.com). I see they are still available for under $10. They also sell a little glass vase on a stick pin for wearing a single blossom on your blouse. Their “Posy Pin” is just $8.50, a nice stocking-stuffer from a family-run business.
Garlic spikes
Deer repellents, particularly for shrubs, are important in many areas. There are sprays, but I have little experience with them. What I like are garlic spikes, little canisters on clothespin-like attachments. These contain garlic oil and seem to work all winter for me. You just puncture the seal with the little tool (provided) and place 2 or 3 on a medium-sized shrub to release the odors. I found them at Gardeners Supply (www.gardeners.com), about $20 for 25 clips.
Seeds are always useful. Hudson Valley Seed Company (https://hudsonvalleyseed.com/) is a relatively new company with lots of seeds great for New England, and a variety of nice garden accessories. They have some seeds in “art packs” which feature artist-designed packets that are beautiful and would be great stocking stuffers. I like their selection of tools for sale, including pruners and knives made by the Opinel Company, an old French company that makes fine tools I have used and like.
Also available from Hudson Valley are planting bags: non-woven, recycled plastic bags in bright colors in 3, 5 and 10 gallon sizes. I’ve heard about planting bags, but never tried them as an alternative to pots. At $4 to $10 they sound good and I intend to try them.
Orchard ladder
But on to the more expensive things. If you have a home orchard, or trees and large shrubs like lilacs that you regularly prune, consider a pruning ladder. A good source for these is OESCO Inc. in Conway, Mass. Orchard ladders are aluminum ladders with a wide, stable base and a pole that is hinged to the ladder and can go out in a range of angles to provide stability on hillsides that a regular stepladder cannot provide. And you can poke that back leg into a thicket of shrubbery and get up to the height you need to prune a runaway lilac back into shape.
OESCO sells Marchand brand orchard ladders, and has an 8-footer for $207 or a 10-footer for S259. These are good, sturdy ladders and are similar to an older style that I often use. The next step up is the Hasegawa brand, which has a telescoping support leg, and wider steps. These cost $359 for the 8-footer, and $399 for the 10-foot ladder.
Every gardener wants more perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs. We need tools and fertilizer and compost. So why not give your loved one a gift certificate at your local garden center? Then, in the spring, she can pick out what she wants or needs. We all like to try new plants, even some that might not survive. A gift certificate allows us to try those things – at essentially no risk.
Garden books are great presents, too. For someone just starting a vegetable garden, I’d suggest The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Ed Smith. For an experienced perennial gardener I’d suggest Tracy DiSabato-Aust’s The Well-Tended Perennial Garden: Planting and Pruning Techniques. For someone developing a landscape with trees and shrubs, I like Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia by Michael Dirr. Or anything by Gordon Hayward, Lewis Hill – or me.
Probably the nicest present you can give a loved gardener is your time in their garden, working with them. I know that gift certificates are often not redeemed – it’s why stores love selling them. But if you are serious about giving the gift of gardening, you will have to remember to call the recipient next spring and ask, when can I come help you? Do you need help weeding? Thinning carrots?
So don’t wait for the last minute to buy holiday gifts. Plan ahead before the rush!
Henry is a lifelong organic gardener living in Cornish Flat, NH. He is the author of 4 gardening books.
Fall Pruning: Who, What, Where and How?
Posted on Wednesday, November 7, 2018 · Leave a Comment
If you have cut back your perennials, cleaned up the vegetable garden and raked the leaves, you have good reason to be a tad smug. You’re ahead of me. But don’t be too proud – there is still plenty to do outside. It’s time for some fall pruning.
First you need to know who gets a haircut, and who does not. Let me preface this by saying that, with a few exceptions, you can prune anything at any time and not hurt the plant. Yes, you will reduce bloom count if you prune spring bloomers now. And maples and birch will bleed like crazy if you prune them when the sap is running. But you can prune anything now, in the spring, or in August without damaging your plants.
Plants that already have their flower buds will bloom earlier than those like hydrangeas or fall blooming clematis that bloom later on new growth. Early bloomers include forsythia, lilac, magnolia, fothergilla, viburnums, rhododendrons and azaleas. Right now you can see big fat buds on most of those – just waiting for spring and the right time to bloom. Yes, you can prune them now, but you lose flowers later on. So you may want to just do a little pruning on these, and wait to do heavier pruning after they bloom in the spring.
Cut just outside the branch collar leaving the wrinkle bar
Hardwood trees like maples, beech, oak, magnolia and linden can be pruned now. Roses I usually prune in the spring, after I see how much the winter has killed off, if anything. Evergreens like pine and hemlock I usually prune right after the new growth has occurred in summer.
Fruit trees are traditionally pruned in late winter or early spring, but you can prune apples and other fruits now, and I often do. There is no snow to wade through the way there often is in March. For home gardeners losing a few blossoms – and hence some apples – really is not a loss. In a good year I grow many more apples than I can eat, store, or process. I want my trees to be handsome all winter, not cluttered with too many branches. I want my trees to be sculpture on the landscape.
Don’t be a timid pruner. A few bold cuts (removing large stems) can transform a tree in just a few minutes. Nibbling away at the edges, taking off pencil-thick branches is slow, tedious work.
Big stems removed from my ninebark
How much wood can you remove in a single season? The old rule of thumb was a third of the leaf-producing branches. Now experts advise just 20 to 25%. Remember, the leaves are the engine of the tree. They produce the sugars that feed the roots and produce the fruit.If you cut off too many branches (with their leaves), your tree may respond by producing lots of new growth next year in the form of water sprouts or suckers you don’t want.
Aside from the beauty of a well-pruned tree, pruning should open up the canopy so that sunshine can get to every leaf. If a shrub is too crowded with branches, the interior of the tree is a mess, and many leaves do not benefit from the sun. I like to say that a bird should be able to fly through a well-pruned apple tree without getting hurt.
Where should you make your cuts? At the origin of the branch, either on a bigger branch, the trunk, or at ground level. Don’t cut off a branch flush to the trunk as it will open up a big wound. Instead, look at the branch and see where the “branch collar” is, and cut just beyond it. The collar is slightly swollen area at the base of a branch, and its bark is often wrinkled.
My late sister, Ruth Anne, loved to prune. She always started pruning by sitting on the ground near the base of a shrub and looking up through the branches. She would decide which bigger branches should be removed, and cut them off near the soil surface.
Or start by taking out any dead branches first. Dead branches have dry, flakey bark. If you rub the bark of a small branch, you should see a green layer. Dead branches don’t count when you are calculating how many branches you can remove.
Here are the cuts I make when pruning a tree, in the order I take them out: 1. Dead wood. 2. Damaged or cracked limbs. 3. Crossing or rubbing branches. 4. Branches that are growing toward others, or toward the center of the tree. 5. Branches that are paralleling others. I remove the weaker of the two.
Common ninebark in need of pruning. The interior is very crowded
I recently gave my common ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) ‘Diablo’ a heavy pruning, even though it means I won’t see many flowers in the spring. It was just so big and messy, it was driving me crazy. I cut a few large stems right out, and a few others I removed half way down. The shrub is much less cluttered, and considerably shorter. It will look good with a dusting of snow – which is one the way.
So get out there and do some fall pruning. Your trees and shrubs will look better all winter, and healthier next summer.
Henry gardens in Cornish Flat, NH. You can reach him at henry.homeyer@comcast.net. He is the author of 4 gardening books, and blogs regularly at www.dailyuv.com.
Click Here to buy from Cobrahead